Date: 202103
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ASE.Airport, CO
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: 10
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Taxi
Operating under: Part 135
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Descent
Airspace: Class E ZDV
ATC / advisory: Tower ASE
Reporter organization: Air Taxi
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Situational Awareness; Distraction; Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Detector: Automation Air Traffic Control; Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: We had a charter flight to ASE. The passengers wanted to go to Aspen but the weather and winds prohibited us from going there. We filed a flight plan to RIL and proceeded. I was the flying pilot. About 30 minutes away we saw the weather in ASE had improved so that we could get in and out. We called ATC and let them know we wanted to make the change. We changed the destination in the FMS and started the new routing to ASE. At one point we had trouble loading the approach into the FMS and I allowed myself to get involved in fixing the FMS. We were given a descent to 13;000; but 12;000 got set in the altitude selector. We were in visual conditions and were looking for the field. passing 12;600 we were told by ATC that we needed to climb to 13;000 as the MSA in our area was 13;000. I began a climb back up When ATC call back and said climb now low altitude alert. While climbing We immediately called the field in sight and were given a clearance for a visual approach. The approach was stable and we landed without incident. As we were taxing in we were given a phone number to contact for a possible deviation. I called the Tower and gave them my name certificate number and contact phone number for their paperwork. I believe that being the flying pilot and allowing myself to get involved in an FMS issue distracted me from catching the wrong altitude being set in the altitude selector. Following company procedures of flying the aircraft while letting the non-flying pilot program the FMS would have allowed me to recognize the altitude error and correct it.


Second narrative: We were filled into RIL airport but passengers wanted to get into ASE. The weather cleared out of Aspen so we changed flight plan to arrive into ASE. We were cleared to ASE airport and getting set up for the LOC DME E. While being vectored for the visual approach and watching the weather in the area; we descended below MSA close to JARGU by 300 feet. ATC informed us. We were in VMC conditions and saw airport but descended before calling airport in sight and before being cleared for the visual approach. We should have followed altitudes on the LOC DME E. We rushed ourselves because it was getting late and we wanted to get in and back out of Aspen before sunset. Resolved by getting back to altitude and calling airport in sight and cleared for the visual.


Synopsis: Air Taxi flight crew reported becoming distracted and causing an altitude deviation during approach to ASE airport.