Narrative:

We were cleared the seavu one arrival into lax. We planned on getting the ILS runway 25L approach. I checked the arrival crossing altitudes and speeds in the FMS. They were correct. Later the captain entered the approach (ILS runway 25L) in the box. I did not check those altitudes; believing them to be correct from the box. We had a 200K FMS. According to the captain this box did not have gaate as a waypoint. He entered gaate; but failed to enter the 5000 ft and above restr. During the arrival; the airplane was not flying as the captain had predicated. The speed kept creeping up. (I believe this was due to the winglets; neither of us had flown with winglets before; and were not used to the 'efficient wing' yet.) the aircraft (in VNAV) started to slow down before krain; to get below 250 KTS; before descending below 10000 ft. The captain didn't think the aircraft would make the taroc restr (9700-9000 ft) he switched to fl change. Approach cleared us the ILS runway 25L at fuelr. The captain dialed 3500 ft in the altitude window; then armed the approach mode. He descended the plane to 3500 ft to meet the restr at hunda (3500 ft). He assumed the glide path would keep us above 5000 ft at gaate. I crosschecked my approach plate and saw 5000 ft at gaate. I checked our position. We were at 4700 ft and descending; 1 mi before gaate. I notified the captain. He concurred; we missed the restr. Approach then called and informed us we missed the gaate restr 'by a little bit; but that's ok; there was no other traffic.' the rest of the approach and landing was uneventful. This deviation was caused by channelization of the captain trying to figure out why the plane wouldn't slow down and not concentrating on the profile. Also neither pilot checked the approach altitudes in the 'box' assuming they were correct. I always xchk the plate altitudes and fixes during approachs. I was 10 seconds too late to catch this inadvertent error. This event can be avoided; by never trusting what the box has for altitudes; but trusting it to do the job when asked. I believe we would have made the taroc restr and VNAV would have been the way to do it. If we had a different FMS; gaate would have been in the box with 5000 ft as a restr. Of course; by going out of VNAV and into fl ch; you negate that protection; and have to manually check all altitudes. Trust but verify.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757-200'S FMS MEMORY DID NOT CONTAIN AN ARRIVAL FIX. THE CREW ENTERED THE FIX BUT NOT THE ALT CONSTRAINT AND SO MISSED THE ALT CROSSING RESTRICTION.

Narrative: WE WERE CLRED THE SEAVU ONE ARR INTO LAX. WE PLANNED ON GETTING THE ILS RWY 25L APCH. I CHKED THE ARR XING ALTS AND SPDS IN THE FMS. THEY WERE CORRECT. LATER THE CAPT ENTERED THE APCH (ILS RWY 25L) IN THE BOX. I DID NOT CHK THOSE ALTS; BELIEVING THEM TO BE CORRECT FROM THE BOX. WE HAD A 200K FMS. ACCORDING TO THE CAPT THIS BOX DID NOT HAVE GAATE AS A WAYPOINT. HE ENTERED GAATE; BUT FAILED TO ENTER THE 5000 FT AND ABOVE RESTR. DURING THE ARR; THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT FLYING AS THE CAPT HAD PREDICATED. THE SPD KEPT CREEPING UP. (I BELIEVE THIS WAS DUE TO THE WINGLETS; NEITHER OF US HAD FLOWN WITH WINGLETS BEFORE; AND WERE NOT USED TO THE 'EFFICIENT WING' YET.) THE ACFT (IN VNAV) STARTED TO SLOW DOWN BEFORE KRAIN; TO GET BELOW 250 KTS; BEFORE DSNDING BELOW 10000 FT. THE CAPT DIDN'T THINK THE ACFT WOULD MAKE THE TAROC RESTR (9700-9000 FT) HE SWITCHED TO FL CHANGE. APCH CLRED US THE ILS RWY 25L AT FUELR. THE CAPT DIALED 3500 FT IN THE ALT WINDOW; THEN ARMED THE APCH MODE. HE DSNDED THE PLANE TO 3500 FT TO MEET THE RESTR AT HUNDA (3500 FT). HE ASSUMED THE GLIDE PATH WOULD KEEP US ABOVE 5000 FT AT GAATE. I XCHKED MY APCH PLATE AND SAW 5000 FT AT GAATE. I CHKED OUR POS. WE WERE AT 4700 FT AND DSNDING; 1 MI BEFORE GAATE. I NOTIFIED THE CAPT. HE CONCURRED; WE MISSED THE RESTR. APCH THEN CALLED AND INFORMED US WE MISSED THE GAATE RESTR 'BY A LITTLE BIT; BUT THAT'S OK; THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC.' THE REST OF THE APCH AND LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. THIS DEV WAS CAUSED BY CHANNELIZATION OF THE CAPT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE PLANE WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN AND NOT CONCENTRATING ON THE PROFILE. ALSO NEITHER PLT CHKED THE APCH ALTS IN THE 'BOX' ASSUMING THEY WERE CORRECT. I ALWAYS XCHK THE PLATE ALTS AND FIXES DURING APCHS. I WAS 10 SECONDS TOO LATE TO CATCH THIS INADVERTENT ERROR. THIS EVENT CAN BE AVOIDED; BY NEVER TRUSTING WHAT THE BOX HAS FOR ALTS; BUT TRUSTING IT TO DO THE JOB WHEN ASKED. I BELIEVE WE WOULD HAVE MADE THE TAROC RESTR AND VNAV WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WAY TO DO IT. IF WE HAD A DIFFERENT FMS; GAATE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE BOX WITH 5000 FT AS A RESTR. OF COURSE; BY GOING OUT OF VNAV AND INTO FL CH; YOU NEGATE THAT PROTECTION; AND HAVE TO MANUALLY CHK ALL ALTS. TRUST BUT VERIFY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.