Crj-200 captain reports altitude deviations while flying aircraft with inoperative automatic pilot.

Attributes
ACN	811198
Time
Date	200811
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zzz.artcc tower : zzz.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Regional Jet 200 ER&LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : vacating altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 210 flight time total : 3400 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	811198
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude altitude deviation : crossing restriction not met non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : returned to assigned altitude none taken : insufficient time
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Company Aircraft
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

I was flying our aircraft with an inoperative autoplt that had been put on MEL 2 days previously. We rarely ever fly without the autoplt so I was a bit out of practice. We had no issues except for 2 times when my first officer had a hard time programming the FMS. The first time he was trying to program the FMS and couldn't get it to work. I was flying and my attention was diverted trying to help him. I lost almost 500 ft before I realized it. I immediately corrected back to our original altitude and then proceeded to xfer the controls to him so that I could concentrate on the FMS. This is exactly what I should have done in the first place and quickly learned from my mistake. After the FMS issue was corrected I took the controls again and continued the flight. Later in the flight we had a similar problem in that we were given a crossing restr on the descent. I was still flying and again my first officer had problems putting the crossing restr into the FMS. Since he was busy setting up the cockpit for the arrival I decided to use my mental math skills to calculate the descent to ensure that we met the crossing restr. I'm afraid that my mental math skills may be as rusty as my hand flying skills because as center was handing us off to the next controller he told us to hurry up our descent. I took this to mean that we were in jeopardy of missing our crossing restr and increased our rate of descent. I don't know whether we made it or not but I believe that we were very close. Again; in addition to practicing my mental math skills I should have xferred the flight controls to the first officer and put the crossing restr in the FMS myself so that we were able to use all of our available resources. The autoplt is a crucial tool when workloads are high. Since ours was inoperative I should have been better at xferring the workload when things weren't going well (first officer unable to program FMS) so that one of us could fully concentrate on flying while the other could concentrate on managing the cockpit and radios. It is a lesson well learned.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ-200 CAPTAIN REPORTS ALTITUDE DEVIATIONS WHILE FLYING AIRCRAFT WITH INOPERATIVE AUTO PILOT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING OUR ACFT WITH AN INOP AUTOPLT THAT HAD BEEN PUT ON MEL 2 DAYS PREVIOUSLY. WE RARELY EVER FLY WITHOUT THE AUTOPLT SO I WAS A BIT OUT OF PRACTICE. WE HAD NO ISSUES EXCEPT FOR 2 TIMES WHEN MY FO HAD A HARD TIME PROGRAMMING THE FMS. THE FIRST TIME HE WAS TRYING TO PROGRAM THE FMS AND COULDN'T GET IT TO WORK. I WAS FLYING AND MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED TRYING TO HELP HIM. I LOST ALMOST 500 FT BEFORE I REALIZED IT. I IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL ALT AND THEN PROCEEDED TO XFER THE CTLS TO HIM SO THAT I COULD CONCENTRATE ON THE FMS. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND QUICKLY LEARNED FROM MY MISTAKE. AFTER THE FMS ISSUE WAS CORRECTED I TOOK THE CTLS AGAIN AND CONTINUED THE FLT. LATER IN THE FLT WE HAD A SIMILAR PROB IN THAT WE WERE GIVEN A XING RESTR ON THE DSCNT. I WAS STILL FLYING AND AGAIN MY FO HAD PROBS PUTTING THE XING RESTR INTO THE FMS. SINCE HE WAS BUSY SETTING UP THE COCKPIT FOR THE ARR I DECIDED TO USE MY MENTAL MATH SKILLS TO CALCULATE THE DSCNT TO ENSURE THAT WE MET THE XING RESTR. I'M AFRAID THAT MY MENTAL MATH SKILLS MAY BE AS RUSTY AS MY HAND FLYING SKILLS BECAUSE AS CTR WAS HANDING US OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR HE TOLD US TO HURRY UP OUR DSCNT. I TOOK THIS TO MEAN THAT WE WERE IN JEOPARDY OF MISSING OUR XING RESTR AND INCREASED OUR RATE OF DSCNT. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE MADE IT OR NOT BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE WERE VERY CLOSE. AGAIN; IN ADDITION TO PRACTICING MY MENTAL MATH SKILLS I SHOULD HAVE XFERRED THE FLT CTLS TO THE FO AND PUT THE XING RESTR IN THE FMS MYSELF SO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO USE ALL OF OUR AVAILABLE RESOURCES. THE AUTOPLT IS A CRUCIAL TOOL WHEN WORKLOADS ARE HIGH. SINCE OURS WAS INOP I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER AT XFERRING THE WORKLOAD WHEN THINGS WEREN'T GOING WELL (FO UNABLE TO PROGRAM FMS) SO THAT ONE OF US COULD FULLY CONCENTRATE ON FLYING WHILE THE OTHER COULD CONCENTRATE ON MANAGING THE COCKPIT AND RADIOS. IT IS A LESSON WELL LEARNED.

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.