Narrative:

We were en route to san -- was held high by ATC, because traffic below, they cannot let us go down to 10000 ft/250 KTS over pillo. It was high so we tried to contact ATC to let them know that we cannot make 10000 ft/250 KTS over pillo but due the radio congestion, we cannot get through quick enough. Meantime I tried to descend to 10000 ft/250 KTS as close as I could. I used 1/2 speed brakes, then I released autoplt used full speed brakes. Finally we got through with ATC and they released altitude constraint for us over pillo (at about 13000 ft). I manually reduced airspeed and retracted speed brakes to leveloff. At that time the aircraft was hit by a turbulence or air pocket (moderate) couple times, at that time the 1ST flight attendant came up the flight deck, asked us if we called her. I remember first officer told her 'no, we are very busy.' then she told us the 2ND flight attendant fell down over the wings area (later we found out that when the 2ND flight attendant fell down, passenger hit the call button 3, 4 times, that's why the 1ST flight attendant thought that we called her). Because distracted by flight attendant, and by turbulence, I went through 10000 ft. We told ATC, they said it's ok, there are no traffic conflict. I reengaged autoplt, climbed back to 10000 ft (it was about 9200 ft). We continued to san. After landing, paramedic met the aircraft. After, tried to talk with her about 15 mins. They took her to the hospital, injured unknown to us. Supplemental information from acn 515282: we were descending into the san diego area via the baret 4 arrival. As first officer I was busy finishing the descent/approach checklist with the captain. I then tried to advise ZLA that we would be high at pillo but due to radio traffic, did not get this through until passing 13000 ft MSL. We were relieved of the constraint and to contact socal approach. At this time the captain tried to start a leveloff. Our airspeed was selected at 345 KIAS. The captain reengaged the autoplt and moved the speed brakes to half. At this time we hit some light turbulence that caused a momentary overspd condition with appropriate aural/ECAM warnings. This disconnected the autoplt and would not allow it to reengage and our descent continued unchked approaching 11500 ft. I continued to advise the captain that the autoplt was off, made the 11000 ft to 10000 ft call and at 10500 ft advised I was adding back pressure to the sidestick controller. At this point the captain said he had the aircraft and continued to add back-pressure inputs to the sidestick controller. We eventually leveled off at 9150 ft MSL. Following the light turbulence episode and during the leveloff and pull up maneuver, the 1ST flight attendant came forward to ask why we had called her. As our attention to slowing the aircraft and returning to our previous assigned altitude allowed, I turned to talk to her. She thought we had called her forward with an emergency '3 bells' call. The 1ST flight attendant then came forward and said our 2ND flight attendant had fallen in the turbulence and was injured. I called san operations to ask that paramedics be waiting at the gate. As PNF, my duties at the time were to get the current ATIS, make the descent announcement to the cabin, then run the descent/approach checklist. This, I feel, kept me out of the loop longer than I intended. Thus, I was behind in helping the captain in assessing our descent profile in a timely manner. Other factors involved are the mountainous terrain that one descends over from the east into san. For as many times that I've flown into san I rarely feel that a normal descent profile is being flown. Compound this with a late descent clearance due to lower traffic exacerbated our problems. I also feel I could have been more aggressive in my advice to the captain and could have taken more immediate action once realizing we would not level off at the appropriate altitude. Had the autoplt reengaged, I feel we would have still overshot the altitude but would have stayed in the 300 ft ATC standard. This was our second of three legs (jfk-phx-san-phx) finishing our 4TH day. The previous leg (mine as PF) we had considerable WX deviations to contend with. This may have led to a slight mental letdown in myoversight of this descent and thus my not helping the captain in managing this flight regime.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A319 OVERSHOT INTERMEDIATE DSCNT ALT DUE TO DISTR OF CABIN ATTENDANT REPORTING INJURY DUE TO TURB.

Narrative: WE WERE ENRTE TO SAN -- WAS HELD HIGH BY ATC, BECAUSE TFC BELOW, THEY CANNOT LET US GO DOWN TO 10000 FT/250 KTS OVER PILLO. IT WAS HIGH SO WE TRIED TO CONTACT ATC TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WE CANNOT MAKE 10000 FT/250 KTS OVER PILLO BUT DUE THE RADIO CONGESTION, WE CANNOT GET THROUGH QUICK ENOUGH. MEANTIME I TRIED TO DSND TO 10000 FT/250 KTS AS CLOSE AS I COULD. I USED 1/2 SPD BRAKES, THEN I RELEASED AUTOPLT USED FULL SPD BRAKES. FINALLY WE GOT THROUGH WITH ATC AND THEY RELEASED ALT CONSTRAINT FOR US OVER PILLO (AT ABOUT 13000 FT). I MANUALLY REDUCED AIRSPD AND RETRACTED SPD BRAKES TO LEVELOFF. AT THAT TIME THE ACFT WAS HIT BY A TURB OR AIR POCKET (MODERATE) COUPLE TIMES, AT THAT TIME THE 1ST FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP THE FLT DECK, ASKED US IF WE CALLED HER. I REMEMBER FO TOLD HER 'NO, WE ARE VERY BUSY.' THEN SHE TOLD US THE 2ND FLT ATTENDANT FELL DOWN OVER THE WINGS AREA (LATER WE FOUND OUT THAT WHEN THE 2ND FLT ATTENDANT FELL DOWN, PAX HIT THE CALL BUTTON 3, 4 TIMES, THAT'S WHY THE 1ST FLT ATTENDANT THOUGHT THAT WE CALLED HER). BECAUSE DISTRACTED BY FLT ATTENDANT, AND BY TURB, I WENT THROUGH 10000 FT. WE TOLD ATC, THEY SAID IT'S OK, THERE ARE NO TFC CONFLICT. I REENGAGED AUTOPLT, CLBED BACK TO 10000 FT (IT WAS ABOUT 9200 FT). WE CONTINUED TO SAN. AFTER LNDG, PARAMEDIC MET THE ACFT. AFTER, TRIED TO TALK WITH HER ABOUT 15 MINS. THEY TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL, INJURED UNKNOWN TO US. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 515282: WE WERE DSNDING INTO THE SAN DIEGO AREA VIA THE BARET 4 ARR. AS FO I WAS BUSY FINISHING THE DSCNT/APCH CHKLIST WITH THE CAPT. I THEN TRIED TO ADVISE ZLA THAT WE WOULD BE HIGH AT PILLO BUT DUE TO RADIO TFC, DID NOT GET THIS THROUGH UNTIL PASSING 13000 FT MSL. WE WERE RELIEVED OF THE CONSTRAINT AND TO CONTACT SOCAL APCH. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT TRIED TO START A LEVELOFF. OUR AIRSPD WAS SELECTED AT 345 KIAS. THE CAPT REENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND MOVED THE SPD BRAKES TO HALF. AT THIS TIME WE HIT SOME LIGHT TURB THAT CAUSED A MOMENTARY OVERSPD CONDITION WITH APPROPRIATE AURAL/ECAM WARNINGS. THIS DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND WOULD NOT ALLOW IT TO REENGAGE AND OUR DSCNT CONTINUED UNCHKED APCHING 11500 FT. I CONTINUED TO ADVISE THE CAPT THAT THE AUTOPLT WAS OFF, MADE THE 11000 FT TO 10000 FT CALL AND AT 10500 FT ADVISED I WAS ADDING BACK PRESSURE TO THE SIDESTICK CTLR. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT SAID HE HAD THE ACFT AND CONTINUED TO ADD BACK-PRESSURE INPUTS TO THE SIDESTICK CTLR. WE EVENTUALLY LEVELED OFF AT 9150 FT MSL. FOLLOWING THE LIGHT TURB EPISODE AND DURING THE LEVELOFF AND PULL UP MANEUVER, THE 1ST FLT ATTENDANT CAME FORWARD TO ASK WHY WE HAD CALLED HER. AS OUR ATTN TO SLOWING THE ACFT AND RETURNING TO OUR PREVIOUS ASSIGNED ALT ALLOWED, I TURNED TO TALK TO HER. SHE THOUGHT WE HAD CALLED HER FORWARD WITH AN EMER '3 BELLS' CALL. THE 1ST FLT ATTENDANT THEN CAME FORWARD AND SAID OUR 2ND FLT ATTENDANT HAD FALLEN IN THE TURB AND WAS INJURED. I CALLED SAN OPS TO ASK THAT PARAMEDICS BE WAITING AT THE GATE. AS PNF, MY DUTIES AT THE TIME WERE TO GET THE CURRENT ATIS, MAKE THE DSCNT ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE CABIN, THEN RUN THE DSCNT/APCH CHKLIST. THIS, I FEEL, KEPT ME OUT OF THE LOOP LONGER THAN I INTENDED. THUS, I WAS BEHIND IN HELPING THE CAPT IN ASSESSING OUR DSCNT PROFILE IN A TIMELY MANNER. OTHER FACTORS INVOLVED ARE THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN THAT ONE DSNDS OVER FROM THE E INTO SAN. FOR AS MANY TIMES THAT I'VE FLOWN INTO SAN I RARELY FEEL THAT A NORMAL DSCNT PROFILE IS BEING FLOWN. COMPOUND THIS WITH A LATE DSCNT CLRNC DUE TO LOWER TFC EXACERBATED OUR PROBS. I ALSO FEEL I COULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE IN MY ADVICE TO THE CAPT AND COULD HAVE TAKEN MORE IMMEDIATE ACTION ONCE REALIZING WE WOULD NOT LEVEL OFF AT THE APPROPRIATE ALT. HAD THE AUTOPLT REENGAGED, I FEEL WE WOULD HAVE STILL OVERSHOT THE ALT BUT WOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE 300 FT ATC STANDARD. THIS WAS OUR SECOND OF THREE LEGS (JFK-PHX-SAN-PHX) FINISHING OUR 4TH DAY. THE PREVIOUS LEG (MINE AS PF) WE HAD CONSIDERABLE WX DEVS TO CONTEND WITH. THIS MAY HAVE LED TO A SLIGHT MENTAL LETDOWN IN MYOVERSIGHT OF THIS DSCNT AND THUS MY NOT HELPING THE CAPT IN MANAGING THIS FLT REGIME.

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.