A concerned LR25 first officer tells of his captain's visual shortcomings as the PIC enables a door ...

Attributes
ACN	543144
Time
Date	200203
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : fll.airport
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 3500 msl bound upper : 4000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : mia.tracon tower : fll.tower tower : mry.tower
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Learjet 25
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 70 flight time total : 2350 flight time type : 50
ASRS Report	543144
Person 2
Affiliation	company : corporate
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance non adherence : company policies non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : alt alerter other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	controller : issued alert flight crew : returned to assigned altitude
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

As we were being vectored for the approach to fll, we were given a further descent to 4000 ft. Passing 5000 ft, I shouted, '1000 to go.' this was followed by the altitude alerter sounding. Everything looked normal for the next few moments, and I was trying to look for traffic quite a bit in this busy area. My head was up when I heard the altitude alerter sound a second time. This indicated a deviation from the set altitude. I looked over and saw our altitude was 3700 ft and descending. I placed some slight back pressure on the yoke and yelled, 'altitude.' the PIC placed forward pressure to counteract me and continued the descent to 3500 ft. At this time, I tapped on the glass of his altimeter and yelled, '4000.' he said, 'oh thanks, I was headed for three.' as he started a climb to 4000 ft, ATC said, 'lear xyz your assigned altitude was 4000.' we were not wearing headsets, and the PIC was not wearing any hearing protection. Looking back on it, I have a question as to whether he heard my '1000 to go' callout or the altitude alerter. The altitude alerter was located down by the fuel panel, which would have made it less noticeable visually. There were a few other things I noticed which make me question how well the PIC could see or hear. For example, on the engine start for this flight, the PIC did not follow the battery charge back procedure. When I asked him about it, he told me he could not read the ammeter gauges because he had trouble seeing the smaller gauges. Also, before the taxi, I noticed door light was illuminated. When I looked at the door, I saw that it was partially unlatched. When the PIC shut the door, he left the bottom handle facing aft, to the unlatched position. Although he had experience operating this type of door, he failed to close the door properly twice. Neither time did he notice that the door light didn't go out.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CONCERNED LR25 FO TELLS OF HIS CAPT'S VISUAL SHORTCOMINGS AS THE PIC ENABLES A DOOR TO BE IMPROPERLY CLOSED AND AN ALT OVERSHOOT. BOTH EVENTS HAD ASSOCIATED WARNING SYS THAT ALERTED THE FO BUT NOT THE PIC AT FLL, FL.

Narrative: AS WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR THE APCH TO FLL, WE WERE GIVEN A FURTHER DSCNT TO 4000 FT. PASSING 5000 FT, I SHOUTED, '1000 TO GO.' THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE ALT ALERTER SOUNDING. EVERYTHING LOOKED NORMAL FOR THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS, AND I WAS TRYING TO LOOK FOR TFC QUITE A BIT IN THIS BUSY AREA. MY HEAD WAS UP WHEN I HEARD THE ALT ALERTER SOUND A SECOND TIME. THIS INDICATED A DEV FROM THE SET ALT. I LOOKED OVER AND SAW OUR ALT WAS 3700 FT AND DSNDING. I PLACED SOME SLIGHT BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE AND YELLED, 'ALT.' THE PIC PLACED FORWARD PRESSURE TO COUNTERACT ME AND CONTINUED THE DSCNT TO 3500 FT. AT THIS TIME, I TAPPED ON THE GLASS OF HIS ALTIMETER AND YELLED, '4000.' HE SAID, 'OH THANKS, I WAS HEADED FOR THREE.' AS HE STARTED A CLB TO 4000 FT, ATC SAID, 'LEAR XYZ YOUR ASSIGNED ALT WAS 4000.' WE WERE NOT WEARING HEADSETS, AND THE PIC WAS NOT WEARING ANY HEARING PROTECTION. LOOKING BACK ON IT, I HAVE A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER HE HEARD MY '1000 TO GO' CALLOUT OR THE ALT ALERTER. THE ALT ALERTER WAS LOCATED DOWN BY THE FUEL PANEL, WHICH WOULD HAVE MADE IT LESS NOTICEABLE VISUALLY. THERE WERE A FEW OTHER THINGS I NOTICED WHICH MAKE ME QUESTION HOW WELL THE PIC COULD SEE OR HEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE ENG START FOR THIS FLT, THE PIC DID NOT FOLLOW THE BATTERY CHARGE BACK PROC. WHEN I ASKED HIM ABOUT IT, HE TOLD ME HE COULD NOT READ THE AMMETER GAUGES BECAUSE HE HAD TROUBLE SEEING THE SMALLER GAUGES. ALSO, BEFORE THE TAXI, I NOTICED DOOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE DOOR, I SAW THAT IT WAS PARTIALLY UNLATCHED. WHEN THE PIC SHUT THE DOOR, HE LEFT THE BOTTOM HANDLE FACING AFT, TO THE UNLATCHED POS. ALTHOUGH HE HAD EXPERIENCE OPERATING THIS TYPE OF DOOR, HE FAILED TO CLOSE THE DOOR PROPERLY TWICE. NEITHER TIME DID HE NOTICE THAT THE DOOR LIGHT DIDN'T GO OUT.

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.

A concerned LR25 first officer tells of his captain's visual shortcomings as the PIC enables a door to be improperly closed and an altitude overshoot. Both events had associated warning system that alerted the first officer but not the PIC at fll, fl.