B737-300
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 321; Flight Crew Type 17000
Workload; Distraction; Communication Breakdown
Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure; Aircraft
PRADO7 Departure; out of ONT; has numerous multiple crossing restrictions of which we were on course to make. However; my First Officer and I were flying the departure in an older analog -300 with no autothrottles and were receiving altitude clearance limit cancellations on climbout (i.e. 'climb unrestricted to altitudes X.') When at approximately 8;000 FT and climbing; we received a clearance to climb to 14;000 FT. I tried; as the pilot not flying to delete the other altitudes in the CDU so as to prevent the aircraft from stopping at 9;000 FT but I was apparently a little too slow and the FMC commanded the plane to level at 9;000 FT. Without autothrottles; the plane grabbed the altitude and began to accelerate through 250 KTS. My First Officer who was flying immediately pulled the power back to slow the plane; but not before it had accelerated to approximately 258 KTS. I quickly finished programming the CDU; the First Officer reselected VNAV and we continued the SID in normal flight with no further problems. The older model aircraft just take more time and attention to fly with full automation with no autothrottles for thrust setting and no moving map. The GEELA Arrival into PHX is fairly workload intensive in a non-autothrottle aircraft; as are most arrivals or departures with multiple speed and altitude restrictions.I know ATC is just trying to help us out by allowing the unrestricted climbs on SIDs; but when in an older model aircraft; with numerous restrictions; I just as well stay on and fly the programmed profiles. Multiple CDU changes in short spans of time are just a pain to try to accomplish and invite programming mistakes.
[We] departed from ONT Runway 26R on the PRADO7 RNAV departure thermal transition. After the initial tight turn and climb toward PDZ VOR; we continued the climb and received a couple frequency changes. On the second frequency change and shortly before the WERLE Intersection; we were given a clearance to climb unrestricted. We were on the autopilot with LNAV and VNAV. The altitude restriction of 9;000 FT or below over WERLE was of course still in the FMC. The Captain; as pilot not flying; was working on deleting the altitude restrictions but the aircraft had already captured 9;000 FT.Therefore; the aircraft began leveling off and the speed began to increase. With all the distractions; radio changes; clearances; aircraft leveling; etc. and no autothrottles; I was slow to reduce the thrust. We subsequently exceeded 250 KTS for a few seconds. As soon as I recognized the error; I took action and reduced the thrust to control speed and took manual control of the airplane to continue the climb. When back on speed and climb I re-engaged the autopilot and MCP modes. We continued the flight without further interruption.
B737-300 flight crew experienced a speed deviation while on the ONT airport PRADO7 departure.  Captain could not reprogram the FMC quick enough from 9;000 FT to the new clearance of 14;000 FT.  Aircraft captured the 9;000 FT altitude and accelerated in the process before the crew manually pulled back thrust levers.