Date: 201409
Location: DFW.Airport, US
Reporter organization: Corporate
Reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Human factors: Other / Unknown; Confusion
Second reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Anomaly: Deviation - Altitude Undershoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Chart Or Publication; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Prior to taxi we were cleared to climb via the BLECO 6 RNAV SID and loaded the procedure into our FMS.  Our crew briefing was simply to state that we had just flown the SID on a recent prior flight that and it would be the same.  On the prior flight we had been cleared to climb via the SID except to maintain 5000 and then we were cleared to 17000.  Today upon initial contact with departure control I reported climbing via the SID to 5000 feet. We then climbed so as to make the 5000 ft or above restriction at YAMEL and began to level off at 5000. Passing YAMEL I called 'check altitude' because I though we might be drifting higher.  The captain acknowledged the call and maintained 5000. I then referred to the SID chart to make sure we were in altitude compliance and was about to note that we should be climbing to 10;000 feet when departure control asked if we were climbing to 10;000 ft. I responded that we were at 5000 feet and would climb to 10;000 ft.  The controller then admonished us that all tops of DFW SIDs are 10;000 feet and that 10;000 feet is what we should have been continuing to climb to.  We continued the climb and having been cleared higher than 10;000 feet we were higher than 10;000 feet prior to the end of the SID. Then prior to reaching end of SID we were cleared direct to HUSKA. There were no traffic conflicts involved in this event. Though I studied the chart prior to engine start; even knowing that the top altitude is not depicted on the chart but rather is stated textually I missed reviewing the top altitude value.  Contributing to this is the fact that the top altitude value as stated on Jeppessen charts is not located in an intuitive location on the chart.  Top altitude is listed in the fine print at the bottom of the chart.  Also contributing was a fresh experience with confusion from the fact that flying the inbound STAR a few minutes earlier we had been issued a completely different transition half way through the original transition along with multiple other changes and exceptions to the STAR. A more complete review of the SID along with a more complete crew briefing and refraining from referring to the clearance on a prior flight would have precluded the mixup and avoided the short level off at 5000 feet.


Second narrative: Prior to taxi we were cleared to climb via the BLECO 6 RNAV SID and loaded the procedure into our FMS. Our crew briefing was simply to state that we had just flown the SID on a recent prior flight that and it would be the same. On the prior flight we had been cleared to climb via the SID except to maintain 5000 and then shortly after takeoff we were cleared to 17000. Today upon initial contact with departure control the FO reported climbing via the SID to 5000 feet. We then climbed so as to make the 5000 feet at or above restriction at YAMEL and began to level off at 5000. The FO then referred to the SID chart to make sure we were in altitude compliance and was about to note that we should be climbing to 10;000 feet when departure control asked if we were climbing to 10;000 ft. I responded that we were at 5000 feet and would climb to 10;000 ft. The controller then admonished us that all tops of DFW SIDs are 10;000 feet and that 10;000 feet is what we should have been continuing to climb to. We continued the climb and having been cleared higher than 10;000 feet we were higher than 10;000 feet prior to BLECO intersection. Then prior to reaching end of SID we were cleared direct to HUSKA. There were no traffic conflicts involved in this event.


Synopsis: BE400 Flight Crew reports not noting the altitude limit of 10000 feet on the BLECO 6 RNAV departure from DFW; which is located in the routing box at the bottom of the chart. The crew levels at YAMEL at 5000 feet and is admonished by ATC.