GLF2 flight crew has altitude deviation.

Attributes
ACN	557507
Time
Date	200208
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : atl.vortac
State Reference	GA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 1000 msl bound upper : 5800
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : a80.tracon
Operator	common carrier : charter
Make Model Name	Gulfstream II
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : charter
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 75 flight time total : 4670 flight time type : 230
ASRS Report	557507
Person 2
Affiliation	company : charter
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued advisory flight crew : returned to assigned altitude
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

On climb out from fty, while communicating with atlanta approach control, we were cleared to climb and maintain 5000 ft. The captain (the PNF) read back and set the altitude in the altitude alerter. However, the altitude alerter was not set to manual mode as required with the autoplt off. As a result there was no alert when passing through 1000 ft to leveloff. Also both crew members were distracted due to a need to balance the fuel between the wing tanks. The fuel gauges in the airplane have been reversed by maintenance as a troubleshooting measure and have been placarded as such. Still, this requires some thinking when trying to decide which tank is heavy as the right tank gauge is on the left and vice-versa. This distraction resulted in a failure of both crewmembers to give the standard callout when reaching 1000 ft to leveloff. The controller asked us to say altitude and we realized that we were at 5800 ft and climbing. The controller then cleared us to maintain 6000 ft and gave us a verbal TA. We leveled off at 6000 ft and determined that the traffic was no factor (1000 ft and several mi separation). The altitude alerter gave no warning of the deviation and there were no callouts as a result of the 2 events described above. There were several areas that we could have improved upon on this flight. First, proper altitude awareness procedures should have been used (callouts, altitude alerter operation, etc). Second, we should have delayed the task of balancing the fuel until a less critical phase of flight and possibly until the autoplt was engaged. Third, the practice of swapping the fuel gauges as a troubleshooting procedure results in what should have been an easy task being somewhat confusing. The controller handed us off and told us not to worry about the altitude deviation. There was no traffic conflict and the rest of the flight was uneventful. In the future I will try to be more disciplined in altitude awareness procedures and will delay non-critical flying tasks until a non-critical phase of flight.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GLF2 FLC HAS ALTDEV.

Narrative: ON CLBOUT FROM FTY, WHILE COMMUNICATING WITH ATLANTA APCH CTL, WE WERE CLRED TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT. THE CAPT (THE PNF) READ BACK AND SET THE ALT IN THE ALT ALERTER. HOWEVER, THE ALT ALERTER WAS NOT SET TO MANUAL MODE AS REQUIRED WITH THE AUTOPLT OFF. AS A RESULT THERE WAS NO ALERT WHEN PASSING THROUGH 1000 FT TO LEVELOFF. ALSO BOTH CREW MEMBERS WERE DISTRACTED DUE TO A NEED TO BAL THE FUEL BTWN THE WING TANKS. THE FUEL GAUGES IN THE AIRPLANE HAVE BEEN REVERSED BY MAINT AS A TROUBLESHOOTING MEASURE AND HAVE BEEN PLACARDED AS SUCH. STILL, THIS REQUIRES SOME THINKING WHEN TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH TANK IS HVY AS THE R TANK GAUGE IS ON THE L AND VICE-VERSA. THIS DISTR RESULTED IN A FAILURE OF BOTH CREWMEMBERS TO GIVE THE STANDARD CALLOUT WHEN REACHING 1000 FT TO LEVELOFF. THE CTLR ASKED US TO SAY ALT AND WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE AT 5800 FT AND CLBING. THE CTLR THEN CLRED US TO MAINTAIN 6000 FT AND GAVE US A VERBAL TA. WE LEVELED OFF AT 6000 FT AND DETERMINED THAT THE TFC WAS NO FACTOR (1000 FT AND SEVERAL MI SEPARATION). THE ALT ALERTER GAVE NO WARNING OF THE DEV AND THERE WERE NO CALLOUTS AS A RESULT OF THE 2 EVENTS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THERE WERE SEVERAL AREAS THAT WE COULD HAVE IMPROVED UPON ON THIS FLT. FIRST, PROPER ALT AWARENESS PROCS SHOULD HAVE BEEN USED (CALLOUTS, ALT ALERTER OP, ETC). SECOND, WE SHOULD HAVE DELAYED THE TASK OF BALANCING THE FUEL UNTIL A LESS CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT AND POSSIBLY UNTIL THE AUTOPLT WAS ENGAGED. THIRD, THE PRACTICE OF SWAPPING THE FUEL GAUGES AS A TROUBLESHOOTING PROC RESULTS IN WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN EASY TASK BEING SOMEWHAT CONFUSING. THE CTLR HANDED US OFF AND TOLD US NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THE ALTDEV. THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. IN THE FUTURE I WILL TRY TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED IN ALT AWARENESS PROCS AND WILL DELAY NON-CRITICAL FLYING TASKS UNTIL A NON-CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT.

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.