Narrative:

The first officer was flying the aircraft (autoplt engaged) and had programmed the skuby 1 arrival to ILS runway 22L. (Lendy.SKUBY1.) ZNY had cleared us to descend to FL190 and slow to 250 KTS, then switched us to new york approach. (No altitude restr to cross lendy at FL190 clearance issued.) approach control cleared us to 'descend via the skuby 1 for VOR/DME runway 22L approach.' again, no clearance to cross lendy at FL190. The first officer reprogrammed the FMS, but did not re-enter a hard altitude of FL190 abeam lendy and I did not catch this. (Later the first officer told me had he did not feel we were required to cross lendy at FL190 because no clearance had been received.) I reset the MCP to 3000 ft for the VNAV descent then started to review the VOR approach. I estimate we were 10 NM west of lendy at this time and as I looked away, the aircraft was slowing to 250 KTS. When I looked back to the instruments, I noticed that we had descended to FL184. I stopped the descent and shortly after approach control questioned our altitude. We were now in the turn over lendy and approach took us off the arrival and told us to maintain FL180 and head 180 degrees for vectors. After landing, I initiated a call to approach control to see what they thought. They stated that lendy was a hard FL190. Our charts say 'expect clearance to cross at FL190.' being based in new york and always having to cross lendy at FL190 in the past I would have stopped the descent if I had seen it. Supplemental information from acn 501219: we were descended to FL230 by harty intersection and then cleared to descend to FL190 with no mention of lendy intersection. We were cleared to cross lendy at 250 KTS. 10 mi from lendy, we were cleared to descend according to the skuby 1 arrival. We elected to let VNAV descend the aircraft and we started down to cross malzz at 16000 ft. The controller called to ask why we started our descent prior to lendy. He had us level at FL180 and fly a vector and canceled the skuby 1. (Out descent started approximately 5 mi from lendy and we crossed at FL185). Two items contributed to this discrepancy. First, the FMC dropped FL190 from lendy intersection when we changed the approach to VOR/DME 22. Had we not changed the approach VNAV would have waited until after lendy to start the descent. Second, we never received a crossing restr to cross lendy at FL190 and when cleared to descend on the arrival we should have been cleared from that position to cross the first hard altitude of 16000 ft at walzz intersection. This was clearly not the controller's expectation. After landing, we called new york TRACON and they said their understanding is that FL190 at lendy is a hard crossing restr. Clearly there is a difference between our published arrival and what new york TRACON expects.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: N90 APCH CTLR WAS IN ERROR THINKING AN 'EXPECTED' XING ALT CONSTITUTED A HARD ALT CLRNC.

Narrative: THE FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT (AUTOPLT ENGAGED) AND HAD PROGRAMMED THE SKUBY 1 ARR TO ILS RWY 22L. (LENDY.SKUBY1.) ZNY HAD CLRED US TO DSND TO FL190 AND SLOW TO 250 KTS, THEN SWITCHED US TO NEW YORK APCH. (NO ALT RESTR TO CROSS LENDY AT FL190 CLRNC ISSUED.) APCH CTL CLRED US TO 'DSND VIA THE SKUBY 1 FOR VOR/DME RWY 22L APCH.' AGAIN, NO CLRNC TO CROSS LENDY AT FL190. THE FO REPROGRAMMED THE FMS, BUT DID NOT RE-ENTER A HARD ALT OF FL190 ABEAM LENDY AND I DID NOT CATCH THIS. (LATER THE FO TOLD ME HAD HE DID NOT FEEL WE WERE REQUIRED TO CROSS LENDY AT FL190 BECAUSE NO CLRNC HAD BEEN RECEIVED.) I RESET THE MCP TO 3000 FT FOR THE VNAV DSCNT THEN STARTED TO REVIEW THE VOR APCH. I ESTIMATE WE WERE 10 NM W OF LENDY AT THIS TIME AND AS I LOOKED AWAY, THE ACFT WAS SLOWING TO 250 KTS. WHEN I LOOKED BACK TO THE INSTS, I NOTICED THAT WE HAD DSNDED TO FL184. I STOPPED THE DSCNT AND SHORTLY AFTER APCH CTL QUESTIONED OUR ALT. WE WERE NOW IN THE TURN OVER LENDY AND APCH TOOK US OFF THE ARR AND TOLD US TO MAINTAIN FL180 AND HEAD 180 DEGS FOR VECTORS. AFTER LNDG, I INITIATED A CALL TO APCH CTL TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT. THEY STATED THAT LENDY WAS A HARD FL190. OUR CHARTS SAY 'EXPECT CLRNC TO CROSS AT FL190.' BEING BASED IN NEW YORK AND ALWAYS HAVING TO CROSS LENDY AT FL190 IN THE PAST I WOULD HAVE STOPPED THE DSCNT IF I HAD SEEN IT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 501219: WE WERE DSNDED TO FL230 BY HARTY INTXN AND THEN CLRED TO DSND TO FL190 WITH NO MENTION OF LENDY INTXN. WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS LENDY AT 250 KTS. 10 MI FROM LENDY, WE WERE CLRED TO DSND ACCORDING TO THE SKUBY 1 ARR. WE ELECTED TO LET VNAV DSND THE ACFT AND WE STARTED DOWN TO CROSS MALZZ AT 16000 FT. THE CTLR CALLED TO ASK WHY WE STARTED OUR DSCNT PRIOR TO LENDY. HE HAD US LEVEL AT FL180 AND FLY A VECTOR AND CANCELED THE SKUBY 1. (OUT DSCNT STARTED APPROX 5 MI FROM LENDY AND WE CROSSED AT FL185). TWO ITEMS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS DISCREPANCY. FIRST, THE FMC DROPPED FL190 FROM LENDY INTXN WHEN WE CHANGED THE APCH TO VOR/DME 22. HAD WE NOT CHANGED THE APCH VNAV WOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL AFTER LENDY TO START THE DSCNT. SECOND, WE NEVER RECEIVED A XING RESTR TO CROSS LENDY AT FL190 AND WHEN CLRED TO DSND ON THE ARR WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLRED FROM THAT POS TO CROSS THE FIRST HARD ALT OF 16000 FT AT WALZZ INTXN. THIS WAS CLRLY NOT THE CTLR'S EXPECTATION. AFTER LNDG, WE CALLED NEW YORK TRACON AND THEY SAID THEIR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT FL190 AT LENDY IS A HARD XING RESTR. CLRLY THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BTWN OUR PUBLISHED ARR AND WHAT NEW YORK TRACON EXPECTS.

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.