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Air carrier flight crew creates an altitude excursion as they misinterp aircraft call sign and accept clearance intended for another air carrier flight with similar sounding a/north.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 131720 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198912 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : buf |
| State Reference | NY |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 11000 msl bound upper : 22000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zny |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng |
| Navigation In Use | Other |
| Flight Phase | descent other |
| Route In Use | arrival other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 255 flight time total : 8100 flight time type : 4000 |
| ASRS Report | 131720 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | atc equipment other atc equipment : unspecified other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Ambiguous |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other other |
Narrative:
100 NM southeast of bur received clearance 'air carrier X18 descent to 11000, pilot's discretion.' captain read 'air carrier X18, descend to 11000, pilot's discretion.' at 65 NM southeast of buf I began descent, leaving FL220 for 11000'. Controller said that clearance was for air carrier Y18. Captain again said to controller that we had acknowledged the clearance 'pilot's discretion to 11000 for air carrier X18.' controller said to continue to 11000' because he had coordinated this was ZOB previously. Maybe he should have advised us of an air carrier Y18 that he was also controling on another frequency. He was working more than 1 frequency.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ACR FLT CREW CREATES AN ALT EXCURSION AS THEY MISINTERP ACFT CALL SIGN AND ACCEPT CLRNC INTENDED FOR ANOTHER ACR FLT WITH SIMILAR SOUNDING A/N.
Narrative: 100 NM SE OF BUR RECEIVED CLRNC 'ACR X18 DSCNT TO 11000, PLT'S DISCRETION.' CAPT READ 'ACR X18, DSND TO 11000, PLT'S DISCRETION.' AT 65 NM SE OF BUF I BEGAN DSCNT, LEAVING FL220 FOR 11000'. CTLR SAID THAT CLRNC WAS FOR ACR Y18. CAPT AGAIN SAID TO CTLR THAT WE HAD ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC 'PLT'S DISCRETION TO 11000 FOR ACR X18.' CTLR SAID TO CONTINUE TO 11000' BECAUSE HE HAD COORDINATED THIS WAS ZOB PREVIOUSLY. MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE ADVISED US OF AN ACR Y18 THAT HE WAS ALSO CTLING ON ANOTHER FREQ. HE WAS WORKING MORE THAN 1 FREQ.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.