B737-700
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 88; Flight Crew Type 1100
Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Workload; Communication Breakdown
Deviation - Speed All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Aircraft Automation Overrode Flight Crew; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Aircraft; Chart Or Publication; Procedure
While descending into DEN on the JAGGR2 RNAV Arrival; we exceeded the published airspeed and possibly the altitude between DANDD and HARUM. Prior to DANDD; we were unsure which runway assignment we would get for landing. Approach told us to expect the visual to Runway 16L. My Captain; the pilot not flying; requested the RNP to 16L. After a pause; Approach said we could have the visual to 16L or due to traffic we would have to use the RNP to 17R. I thought my Captain agreed to use 16L. The FMC was programmed earlier to back up the visual with the ILS to 16L. I did not realize for a short time that my Captain still wanted and was planning on the RNP to 17R. When I became aware that we were going to do the RNP to 17R; I put my head down and started looking for the proper approach plate. My Captain began changing the approach in the FMC. While my attention was diverted; whatever my Captain did caused all the speeds and crossing restrictions on the arrival to drop out of the FMC and the aircraft autopilot went into CWS and came out of VNAV. By the time we got everything restored; Approach was questioning us about our high airspeed. I am not sure if we complied with all the crossing restrictions or not. Approach never questioned our altitude. We were both confused about what happened. There was a breakdown in crew communication. My Captain's heavy foreign accent made communication challenging for the entire trip. I do not believe this breakdown would have occurred if he did not have the accent. The problem came in a chain of events which built upon each other. Accepting the runway that was already programmed in the FMC would have been the easiest way to break the chain and prevent all the problems that occurred. Although requesting a different runway and approach isn't wrong; the decision started to take us out of the Green and into the Yellow. Not understanding what my Captain wanted moved us further into the Yellow. We both diverted our attention to try to prepare for the approach and moved even further away from the Green. With a strong accent combined with a loud environment; my Captain needs to be extra careful to communicate his intentions. We should have used better CRM and made sure that both of us were not heads down at the same time.
A B737-700 crew flying the JAGGR 2 RNAV expected a Runway 16L visual but ATC assigned Runway 17L RNP and while the Captain was programming the FMC; all speeds and crossing restrictions dropped. The aircraft transitioned to CWS; out of VNAV and accelerated above the Arrival speed constraints.