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A climbing B727 overshot its assigned altitude by 400 ft when the flight crew was distraction by an erroneously reading DME.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 419160 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199811 |
| Day | Sun |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : ahn |
| State Reference | GA |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 24000 msl bound upper : 24400 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : ztl |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | other vortac |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other |
| Route In Use | departure other enroute : direct enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : second officer |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 3000 flight time type : 675 |
| ASRS Report | 419160 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 130 flight time total : 7000 flight time type : 2500 |
| ASRS Report | 419291 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : overshoot conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : required legal separation non adherence : clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course flight crew : became reoriented other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 0 vertical : 1000 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
We were cleared to climb to FL240. Around FL220, we were cleared direct to the liberty VOR. I was filling out the ETA's for each fix on the flight plan. The pilots were discussing the erroneous indications they were receiving from the liberty VOR. The captain was hand flying the airplane, became distraction by the navigation problem, and overshot FL240 by 400 ft. I caught the deviation simultaneously. We had a TA with traffic above us, and ZTL queried us about our altitude. Although the PNF did not catch the deviation, I could have assisted in monitoring. Whenever the aircraft is climbing or descending, I will make it a primary duty to monitor aircraft altitude. Supplemental information from acn 419291: approaching the leveloff point for FL240, we noticed the VOR DME was counting away from the station instead of toward the station, yet there were no off flags and the bearing pointers were positioned correctly ahead of the aircraft. I was distraction while verifying the liberty VOR identify (which was correct), and climbed through FL240 to FL244. I noticed the deviation and descended through FL243 to FL240 when we were asked by ZTL to confirm level at FL240. We were back at FL240 within 10 seconds. This deviation was a result of a distraction because the liberty VOR DME apparently locked onto the wrong signal. Supplemental information from acn 419787: we confirmed passing FL230 for FL240 because we noted that the altitude alerter alerted us about 1300 ft before leveloff. The captain reduced his rate of climb. Then ZTL cleared us on a heading direct to liberty VOR when able. We turned to the heading and retuned the navs to liberty VOR over 100 NM distant. The course centered approximately on our heading. I looked down to xchk the accuracy of the navigation frequencys and listen to the identify. Just as I reported that the idents were good, the captain muttered an expletive and began a rapid descent from FL244 back to FL240. Just before leveling off, a TCASII alert sounded for the crossing traffic above us. ZTL asked us to confirm our altitude and I reported that we were leveling at FL240. Using a higher level of automation might have prevented missing the leveloff, although our autoplt that day did not have an automatic leveloff feature.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A CLBING B727 OVERSHOT ITS ASSIGNED ALT BY 400 FT WHEN THE FLC WAS DISTR BY AN ERRONEOUSLY READING DME.
Narrative: WE WERE CLRED TO CLB TO FL240. AROUND FL220, WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO THE LIBERTY VOR. I WAS FILLING OUT THE ETA'S FOR EACH FIX ON THE FLT PLAN. THE PLTS WERE DISCUSSING THE ERRONEOUS INDICATIONS THEY WERE RECEIVING FROM THE LIBERTY VOR. THE CAPT WAS HAND FLYING THE AIRPLANE, BECAME DISTR BY THE NAV PROB, AND OVERSHOT FL240 BY 400 FT. I CAUGHT THE DEV SIMULTANEOUSLY. WE HAD A TA WITH TFC ABOVE US, AND ZTL QUERIED US ABOUT OUR ALT. ALTHOUGH THE PNF DID NOT CATCH THE DEV, I COULD HAVE ASSISTED IN MONITORING. WHENEVER THE ACFT IS CLBING OR DSNDING, I WILL MAKE IT A PRIMARY DUTY TO MONITOR ACFT ALT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419291: APCHING THE LEVELOFF POINT FOR FL240, WE NOTICED THE VOR DME WAS COUNTING AWAY FROM THE STATION INSTEAD OF TOWARD THE STATION, YET THERE WERE NO OFF FLAGS AND THE BEARING POINTERS WERE POSITIONED CORRECTLY AHEAD OF THE ACFT. I WAS DISTR WHILE VERIFYING THE LIBERTY VOR IDENT (WHICH WAS CORRECT), AND CLBED THROUGH FL240 TO FL244. I NOTICED THE DEV AND DSNDED THROUGH FL243 TO FL240 WHEN WE WERE ASKED BY ZTL TO CONFIRM LEVEL AT FL240. WE WERE BACK AT FL240 WITHIN 10 SECONDS. THIS DEV WAS A RESULT OF A DISTR BECAUSE THE LIBERTY VOR DME APPARENTLY LOCKED ONTO THE WRONG SIGNAL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 419787: WE CONFIRMED PASSING FL230 FOR FL240 BECAUSE WE NOTED THAT THE ALT ALERTER ALERTED US ABOUT 1300 FT BEFORE LEVELOFF. THE CAPT REDUCED HIS RATE OF CLB. THEN ZTL CLRED US ON A HDG DIRECT TO LIBERTY VOR WHEN ABLE. WE TURNED TO THE HDG AND RETUNED THE NAVS TO LIBERTY VOR OVER 100 NM DISTANT. THE COURSE CTRED APPROX ON OUR HDG. I LOOKED DOWN TO XCHK THE ACCURACY OF THE NAV FREQS AND LISTEN TO THE IDENT. JUST AS I RPTED THAT THE IDENTS WERE GOOD, THE CAPT MUTTERED AN EXPLETIVE AND BEGAN A RAPID DSCNT FROM FL244 BACK TO FL240. JUST BEFORE LEVELING OFF, A TCASII ALERT SOUNDED FOR THE XING TFC ABOVE US. ZTL ASKED US TO CONFIRM OUR ALT AND I RPTED THAT WE WERE LEVELING AT FL240. USING A HIGHER LEVEL OF AUTOMATION MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED MISSING THE LEVELOFF, ALTHOUGH OUR AUTOPLT THAT DAY DID NOT HAVE AN AUTO LEVELOFF FEATURE.
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.