Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 189
Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Airport; Airspace Structure; Procedure
On arrival into the Chicago area via the FISSK 3; ATC told us to expect radar vectors for the RNAV Y to 13C. ATC eventually descended us to 3;000 feet before handing us off to the Final Controller. 3;000 feet is below the mandatory altitude of 4;000 feet at OOPLA. Approaching TINLY; we were cleared the RNAV Y 13C. Inside of TINLY; ATC asked if we needed to climb to meet the 4;000 feet 'mandatory' altitude at OOPLA. They indicated they weren't sure either as this was a non-normal approach for MDW. We were VMC; close to OOPLA; and declined. We continued to fly the track and intercepted the profile to an uneventful landing. We complied with all ATC's instructions on the arrival. In order for the RNAV approaches to work as advertised; ATC; the aircraft; and the Crew need to be on the same sheet of music; IMC or VMC. Any deviations from the script to accommodate traffic flow can cause potential issues.
[Report narrative contained no additional information].
A flight crew flying the MDW RNAV (RNP) RWY 13C were previously cleared to 3;000 feet on the FISSK 3 RNAV Arrival which put them below the mandatory 4;000 feet at OOPLA on the approach.