Narrative:

ZKC, rackk intersection, arrival. I was the PF, as we arrived stl from mia on the qball arrival. Light and moderate rain showers and light turbulence were present all along the arrival route. WX in stl was overcast, light rain, visibility 4 mi. We had been given a spacing vector to the east of the arrival route and had just been cleared direct to the qball intersection with a clearance to cross qball at 15000 ft. We were already restr to 250 KTS. Center controller then informed us that stl had stopped arrs and he issued us a clearance direct to rackk intersection with a standard hold at an altitude of FL180. I did not hear the clearance to maintain FL180. I know we were very close to rackk when the clearance was issued, but I can't remember the exact distance. My impression now is that I immediately began working on the gfms for the hold because rackk had to be reentered into the route because we had already been cleared direct to qball. During the time period that I was entering the hold parameters, we continued to descend to 15000 ft. We did not set FL180 into the altitude alert window. At about 15700 ft, the first officer looked at his notepad where the clearance was written and told me that we were cleared to hold at FL180. I asked the first officer to confirm the altitude clearance with ATC and the controller responded, 'you were cleared to FL180, oh, I see you're below that now. Do you want to go back to FL180 or do you want to hold at 15000 ft.' we responded,'15000 ft.' he then cleared us to hold at 15000 ft. Just after completing our entry into the pattern, ATC cleared us back onto the arrival to stl. Nothing else was said by the controller or by us about the altitude deviation, mainly due to the current workload of both parties. There were no other aircraft holding on this particular arrival and there appeared to be no other traffic in the immediate vicinity. Supplemental information from acn 596886: while on the QBALL6 arrival to ZLC, (or stl approach I don't remember which) cleared us from FL190 to 15000 ft. We were at night, moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms, and had just entered icing conditions. We had turned off strobes and wing lights to reduce scatterback in the cockpit. Center cleared us back to rackk and in the same breath gave us holding instructions: hold southeast, and if possible left turns as published, and maintain FL180. Rackk was about 160 degree left turn and maybe 5 mi away. The captain began entering the holding information in the gfms box, while I assisted him with the inbound leg, DME, efc information. I asked him if he would like my assistance to finish entering the information, which he approved. I checked the TCASII to see whether we were descending into the path of another aircraft circling below us and asked center for a clarification of our hold altitude. In reflection, all of us messed up to get into this deviation predicament. ATC by clearing us to a hold at an altitude we had already passed through, when we'd been cleared to a lower altitude. The captain by not delegating the first officer to program the box, and himself to simply fly the aircraft. Me by not recognizing the hold altitude had already been passed and resetting and clarifying with ATC before programming the box.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALT EXCURSION WHEN AN MD80 FLT CREW OVERSHOOTS AN ALT ASSIGNMENT ISSUED DURING DSCNT IN A NIGHT OP IN PROX OF TSTM ACTIVITY SE OF RACKK INTXN, IL.

Narrative: ZKC, RACKK INTXN, ARR. I WAS THE PF, AS WE ARRIVED STL FROM MIA ON THE QBALL ARR. LIGHT AND MODERATE RAIN SHOWERS AND LIGHT TURB WERE PRESENT ALL ALONG THE ARR RTE. WX IN STL WAS OVCST, LIGHT RAIN, VISIBILITY 4 MI. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN A SPACING VECTOR TO THE E OF THE ARR RTE AND HAD JUST BEEN CLRED DIRECT TO THE QBALL INTXN WITH A CLRNC TO CROSS QBALL AT 15000 FT. WE WERE ALREADY RESTR TO 250 KTS. CTR CTLR THEN INFORMED US THAT STL HAD STOPPED ARRS AND HE ISSUED US A CLRNC DIRECT TO RACKK INTXN WITH A STANDARD HOLD AT AN ALT OF FL180. I DID NOT HEAR THE CLRNC TO MAINTAIN FL180. I KNOW WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO RACKK WHEN THE CLRNC WAS ISSUED, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT DISTANCE. MY IMPRESSION NOW IS THAT I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN WORKING ON THE GFMS FOR THE HOLD BECAUSE RACKK HAD TO BE REENTERED INTO THE RTE BECAUSE WE HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED DIRECT TO QBALL. DURING THE TIME PERIOD THAT I WAS ENTERING THE HOLD PARAMETERS, WE CONTINUED TO DSND TO 15000 FT. WE DID NOT SET FL180 INTO THE ALT ALERT WINDOW. AT ABOUT 15700 FT, THE FO LOOKED AT HIS NOTEPAD WHERE THE CLRNC WAS WRITTEN AND TOLD ME THAT WE WERE CLRED TO HOLD AT FL180. I ASKED THE FO TO CONFIRM THE ALT CLRNC WITH ATC AND THE CTLR RESPONDED, 'YOU WERE CLRED TO FL180, OH, I SEE YOU'RE BELOW THAT NOW. DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO FL180 OR DO YOU WANT TO HOLD AT 15000 FT.' WE RESPONDED,'15000 FT.' HE THEN CLRED US TO HOLD AT 15000 FT. JUST AFTER COMPLETING OUR ENTRY INTO THE PATTERN, ATC CLRED US BACK ONTO THE ARR TO STL. NOTHING ELSE WAS SAID BY THE CTLR OR BY US ABOUT THE ALTDEV, MAINLY DUE TO THE CURRENT WORKLOAD OF BOTH PARTIES. THERE WERE NO OTHER ACFT HOLDING ON THIS PARTICULAR ARR AND THERE APPEARED TO BE NO OTHER TFC IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 596886: WHILE ON THE QBALL6 ARR TO ZLC, (OR STL APCH I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH) CLRED US FROM FL190 TO 15000 FT. WE WERE AT NIGHT, MODERATE TO HVY RAIN, TSTMS, AND HAD JUST ENTERED ICING CONDITIONS. WE HAD TURNED OFF STROBES AND WING LIGHTS TO REDUCE SCATTERBACK IN THE COCKPIT. CTR CLRED US BACK TO RACKK AND IN THE SAME BREATH GAVE US HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS: HOLD SE, AND IF POSSIBLE L TURNS AS PUBLISHED, AND MAINTAIN FL180. RACKK WAS ABOUT 160 DEG L TURN AND MAYBE 5 MI AWAY. THE CAPT BEGAN ENTERING THE HOLDING INFO IN THE GFMS BOX, WHILE I ASSISTED HIM WITH THE INBOUND LEG, DME, EFC INFO. I ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD LIKE MY ASSISTANCE TO FINISH ENTERING THE INFO, WHICH HE APPROVED. I CHKED THE TCASII TO SEE WHETHER WE WERE DSNDING INTO THE PATH OF ANOTHER ACFT CIRCLING BELOW US AND ASKED CTR FOR A CLARIFICATION OF OUR HOLD ALT. IN REFLECTION, ALL OF US MESSED UP TO GET INTO THIS DEV PREDICAMENT. ATC BY CLRING US TO A HOLD AT AN ALT WE HAD ALREADY PASSED THROUGH, WHEN WE'D BEEN CLRED TO A LOWER ALT. THE CAPT BY NOT DELEGATING THE FO TO PROGRAM THE BOX, AND HIMSELF TO SIMPLY FLY THE ACFT. ME BY NOT RECOGNIZING THE HOLD ALT HAD ALREADY BEEN PASSED AND RESETTING AND CLARIFYING WITH ATC BEFORE PROGRAMMING THE BOX.

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.