Narrative:

We were cleared from bos to iad via logan 2 departure, glyde, baf J77 sax J6 lrp V143 robrt, aml iad FL310. Route was inserted in the FMC on the ground in bos and verified by both pilots. While still several hundred mi from iad, ZNY and ZDC gave several intermediate dscnts to lower altitudes, some with crossing restrs. A descent to cross 5 mi southwest of lrp at 16000 ft was given and a waypoint with the crossing restr was inserted into the legs page with the CDU and verified by both pilots. Our next clearance was to proceed direct to robrt and cross at 250 KTS and 10000 ft. As we approached robrt controller gave us direct to sigbe, descend to 7000 ft and fly robrt FMS transition, neither the captain or myself were familiar with this approach or the restrs involved. The captain had the sigbe fix spelled for him by the controller and then inserted it into the navigation page. He then located the robrt FMS transition in his flight manual and manually inserted each of the remaining 4 fixes with their crossing restrs. I started the airplane down out of 10000 ft to 7000 ft and located my own copy of the robrt FMS transition. The speed brakes were extended full but it was apparent that we could not comply with the crossing restr at sigbe of 7000 ft. The radio was extremely congested with the controller talking to other aircraft and before we could break into conversation and inform controller of our inability to comply with sigbe crossing restr the controller wanted to know if we could cross mowatt at 5000 ft, which we could and did so. We were approximately 1000-1500 ft high (8000-8500 ft) when we crossed sigbe with speed brakes fully deployed. The controller said we shouldn't have accepted the clearance if we couldn't comply with it but we didn't know until we had inserted it in the computer and verified it that we would have any difficulty. As a crew we should have looked more carefully at all the arrs in our flight manual and have anticipated that this would be the routing assigned to us. The last time I came into iad from this direction was over a yr ago and there was no STAR in use from this direction. If the robrt FMS transition is the standard routing maybe it should be included as part of the clearance in the pre departure clearance. It would also help if the ctrs north of iad would advise 'expect routing via the robrt FMS transition' so the crew would have time to familiarize and comply with it. I feel our assignment to this routing was given with too short of notice to be able to install, verify, familiarize and comply with it. In the interest of keeping our aircraft moving smoothly and helping ATC with orderly flow of traffic the earlier we know what will be expected of us the better we can make it work for all parties involved. On my part I will be more familiar with all potential arrs and departures that one could logically expect to fly. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter felt the planning was way behind the aircraft. The flight crew simply wasn't ready for the descent and approach transition to the field. Reporter simply wanted more time to descend the aircraft and plan the approach at lower altitude. However, the approach was in the database of the aircraft, but the flight crew failed to pull it up in time to be useful for planning. Their handling of the database information was slow and cumbersome. They eventually got the proper information in the CDU, but, it was late. They were slow xchking their approach charts and never really knew where they were in relation to their destination. The real hope of this flight crew is to have the complete route available to them from the point of receiving the original clearance before starting engines at departure station.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 FLC FAILS TO MEET THE XING ALT DURING DSCNT INTO IAD. FLC IS SLOW TO GET THE PROPER DSCNT INFO INTO THE FMS.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED FROM BOS TO IAD VIA LOGAN 2 DEP, GLYDE, BAF J77 SAX J6 LRP V143 ROBRT, AML IAD FL310. RTE WAS INSERTED IN THE FMC ON THE GND IN BOS AND VERIFIED BY BOTH PLTS. WHILE STILL SEVERAL HUNDRED MI FROM IAD, ZNY AND ZDC GAVE SEVERAL INTERMEDIATE DSCNTS TO LOWER ALTS, SOME WITH XING RESTRS. A DSCNT TO CROSS 5 MI SW OF LRP AT 16000 FT WAS GIVEN AND A WAYPOINT WITH THE XING RESTR WAS INSERTED INTO THE LEGS PAGE WITH THE CDU AND VERIFIED BY BOTH PLTS. OUR NEXT CLRNC WAS TO PROCEED DIRECT TO ROBRT AND CROSS AT 250 KTS AND 10000 FT. AS WE APCHED ROBRT CTLR GAVE US DIRECT TO SIGBE, DSND TO 7000 FT AND FLY ROBRT FMS TRANSITION, NEITHER THE CAPT OR MYSELF WERE FAMILIAR WITH THIS APCH OR THE RESTRS INVOLVED. THE CAPT HAD THE SIGBE FIX SPELLED FOR HIM BY THE CTLR AND THEN INSERTED IT INTO THE NAV PAGE. HE THEN LOCATED THE ROBRT FMS TRANSITION IN HIS FLT MANUAL AND MANUALLY INSERTED EACH OF THE REMAINING 4 FIXES WITH THEIR XING RESTRS. I STARTED THE AIRPLANE DOWN OUT OF 10000 FT TO 7000 FT AND LOCATED MY OWN COPY OF THE ROBRT FMS TRANSITION. THE SPD BRAKES WERE EXTENDED FULL BUT IT WAS APPARENT THAT WE COULD NOT COMPLY WITH THE XING RESTR AT SIGBE OF 7000 FT. THE RADIO WAS EXTREMELY CONGESTED WITH THE CTLR TALKING TO OTHER ACFT AND BEFORE WE COULD BREAK INTO CONVERSATION AND INFORM CTLR OF OUR INABILITY TO COMPLY WITH SIGBE XING RESTR THE CTLR WANTED TO KNOW IF WE COULD CROSS MOWATT AT 5000 FT, WHICH WE COULD AND DID SO. WE WERE APPROX 1000-1500 FT HIGH (8000-8500 FT) WHEN WE CROSSED SIGBE WITH SPD BRAKES FULLY DEPLOYED. THE CTLR SAID WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCEPTED THE CLRNC IF WE COULDN'T COMPLY WITH IT BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL WE HAD INSERTED IT IN THE COMPUTER AND VERIFIED IT THAT WE WOULD HAVE ANY DIFFICULTY. AS A CREW WE SHOULD HAVE LOOKED MORE CAREFULLY AT ALL THE ARRS IN OUR FLT MANUAL AND HAVE ANTICIPATED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE ROUTING ASSIGNED TO US. THE LAST TIME I CAME INTO IAD FROM THIS DIRECTION WAS OVER A YR AGO AND THERE WAS NO STAR IN USE FROM THIS DIRECTION. IF THE ROBRT FMS TRANSITION IS THE STANDARD ROUTING MAYBE IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE CLRNC IN THE PDC. IT WOULD ALSO HELP IF THE CTRS N OF IAD WOULD ADVISE 'EXPECT ROUTING VIA THE ROBRT FMS TRANSITION' SO THE CREW WOULD HAVE TIME TO FAMILIARIZE AND COMPLY WITH IT. I FEEL OUR ASSIGNMENT TO THIS ROUTING WAS GIVEN WITH TOO SHORT OF NOTICE TO BE ABLE TO INSTALL, VERIFY, FAMILIARIZE AND COMPLY WITH IT. IN THE INTEREST OF KEEPING OUR ACFT MOVING SMOOTHLY AND HELPING ATC WITH ORDERLY FLOW OF TFC THE EARLIER WE KNOW WHAT WILL BE EXPECTED OF US THE BETTER WE CAN MAKE IT WORK FOR ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. ON MY PART I WILL BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH ALL POTENTIAL ARRS AND DEPS THAT ONE COULD LOGICALLY EXPECT TO FLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FELT THE PLANNING WAS WAY BEHIND THE ACFT. THE FLC SIMPLY WASN'T READY FOR THE DSCNT AND APCH TRANSITION TO THE FIELD. RPTR SIMPLY WANTED MORE TIME TO DSND THE ACFT AND PLAN THE APCH AT LOWER ALT. HOWEVER, THE APCH WAS IN THE DATABASE OF THE ACFT, BUT THE FLC FAILED TO PULL IT UP IN TIME TO BE USEFUL FOR PLANNING. THEIR HANDLING OF THE DATABASE INFO WAS SLOW AND CUMBERSOME. THEY EVENTUALLY GOT THE PROPER INFO IN THE CDU, BUT, IT WAS LATE. THEY WERE SLOW XCHKING THEIR APCH CHARTS AND NEVER REALLY KNEW WHERE THEY WERE IN RELATION TO THEIR DEST. THE REAL HOPE OF THIS FLC IS TO HAVE THE COMPLETE RTE AVAILABLE TO THEM FROM THE POINT OF RECEIVING THE ORIGINAL CLRNC BEFORE STARTING ENGS AT DEP STATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.