Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification; Human-Machine Interface; Distraction
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Aircraft; Human Factors
Event occurred on SHEAD RNAV Departure from Runway 25R at LAS. We had selected LNAV before takeoff roll and 7;000 FT selected in altitude window. Clearance limit was FL190 with all the depicted altitude restrictions. Just leaving ROPPR at 7;000 FT (Altitude Hold); Departure told us to delete the ROPPR restriction (we'd already met) and the MDDOG restriction at 9;000 FT. We deleted the MDDOG altitude on the CDU and selected FL190 in the altitude window. We then selected VNAV and VNAV speed was on the scoreboard. The next fix; TARRK; was a magenta BOLD 11;000 FT. Neither one of us caught the aircraft climb through until about 11.4K; at which time ATC asked why we weren't complying with the TAARK restriction. We descended from approximately 11.6K to 11;000 FT. Both of us didn't understand why the aircraft did not level at 11;000 FT. Again; you can't monitor enough in dynamic flight. We could have selected 11K in the altitude window; but we felt we made no system errors. [Should have had] more intensive monitoring of NAV and autopilot systems during dynamic flight by both crew members.
Do not trust the autopilot to level off as commanded. Be careful to only put the most next restrictive altitude in the MCP.
A B737-700 autopilot failed to capture the SNEAD 7 11;000 FT TARRK constraint event though it was in the FMS with FL190 in the MCP.