Narrative:

I was the first officer (pm) on an afternoon flight into slc. We were all set up and briefed to conduct the leehy 2 RNAV arrival to runway 34R. We were just about over the arrival gate fix of spane when I checked in with approach and was told to now 'descend via' the LEEHY2 for runway 34L and intercept the localizer for runway 34L. The controller then asked us to speed up to 280 KTS. I acknowledged both clearances and immediately went 'heads down' to start programming the FMGC for the new runway. While programming the FMGC I noticed that there were two parallel lines on the nd (navigation display) near the end of the approach. I at first thought I had simply not 'cleaned up' the last two waypoints correctly (so did the captain); so I went back and took a closer look to realize it was in there correctly. It's just that the LEEHY2 does not intercept the runway 34L localizer. It does however coincide with the localizer for runway 34R. We both realized this between blupe and kammp intersections and were just about to ask the controller if he wanted us on a simple left heading to intercept the runway 34L localizer since he never did issue one. Immediately the controller realized this as well and came on to tell us we were lined up with runway 34R it looked like and to fly a 310 degree heading to join the localizer for runway 34L. We complied. Probably less than a minute later (in VMC) the controller asked us if we would like our originally planned runway 34R -- since it would put us right near our gate after landing; and we said yes. We then switched back to runway 34R without incident. The problem we believe happened was an altitude deviation between the blupe and kammp intersections on the arrival. With all the last minute FMGC and speed changes and my 'heads down' trying to switch and verify the arrival and runway sequence; I noticed a little late that we were at 11000 ft just before blupe. I informed the captain who also missed the altitude restriction there. Normally we would have 'managed' the descent to cross all the altitudes correctly; but I believe we were in a vs descent at first to shallow up our descent so the captain could make the 230 KTS at blupe. There was some confusion on the speed assignment so the captain asked me to verify he needed 280 KTS or did we need to slow. The approach controller said he needed the 280 KTS. Somehow we continued down to 11000 ft since it was our floor for the descend via clearance; just missing the 12000 ft at or above at blupe since we were not in a 'des' managed mode but in vertical speed (vs). I believe my inattentiveness while handling the FMGC workload at the last minute kept me from backing up my captain who was the PF. I became distracted while heads down trying to figure out a strange clearance. We were never told to fly a heading on the arrival to intercept the localizer to runway 34L. I think I just figured we would be closely lined up to pick it up; but when I realized that it wasn't going to work; I missed glancing up at the pfd and nd to back up my partner. I assumed we were descending in a managed mode all the way down. We were at first; but missed when he switched over to vertical speed mode. The only place on the arrival that it says to expect radar vectors for runway 34L was still ahead of us after plage (see note B on the STAR chart). I think we became too focused on the lateral side of the arrival and lost sight of the vertical plane. We could have perhaps queried the controller a bit sooner about his intentions to pick up the runway 34L localizer off the arrival. This would have had us concentrating on the vertical path perhaps a bit more closely. Definitely had an error chain develop here because of a distraction from the controller and our failure to closely watch our altitude restrictions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISTRACTED BY CONFUSING CHARTAGE OF LEEHY RNAV STAR TO SLC; A319 FLT CREW FAILS TO MEET CROSSING RESTRICTION OVER BLUPE WAYPOINT.

Narrative: I WAS THE FO (PM) ON AN AFTERNOON FLIGHT INTO SLC. WE WERE ALL SET UP AND BRIEFED TO CONDUCT THE LEEHY 2 RNAV ARRIVAL TO RWY 34R. WE WERE JUST ABOUT OVER THE ARRIVAL GATE FIX OF SPANE WHEN I CHECKED IN WITH APPROACH AND WAS TOLD TO NOW 'DESCEND VIA' THE LEEHY2 FOR RWY 34L AND INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER FOR RWY 34L. THE CONTROLLER THEN ASKED US TO SPEED UP TO 280 KTS. I ACKNOWLEDGED BOTH CLEARANCES AND IMMEDIATELY WENT 'HEADS DOWN' TO START PROGRAMMING THE FMGC FOR THE NEW RUNWAY. WHILE PROGRAMMING THE FMGC I NOTICED THAT THERE WERE TWO PARALLEL LINES ON THE ND (NAVIGATION DISPLAY) NEAR THE END OF THE APPROACH. I AT FIRST THOUGHT I HAD SIMPLY NOT 'CLEANED UP' THE LAST TWO WAYPOINTS CORRECTLY (SO DID THE CAPTAIN); SO I WENT BACK AND TOOK A CLOSER LOOK TO REALIZE IT WAS IN THERE CORRECTLY. IT'S JUST THAT THE LEEHY2 DOES NOT INTERCEPT THE RWY 34L LOCALIZER. IT DOES HOWEVER COINCIDE WITH THE LOCALIZER FOR RWY 34R. WE BOTH REALIZED THIS BETWEEN BLUPE AND KAMMP INTERSECTIONS AND WERE JUST ABOUT TO ASK THE CONTROLLER IF HE WANTED US ON A SIMPLE LEFT HEADING TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 34L LOCALIZER SINCE HE NEVER DID ISSUE ONE. IMMEDIATELY THE CONTROLLER REALIZED THIS AS WELL AND CAME ON TO TELL US WE WERE LINED UP WITH RWY 34R IT LOOKED LIKE AND TO FLY A 310 DEG HDG TO JOIN THE LOC FOR RWY 34L. WE COMPLIED. PROBABLY LESS THAN A MINUTE LATER (IN VMC) THE CONTROLLER ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE OUR ORIGINALLY PLANNED RWY 34R -- SINCE IT WOULD PUT US RIGHT NEAR OUR GATE AFTER LANDING; AND WE SAID YES. WE THEN SWITCHED BACK TO RWY 34R WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE PROBLEM WE BELIEVE HAPPENED WAS AN ALTITUDE DEVIATION BETWEEN THE BLUPE AND KAMMP INTERSECTIONS ON THE ARRIVAL. WITH ALL THE LAST MINUTE FMGC AND SPEED CHANGES AND MY 'HEADS DOWN' TRYING TO SWITCH AND VERIFY THE ARRIVAL AND RUNWAY SEQUENCE; I NOTICED A LITTLE LATE THAT WE WERE AT 11000 FT JUST BEFORE BLUPE. I INFORMED THE CAPTAIN WHO ALSO MISSED THE ALTITUDE RESTRICTION THERE. NORMALLY WE WOULD HAVE 'MANAGED' THE DESCENT TO CROSS ALL THE ALTITUDES CORRECTLY; BUT I BELIEVE WE WERE IN A VS DESCENT AT FIRST TO SHALLOW UP OUR DESCENT SO THE CAPTAIN COULD MAKE THE 230 KTS AT BLUPE. THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION ON THE SPEED ASSIGNMENT SO THE CAPTAIN ASKED ME TO VERIFY HE NEEDED 280 KTS OR DID WE NEED TO SLOW. THE APPROACH CONTROLLER SAID HE NEEDED THE 280 KTS. SOMEHOW WE CONTINUED DOWN TO 11000 FT SINCE IT WAS OUR FLOOR FOR THE DESCEND VIA CLEARANCE; JUST MISSING THE 12000 FT AT OR ABOVE AT BLUPE SINCE WE WERE NOT IN A 'DES' MANAGED MODE BUT IN VERTICAL SPEED (VS). I BELIEVE MY INATTENTIVENESS WHILE HANDLING THE FMGC WORKLOAD AT THE LAST MINUTE KEPT ME FROM BACKING UP MY CAPTAIN WHO WAS THE PF. I BECAME DISTRACTED WHILE HEADS DOWN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A STRANGE CLEARANCE. WE WERE NEVER TOLD TO FLY A HEADING ON THE ARRIVAL TO INTERCEPT THE LOC TO RWY 34L. I THINK I JUST FIGURED WE WOULD BE CLOSELY LINED UP TO PICK IT UP; BUT WHEN I REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T GOING TO WORK; I MISSED GLANCING UP AT THE PFD AND ND TO BACK UP MY PARTNER. I ASSUMED WE WERE DESCENDING IN A MANAGED MODE ALL THE WAY DOWN. WE WERE AT FIRST; BUT MISSED WHEN HE SWITCHED OVER TO VERTICAL SPEED MODE. THE ONLY PLACE ON THE ARRIVAL THAT IT SAYS TO EXPECT RADAR VECTORS FOR RWY 34L WAS STILL AHEAD OF US AFTER PLAGE (SEE NOTE B ON THE STAR CHART). I THINK WE BECAME TOO FOCUSED ON THE LATERAL SIDE OF THE ARRIVAL AND LOST SIGHT OF THE VERTICAL PLANE. WE COULD HAVE PERHAPS QUERIED THE CONTROLLER A BIT SOONER ABOUT HIS INTENTIONS TO PICK UP THE RWY 34L LOCALIZER OFF THE ARRIVAL. THIS WOULD HAVE HAD US CONCENTRATING ON THE VERTICAL PATH PERHAPS A BIT MORE CLOSELY. DEFINITELY HAD AN ERROR CHAIN DEVELOP HERE BECAUSE OF A DISTRACTION FROM THE CONTROLLER AND OUR FAILURE TO CLOSELY WATCH OUR ALTITUDE RESTRICTIONS.

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.