Altitude overshot during descent.

Attributes
ACN	99260
Time
Date	198812
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : sat
State Reference	TX
Altitude	msl bound lower : 5100 msl bound upper : 7000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : sat
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	descent other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 181 flight time total : 3133 flight time type : 984
ASRS Report	99260
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : overshoot non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Upon receiving a descent clearance from sat approach control, we read back our clearance limit of 5000'. As we were passing 5100' for 5000, approach control asked us to verify our altitude. We read 'passing through 5100'.' at this time, approach then said that we were only given a 7000' clearance limit. We then told approach that we had understood that we had a 5000' clearance limit and that this was read back to him by us in our original clearance and was not contradicted by him after our read back. As we had perceived to have been given an altitude and read that altitude back to a controller for a clearance limit, the controller should have listened to verify the readback and clearance limit. Should this clearance limit had been something different, as that of today's flight into sat, the controller should be able to verify a departure from that which was on his screen and that which we were descending to. It was 1900' below the controller's given altitude on his strip and that of which we were descending to before he ever verified the altitude. This was not done in a timely manner for a verification of our read back altitude of 5000' and his strip of 7000' to verify this discrepancy. All throughout this given time frame, the controled frequency was very light--2 airplanes, of which we were one, was all that were the controller's frequency.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALT OVERSHOT DURING DESCENT.

Narrative: UPON RECEIVING A DSCNT CLRNC FROM SAT APCH CTL, WE READ BACK OUR CLRNC LIMIT OF 5000'. AS WE WERE PASSING 5100' FOR 5000, APCH CTL ASKED US TO VERIFY OUR ALT. WE READ 'PASSING THROUGH 5100'.' AT THIS TIME, APCH THEN SAID THAT WE WERE ONLY GIVEN A 7000' CLRNC LIMIT. WE THEN TOLD APCH THAT WE HAD UNDERSTOOD THAT WE HAD A 5000' CLRNC LIMIT AND THAT THIS WAS READ BACK TO HIM BY US IN OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC AND WAS NOT CONTRADICTED BY HIM AFTER OUR READ BACK. AS WE HAD PERCEIVED TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN ALT AND READ THAT ALT BACK TO A CTLR FOR A CLRNC LIMIT, THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO VERIFY THE READBACK AND CLRNC LIMIT. SHOULD THIS CLRNC LIMIT HAD BEEN SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AS THAT OF TODAY'S FLT INTO SAT, THE CTLR SHOULD BE ABLE TO VERIFY A DEP FROM THAT WHICH WAS ON HIS SCREEN AND THAT WHICH WE WERE DSNDING TO. IT WAS 1900' BELOW THE CTLR'S GIVEN ALT ON HIS STRIP AND THAT OF WHICH WE WERE DSNDING TO BEFORE HE EVER VERIFIED THE ALT. THIS WAS NOT DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER FOR A VERIFICATION OF OUR READ BACK ALT OF 5000' AND HIS STRIP OF 7000' TO VERIFY THIS DISCREPANCY. ALL THROUGHOUT THIS GIVEN TIME FRAME, THE CTLED FREQ WAS VERY LIGHT--2 AIRPLANES, OF WHICH WE WERE ONE, WAS ALL THAT WERE THE CTLR'S FREQ.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.