A319
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence; Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Environment - Non Weather Related; Weather
On the CAVLR3 arrival into IAD at FL220 we were cleared to 'descend via'. The FO was flying [and] he put 6000 ft in the altitude window. I went off COM1 to say goodbye to passengers and give arrival brief. We encountered some turbulence and autopilot disengaged. I came back to COM1 and noticed we were below profile and the FO was correcting manually. Exact altitude loss unknown; recaptured profile. No word from ATC. PIREP: possible mountain wave or wake turbulence.Unknown or possible attention to aircraft trailing. Also weather could have been a factor. Suggest offsetting further from aircraft ahead? Possibly intervene sooner.
A319 Captain reported descending below the profile on descent to IAD when they encountered turbulence that may have been a wake encounter.