B737-800
Communication Breakdown; Distraction; Situational Awareness
Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors
We were vectored off of HILEY 4 Arrival for the LOC/DME 26R MIA. We had received numerous speed and altitude changes for B757 wake separation. [First we were] cleared to 4;000; slowed to 180 KTS. Next clearance was to cross HINKU at 3;000; cleared for LOC/DME 26R. After setting minimums in the MCP Altitude window and engaging LNAV/VNAV and [being] simultaneously slowed to 160 KTS for wake separation I; as pilot not flying; and the Captain; as pilot flying; went heads up visual on the B757 and the airport and did not verify that VNAV PATH ever captured resulting in a low altitude crossing at HINKU. The aircraft had remained in an MCP descent mode. We caught it at 2600 MSL and the Captain corrected.
A B737-800 flight crew; being given vectors and spacing altitude and airspeed clearances with respect to a B757 ahead of them; failed to insure VNAV mode was active after being cleared to maintain 3;000 until HINKU; cleared for the LOC DME Runway 26R approach to MIA. As a result they continued in an unspecified MCP descent mode to 2;600 prior to HINKU. A contributing factor was the setting of the MDA in the MCP altitude window prior to insuring VNAV was active.