Narrative:

En route lax to mco, ZJX assigned us the leesse nine arrival with the otk transition. We had already descended from FL370 to FL330 and due to a bad ride, I requested to descend lower. At the time, my first officer was out of the cockpit using the lavatory (it was his leg) so I was flying. I was given a descent to FL310 and then given a crossing restr of FL270 at clawz intersection on the leese nine STAR. My first officer returned to the cockpit as we were descending to FL310 and I informed him of the change in altitude and the crossing restr. He acknowledged both. We were in vertical speed at the time and once level, it looked to me as if the first officer was setting up a VNAV descent, as he had done the last time I flew with him. He verified the altitudes in the FMC as I started looking at the approachs into mco. As we approached clawz intersection center called and reminded us of the crossing restr. I hadn't been monitoring our progress and didn't notice that we hadn't begun our descent. The first officer hesitated momentarily when I told him we needed to start down immediately, then used vertical speed to start down using speed brakes. Center commented that we appeared to be at clawz and well above FL270. We were actually descending and still a few mi west at that point. I told center that we would not make the restr and asked for relief, which we got along with a brief heading change until we were leveled off. We leveled off at FL270 less than 1 min after passing clawz. Once level, my first officer told me that he hadn't known about the restr. I told him that he'd acknowledged me when I gave it to him, and that I'd seen him verifying the crossing altitude that had been set in the FMC, so I believed he was fully aware of it. The error we both made was once level at FL310, we failed to reset the altitude select window to FL270, so the VNAV never began the descent. While I believe the autoplt was returned to VNAV after leveloff at FL310, I'm not certain of that fact. Had I verified that those 2 things had been done, I believe VNAV would have operated as it had been programmed to do. Ultimately, it was my fault for not monitoring the descent and not verifying that the first officer had completely set up the FMC and MCP for a VNAV descent.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737 FLT CREW FORGETS ABOUT AN ASSIGNED XING RESTR AND HAS TO NOTIFY CTR CTLR THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO COMPLY.

Narrative: ENRTE LAX TO MCO, ZJX ASSIGNED US THE LEESSE NINE ARR WITH THE OTK TRANSITION. WE HAD ALREADY DSNDED FROM FL370 TO FL330 AND DUE TO A BAD RIDE, I REQUESTED TO DSND LOWER. AT THE TIME, MY FO WAS OUT OF THE COCKPIT USING THE LAVATORY (IT WAS HIS LEG) SO I WAS FLYING. I WAS GIVEN A DSCNT TO FL310 AND THEN GIVEN A XING RESTR OF FL270 AT CLAWZ INTXN ON THE LEESE NINE STAR. MY FO RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AS WE WERE DSNDING TO FL310 AND I INFORMED HIM OF THE CHANGE IN ALT AND THE XING RESTR. HE ACKNOWLEDGED BOTH. WE WERE IN VERT SPD AT THE TIME AND ONCE LEVEL, IT LOOKED TO ME AS IF THE FO WAS SETTING UP A VNAV DSCNT, AS HE HAD DONE THE LAST TIME I FLEW WITH HIM. HE VERIFIED THE ALTS IN THE FMC AS I STARTED LOOKING AT THE APCHS INTO MCO. AS WE APCHED CLAWZ INTXN CTR CALLED AND REMINDED US OF THE XING RESTR. I HADN'T BEEN MONITORING OUR PROGRESS AND DIDN'T NOTICE THAT WE HADN'T BEGUN OUR DSCNT. THE FO HESITATED MOMENTARILY WHEN I TOLD HIM WE NEEDED TO START DOWN IMMEDIATELY, THEN USED VERT SPD TO START DOWN USING SPD BRAKES. CTR COMMENTED THAT WE APPEARED TO BE AT CLAWZ AND WELL ABOVE FL270. WE WERE ACTUALLY DSNDING AND STILL A FEW MI W AT THAT POINT. I TOLD CTR THAT WE WOULD NOT MAKE THE RESTR AND ASKED FOR RELIEF, WHICH WE GOT ALONG WITH A BRIEF HEADING CHANGE UNTIL WE WERE LEVELED OFF. WE LEVELED OFF AT FL270 LESS THAN 1 MIN AFTER PASSING CLAWZ. ONCE LEVEL, MY FO TOLD ME THAT HE HADN'T KNOWN ABOUT THE RESTR. I TOLD HIM THAT HE'D ACKNOWLEDGED ME WHEN I GAVE IT TO HIM, AND THAT I'D SEEN HIM VERIFYING THE XING ALT THAT HAD BEEN SET IN THE FMC, SO I BELIEVED HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF IT. THE ERROR WE BOTH MADE WAS ONCE LEVEL AT FL310, WE FAILED TO RESET THE ALT SELECT WINDOW TO FL270, SO THE VNAV NEVER BEGAN THE DSCNT. WHILE I BELIEVE THE AUTOPLT WAS RETURNED TO VNAV AFTER LEVELOFF AT FL310, I'M NOT CERTAIN OF THAT FACT. HAD I VERIFIED THAT THOSE 2 THINGS HAD BEEN DONE, I BELIEVE VNAV WOULD HAVE OPERATED AS IT HAD BEEN PROGRAMMED TO DO. ULTIMATELY, IT WAS MY FAULT FOR NOT MONITORING THE DSCNT AND NOT VERIFYING THAT THE FO HAD COMPLETELY SET UP THE FMC AND MCP FOR A VNAV DSCNT.

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.