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An air carrier flight descends through its assigned altitude as it loses airspeed during approach to san, ca.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 438345 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199905 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001 To 0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : san.airport |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 3500 msl bound upper : 3800 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : sct.tracon |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | ils localizer & glide slope : 27 |
| Flight Phase | descent : intermediate altitude descent : approach |
| Route In Use | approach : instrument precision arrival : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : atp pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 15600 flight time type : 9100 |
| ASRS Report | 438345 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance other anomaly |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to original clearance |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
This flight was 5TH leg over an 11 hour duty day with 6 plus hours scheduled flight. Never flown with this first officer until previous day. Watched her so marginal job earlier on ILS runway 28R sfo. Now her turn to do localizer runway 27 san in IMC conditions. Have since discovered first officer considered weak by other capts. First officer senior enough to bid captain and has not done so. First officer flying on autoplt and controling heading/speed/altitude with MCP. This was same scenario earlier with the botched sfo ILS, so I was watching more closely. Instead of continuing our vector to intercept localizer 27 outside swatt intersection, approach controller issued one more turn to intercept inside swatt, but not lower than 3800 ft until established. I observed first officer select correct heading/altitude on MCP. Then I looked down to check approach plate for normal swatt crossing altitude. As I returned to check flight instruments, I saw airspeed at 160 KIAS and slowing. We were at flaps 1 degree and should have been at 200 KIAS. I called 'airspeed!' and selected flaps 10 degrees. First officer disconnected autoplt, shoved up power and continued descent to 3500 ft. Noticed speed diversion at 4000 ft. We quickly recovered to 3800 ft. First officer thought autothrottles were connected, so as she began to slow descent approaching 3800 ft, airspeed decayed. First officer's loss of situational/automation awareness and my head down plate review right as we were to be leveling contributed to error. Fatigue was also a factor.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR FLT DSNDS THROUGH ITS ASSIGNED ALT AS IT LOSES AIRSPD DURING APCH TO SAN, CA.
Narrative: THIS FLT WAS 5TH LEG OVER AN 11 HR DUTY DAY WITH 6 PLUS HRS SCHEDULED FLT. NEVER FLOWN WITH THIS FO UNTIL PREVIOUS DAY. WATCHED HER SO MARGINAL JOB EARLIER ON ILS RWY 28R SFO. NOW HER TURN TO DO LOC RWY 27 SAN IN IMC CONDITIONS. HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED FO CONSIDERED WEAK BY OTHER CAPTS. FO SENIOR ENOUGH TO BID CAPT AND HAS NOT DONE SO. FO FLYING ON AUTOPLT AND CTLING HDG/SPD/ALT WITH MCP. THIS WAS SAME SCENARIO EARLIER WITH THE BOTCHED SFO ILS, SO I WAS WATCHING MORE CLOSELY. INSTEAD OF CONTINUING OUR VECTOR TO INTERCEPT LOC 27 OUTSIDE SWATT INTXN, APCH CTLR ISSUED ONE MORE TURN TO INTERCEPT INSIDE SWATT, BUT NOT LOWER THAN 3800 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED. I OBSERVED FO SELECT CORRECT HDG/ALT ON MCP. THEN I LOOKED DOWN TO CHK APCH PLATE FOR NORMAL SWATT XING ALT. AS I RETURNED TO CHK FLT INSTS, I SAW AIRSPD AT 160 KIAS AND SLOWING. WE WERE AT FLAPS 1 DEG AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT 200 KIAS. I CALLED 'AIRSPD!' AND SELECTED FLAPS 10 DEGS. FO DISCONNECTED AUTOPLT, SHOVED UP PWR AND CONTINUED DSCNT TO 3500 FT. NOTICED SPD DIVERSION AT 4000 FT. WE QUICKLY RECOVERED TO 3800 FT. FO THOUGHT AUTOTHROTTLES WERE CONNECTED, SO AS SHE BEGAN TO SLOW DSCNT APCHING 3800 FT, AIRSPD DECAYED. FO'S LOSS OF SITUATIONAL/AUTOMATION AWARENESS AND MY HEAD DOWN PLATE REVIEW RIGHT AS WE WERE TO BE LEVELING CONTRIBUTED TO ERROR. FATIGUE WAS ALSO A FACTOR.
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.