Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure
We were filed and cleared to fly the LECTR1 arrival into DTW. During planning and preparation for the arrival in the cruise phase of flight; current DTW ATIS indicated the airport was in a southerly flow. The LECTR1 arrival; as stated on the procedure; is clearly intended for use during northerly flowing operations at DTW. Realizing that we would need to be assigned a different arrival at some point in this flight and desiring to receive that new assignment sooner rather than later; we queried Indy Center. Indy Center's told us to make our request with the next Center. After subsequent handoff; we made the same query of Chicago Center who responded with an identical response. This was dismaying as we were only 5 minutes from beginning this arrival [at] WWODD. This meant we would receive our new arrival clearance while already flying a different arrival. This is not an impossible task; but definitely undesirable because it does not allow for proper study; planning and FMS entry in the relative calmness of cruise flight. We were handed off to Cleveland Center as we approached CLRIC on the arrival. Upon check-in with Cleveland Center; we were given 'Direct CLRIC; after CLRIC cleared the HANBL1 arrival'. The aircraft initiated a descent to meet the altitude and speed restraints at CLRIC between FL230 and 17;000 [feet] at 280 knots as the Pilot Monitoring entered the new arrival in the FMS. A review of the new arrival; with all of its waypoints; altitudes and speed constraints; was begun by the Pilot Monitoring as the Pilot Flying was now restricted to only monitoring aircraft position in the descent. Very soon after; the Pilot Monitoring noted a discrepancy in altitude constraint at CLRIC between the previously cleared and newly assigned arrival procedures. In fact; the new altitude constraints at CLRIC are between FL230 and FL200. Upon discovery; the Pilot Monitoring immediately called for a halt to the descent as the aircraft was passing FL200. The Pilot Monitoring responded to arrest the descent at which time the Pilot Monitoring noted the bottom constraint at CLRIC; as indicated on the arrival chart; was now FL200. A climb was initiated back up to FL200 and CLRIC was crossed at FL200. The lowest flight level noted was FL195. After that event; the remainder of the arrival review commenced and another discrepancy was noted. For reasons unknown; the waypoint immediately following CLRIC; SHANX; was not in the FMS. By the time this was noted; the aircraft position was already beyond abeam SHANX. ATC made no comments or inquiries. We proceeded to HANBL and flew the remainder of the arrival without further incident.This is clearly the result of ATC policy to amend clearances at such a late stage forcing the crew to scramble to input new procedures; review the new procedures and confirm the new procedures are accurately depicted in the FMS. After landing and in discussion with another crew who had flown this arrival at least twice the same week; [they] stated they too received the late clearance change just as we had. Despite this small sample size; the evidence indicates this is common; if not standard; procedure for ATC. This is BAD!!! ATC must not do this to crews. We saw this arrival change coming hundreds of miles prior; made our queries to ATC along the way to prevent such an unsafe situation and yet we were unable to get an amended clearance until we had already started down on our cleared arrival. If the arrival begins in Chicago Center airspace; then Chicago Center should have the authority to issue the amended clearance in order to provide the crew with sufficient time to safely plan; analyze; review and input the new procedures.
Air carrier flight crew requested new STAR prior to TOD; but multiple Centers failed to issue new STAR. When issued; there was insufficient time to brief and load; leading to an overflown crossing altitude.