Narrative:

I was the first officer on this flight. We were assigned the loop 4 departure out of lax. All was fine until about 2000 ft as we had just made our turn to 235 degrees. Then the controller told us to comply with the altitude restrs. Since we were in a rush to depart due to a wheels up time; the captain never briefed the departure (first mistake). He was hand flying; so I worked the fcp. I gave the captain heading hold for 235 degrees. When the controller gave us the vertical restr; the captain pressed navigation on the fcp. The normal procedure is to ask the PNF (me) to do this. So this caught me off guard. The captain said something about turning to make the altitude restr and engaged the autoplt also; turning the vertical speed wheel (noticed later; the wrong way). I was looking at my departure plate or outside and didn't notice at first (distraction); but the aircraft went into approach mode and the autothrottles came back instead of staying at climb power. As I tried to figure this out; the captain said he would leave the slats out and he got slow (approximately 200-230 KTS). He said to make the climb restr (10000 ft over lax). Meanwhile; I would turn off the autothrottles and push up the power; and he would disconnect and reconnect the autoplt several times. I told him if he would maintain a climb at 230 KTS; we would make the restr according to the FMS vertical profile. Yet because the flight director was in a descent; he kept lowering the nose. I kept telling him to keep the nose up and also fiddled with the throttles as they kept coming back. This was basically a mess as we turned inbound to lax. I made sure he kept the autoplt off as we got closer to lax. I don't think we made 10000 ft exactly at lax; but it was close. The controller was more concerned with the slow speed with aircraft behind us. Eventually we got back to climb mode and a few mins later I realized we had spun the vertical speed wheel the wrong way. Either this; or going to navigation on a manual leg in FMS had caused the FMS to go into approach mode. In hindsight; I should have slowed down the time on ground to brief (the captain was more concerned earlier with getting catering before launch than with the wheels up time). Also; I should have recognized his incorrect inputs to the fcp; and been more assertive in either handling the fcp or taking the aircraft from him as he was clearly mixed up. We let the automation get the better of us; and should have transitioned to basic flying skills.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT CREW OF WDB EXPERIENCE AUTOFLT SYS CONFUSION AND MAY HAVE FAILED TO MEET XING RESTR ON LOOP DEP FROM LAX.

Narrative: I WAS THE FO ON THIS FLT. WE WERE ASSIGNED THE LOOP 4 DEP OUT OF LAX. ALL WAS FINE UNTIL ABOUT 2000 FT AS WE HAD JUST MADE OUR TURN TO 235 DEGS. THEN THE CTLR TOLD US TO COMPLY WITH THE ALT RESTRS. SINCE WE WERE IN A RUSH TO DEPART DUE TO A WHEELS UP TIME; THE CAPT NEVER BRIEFED THE DEP (FIRST MISTAKE). HE WAS HAND FLYING; SO I WORKED THE FCP. I GAVE THE CAPT HDG HOLD FOR 235 DEGS. WHEN THE CTLR GAVE US THE VERT RESTR; THE CAPT PRESSED NAV ON THE FCP. THE NORMAL PROC IS TO ASK THE PNF (ME) TO DO THIS. SO THIS CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD. THE CAPT SAID SOMETHING ABOUT TURNING TO MAKE THE ALT RESTR AND ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT ALSO; TURNING THE VERT SPD WHEEL (NOTICED LATER; THE WRONG WAY). I WAS LOOKING AT MY DEP PLATE OR OUTSIDE AND DIDN'T NOTICE AT FIRST (DISTR); BUT THE ACFT WENT INTO APCH MODE AND THE AUTOTHROTTLES CAME BACK INSTEAD OF STAYING AT CLB PWR. AS I TRIED TO FIGURE THIS OUT; THE CAPT SAID HE WOULD LEAVE THE SLATS OUT AND HE GOT SLOW (APPROX 200-230 KTS). HE SAID TO MAKE THE CLB RESTR (10000 FT OVER LAX). MEANWHILE; I WOULD TURN OFF THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND PUSH UP THE PWR; AND HE WOULD DISCONNECT AND RECONNECT THE AUTOPLT SEVERAL TIMES. I TOLD HIM IF HE WOULD MAINTAIN A CLB AT 230 KTS; WE WOULD MAKE THE RESTR ACCORDING TO THE FMS VERT PROFILE. YET BECAUSE THE FLT DIRECTOR WAS IN A DSCNT; HE KEPT LOWERING THE NOSE. I KEPT TELLING HIM TO KEEP THE NOSE UP AND ALSO FIDDLED WITH THE THROTTLES AS THEY KEPT COMING BACK. THIS WAS BASICALLY A MESS AS WE TURNED INBOUND TO LAX. I MADE SURE HE KEPT THE AUTOPLT OFF AS WE GOT CLOSER TO LAX. I DON'T THINK WE MADE 10000 FT EXACTLY AT LAX; BUT IT WAS CLOSE. THE CTLR WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE SLOW SPD WITH ACFT BEHIND US. EVENTUALLY WE GOT BACK TO CLB MODE AND A FEW MINS LATER I REALIZED WE HAD SPUN THE VERT SPD WHEEL THE WRONG WAY. EITHER THIS; OR GOING TO NAV ON A MANUAL LEG IN FMS HAD CAUSED THE FMS TO GO INTO APCH MODE. IN HINDSIGHT; I SHOULD HAVE SLOWED DOWN THE TIME ON GND TO BRIEF (THE CAPT WAS MORE CONCERNED EARLIER WITH GETTING CATERING BEFORE LAUNCH THAN WITH THE WHEELS UP TIME). ALSO; I SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED HIS INCORRECT INPUTS TO THE FCP; AND BEEN MORE ASSERTIVE IN EITHER HANDLING THE FCP OR TAKING THE ACFT FROM HIM AS HE WAS CLRLY MIXED UP. WE LET THE AUTOMATION GET THE BETTER OF US; AND SHOULD HAVE TRANSITIONED TO BASIC FLYING SKILLS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.