Narrative:

This event occurred during descent on the honie 3 STAR into atl. The captain was the PF and I; the first officer; was the PNF. As we approached atl; ATC gave us a crossing restriction to cross the tiroe intersection at 14000 ft and 250 KTS. I read the crossing restriction back to ATC; set 14000 ft in the altitude alerter; and then plugged in 250/14000 into the FMS so that VNAV would show us when to start down. The captain; for reasons I do not know; waited to descend until the VNAV indicated approximately a 4 degree descent. As we descended; we maintained somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 plus KTS and descended quite rapidly. While on descent we were first told to expect runway 28. After setting up and briefing that approach; we were then told to depart tiroe on a 300 degree heading and to now expect runway 26R. As we descended; I gave COM1 to the captain and proceeded to make an in range call to company on COM2. When I came back to COM1; the captain briefed the approach to runway 26R. Prior to reaching tiroe; ATC instructed us to cross tiroe at or below 14000 ft and to descend and maintain 12000 ft. We crossed tiroe; turned to a 300 degree heading and continued our descent to 12000 ft. Shortly after leveling off at 12000 ft; approach control asked us to indicate our speed. Busy doing something else; I looked up at the speed tape as the captain blurted out '250' over the intercom. Knowing that we were past tiroe and should be at 250 KTS; I blurted out '250.' as I finished my reply; I realized that we were actually at 290 KTS and that we had busted an airspeed restriction. I immediately corrected myself and sheepishly informed ATC that we were actually at 290 KTS. ATC queried if that was the speed that we were assigned and I replied 'negative.' the captain blinked in disbelief as he too realized that we were at 290 KTS instead of at the assigned 250 KTS. Immediately he began to slow to 250 KTS and that was the last we heard about it from the controller. Several factors contributed to this airspeed violation. First; and I believe most importantly; both of us were quite tired; as this was the return leg of a long shift. This was the captain's third long shift in a row. Furthermore; the leg out had been delayed 4 hours due to a late inbound aircraft. Therefore; we each ended up with only two hours of rest before getting up for the leg back. I; on the other hand; was not originally scheduled for a long shift; but instead; showed up for work fully expecting to work a two day trip with only a short 1 hour leg for a 9 hour and 45 minute overnight. When I checked in for work; I had a message indicating that my schedule had been changed and that I was now scheduled to work this long shift instead. Therefore; when this incident occurred; I; through no fault of my own; had been up for almost 24 hours straight. Had someone notified me that I was rescheduled to work this long shift; I would have taken time to rest the prior afternoon so that I would have at least been a little more rested prior to working all night. A second contributing factor was the captain's decision to wait to descend until we were on a 4 degree descent path. We were descending quite rapidly and would only have been able to slow to 250 KTS by using flight spoilers and carefully monitoring our vertical descent rate. As we were both quite busy briefing the approach and completing our other before landing duties; the added responsibility of having to closely monitor a steep descent profile was; perhaps; too much of a workload for us; considering our tired state.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 EXCEEDS 250 KTS BELOW 10000 FT. FLT CREW CITES FATIGUE AND DELAYED TOP OF DESCENT.

Narrative: THIS EVENT OCCURRED DURING DESCENT ON THE HONIE 3 STAR INTO ATL. THE CAPTAIN WAS THE PF AND I; THE FIRST OFFICER; WAS THE PNF. AS WE APPROACHED ATL; ATC GAVE US A CROSSING RESTRICTION TO CROSS THE TIROE INTERSECTION AT 14000 FT AND 250 KTS. I READ THE CROSSING RESTRICTION BACK TO ATC; SET 14000 FT IN THE ALTITUDE ALERTER; AND THEN PLUGGED IN 250/14000 INTO THE FMS SO THAT VNAV WOULD SHOW US WHEN TO START DOWN. THE CAPTAIN; FOR REASONS I DO NOT KNOW; WAITED TO DESCEND UNTIL THE VNAV INDICATED APPROXIMATELY A 4 DEGREE DESCENT. AS WE DESCENDED; WE MAINTAINED SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 300 PLUS KTS AND DESCENDED QUITE RAPIDLY. WHILE ON DESCENT WE WERE FIRST TOLD TO EXPECT RWY 28. AFTER SETTING UP AND BRIEFING THAT APPROACH; WE WERE THEN TOLD TO DEPART TIROE ON A 300 DEGREE HEADING AND TO NOW EXPECT RWY 26R. AS WE DESCENDED; I GAVE COM1 TO THE CAPTAIN AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE AN IN RANGE CALL TO COMPANY ON COM2. WHEN I CAME BACK TO COM1; THE CAPTAIN BRIEFED THE APPROACH TO RWY 26R. PRIOR TO REACHING TIROE; ATC INSTRUCTED US TO CROSS TIROE AT OR BELOW 14000 FT AND TO DESCEND AND MAINTAIN 12000 FT. WE CROSSED TIROE; TURNED TO A 300 DEGREE HEADING AND CONTINUED OUR DESCENT TO 12000 FT. SHORTLY AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 12000 FT; APPROACH CONTROL ASKED US TO INDICATE OUR SPEED. BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE; I LOOKED UP AT THE SPEED TAPE AS THE CAPTAIN BLURTED OUT '250' OVER THE INTERCOM. KNOWING THAT WE WERE PAST TIROE AND SHOULD BE AT 250 KTS; I BLURTED OUT '250.' AS I FINISHED MY REPLY; I REALIZED THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY AT 290 KTS AND THAT WE HAD BUSTED AN AIRSPEED RESTRICTION. I IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED MYSELF AND SHEEPISHLY INFORMED ATC THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY AT 290 KTS. ATC QUERIED IF THAT WAS THE SPEED THAT WE WERE ASSIGNED AND I REPLIED 'NEGATIVE.' THE CAPTAIN BLINKED IN DISBELIEF AS HE TOO REALIZED THAT WE WERE AT 290 KTS INSTEAD OF AT THE ASSIGNED 250 KTS. IMMEDIATELY HE BEGAN TO SLOW TO 250 KTS AND THAT WAS THE LAST WE HEARD ABOUT IT FROM THE CONTROLLER. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS AIRSPEED VIOLATION. FIRST; AND I BELIEVE MOST IMPORTANTLY; BOTH OF US WERE QUITE TIRED; AS THIS WAS THE RETURN LEG OF A LONG SHIFT. THIS WAS THE CAPTAIN'S THIRD LONG SHIFT IN A ROW. FURTHERMORE; THE LEG OUT HAD BEEN DELAYED 4 HOURS DUE TO A LATE INBOUND AIRCRAFT. THEREFORE; WE EACH ENDED UP WITH ONLY TWO HOURS OF REST BEFORE GETTING UP FOR THE LEG BACK. I; ON THE OTHER HAND; WAS NOT ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR A LONG SHIFT; BUT INSTEAD; SHOWED UP FOR WORK FULLY EXPECTING TO WORK A TWO DAY TRIP WITH ONLY A SHORT 1 HOUR LEG FOR A 9 HOUR AND 45 MINUTE OVERNIGHT. WHEN I CHECKED IN FOR WORK; I HAD A MESSAGE INDICATING THAT MY SCHEDULE HAD BEEN CHANGED AND THAT I WAS NOW SCHEDULED TO WORK THIS LONG SHIFT INSTEAD. THEREFORE; WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED; I; THROUGH NO FAULT OF MY OWN; HAD BEEN UP FOR ALMOST 24 HOURS STRAIGHT. HAD SOMEONE NOTIFIED ME THAT I WAS RESCHEDULED TO WORK THIS LONG SHIFT; I WOULD HAVE TAKEN TIME TO REST THE PRIOR AFTERNOON SO THAT I WOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN A LITTLE MORE RESTED PRIOR TO WORKING ALL NIGHT. A SECOND CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE CAPTAIN'S DECISION TO WAIT TO DESCEND UNTIL WE WERE ON A 4 DEGREE DESCENT PATH. WE WERE DESCENDING QUITE RAPIDLY AND WOULD ONLY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SLOW TO 250 KTS BY USING FLIGHT SPOILERS AND CAREFULLY MONITORING OUR VERTICAL DESCENT RATE. AS WE WERE BOTH QUITE BUSY BRIEFING THE APPROACH AND COMPLETING OUR OTHER BEFORE LANDING DUTIES; THE ADDED RESPONSIBILITY OF HAVING TO CLOSELY MONITOR A STEEP DESCENT PROFILE WAS; PERHAPS; TOO MUCH OF A WORKLOAD FOR US; CONSIDERING OUR TIRED STATE.

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.