Narrative:

I was the PF this leg and the first officer was handling the communications. We had just left the olympia VOR on the 019 degree right of the malay 1 arrival to seattle. We were level at 10000' MSL. Both the first officer and I thought we heard seattle approach call us and tell us to descend to 7000'. The first officer acknowledged company identification leaving 10000' for 7000'. Passing through 7500', approach asks us what we were doing at that altitude. The first officer responded that that was the altitude assigned to us. The controller said he didn't remember assigning us that altitude but to stay there since we were there. Upon reaching the ground, I called the TRACON to see what the problem was. The manager said after listening to the tapes that we had accepted someone elses clearance and the controller had failed to catch it. Although they were filing a mutual violation report, he thought the controller would be the only one getting the violation. I seriously believe that the seattle area is an accident waiting to happen. The traffic is increasing and the controllers don't seem to be handling it well. I realize it doesn't help when we think we hear our callsign when it wasn't called. But this is not an isolated incident for me. I constantly have problems getting ATC to respond to my first calls. I've had ATC assign wrong runways and then take it back to cover themselves; I've seen ATC frantically call someone else to expedite a climb and not get an answer because he was actually calling us by the wrong callsign. In addition, I've seen sarcasm and rudeness from the controllers like I've never seen before. All of this is pretty much isolated to the seattle and I-5 corridor. I can't believe I'm the only one experiencing these problems. Perhaps there is a manpwr shortage since I often hear ATC working more than one sector at a time. That particular scenario doesn't do anybody any good particularly when the pilots only hear one side of a conversation. That was also the case in our problem. We didn't hear the other aircraft acknowledge 7000' before we acknowledged it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER SMT ALT DEVIATION EXCURSION FROM CLRNC ALT IN RESPONSE TO WRONG CALLSIGN.

Narrative: I WAS THE PF THIS LEG AND THE F/O WAS HANDLING THE COMS. WE HAD JUST LEFT THE OLYMPIA VOR ON THE 019 DEG R OF THE MALAY 1 ARR TO SEATTLE. WE WERE LEVEL AT 10000' MSL. BOTH THE F/O AND I THOUGHT WE HEARD SEATTLE APCH CALL US AND TELL US TO DSND TO 7000'. THE F/O ACKNOWLEDGED COMPANY ID LEAVING 10000' FOR 7000'. PASSING THROUGH 7500', APCH ASKS US WHAT WE WERE DOING AT THAT ALT. THE F/O RESPONDED THAT THAT WAS THE ALT ASSIGNED TO US. THE CTLR SAID HE DIDN'T REMEMBER ASSIGNING US THAT ALT BUT TO STAY THERE SINCE WE WERE THERE. UPON REACHING THE GND, I CALLED THE TRACON TO SEE WHAT THE PROB WAS. THE MGR SAID AFTER LISTENING TO THE TAPES THAT WE HAD ACCEPTED SOMEONE ELSES CLRNC AND THE CTLR HAD FAILED TO CATCH IT. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE FILING A MUTUAL VIOLATION RPT, HE THOUGHT THE CTLR WOULD BE THE ONLY ONE GETTING THE VIOLATION. I SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THAT THE SEATTLE AREA IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THE TFC IS INCREASING AND THE CTLRS DON'T SEEM TO BE HANDLING IT WELL. I REALIZE IT DOESN'T HELP WHEN WE THINK WE HEAR OUR CALLSIGN WHEN IT WASN'T CALLED. BUT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT FOR ME. I CONSTANTLY HAVE PROBS GETTING ATC TO RESPOND TO MY FIRST CALLS. I'VE HAD ATC ASSIGN WRONG RWYS AND THEN TAKE IT BACK TO COVER THEMSELVES; I'VE SEEN ATC FRANTICALLY CALL SOMEONE ELSE TO EXPEDITE A CLB AND NOT GET AN ANSWER BECAUSE HE WAS ACTUALLY CALLING US BY THE WRONG CALLSIGN. IN ADDITION, I'VE SEEN SARCASM AND RUDENESS FROM THE CTLRS LIKE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. ALL OF THIS IS PRETTY MUCH ISOLATED TO THE SEATTLE AND I-5 CORRIDOR. I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THESE PROBS. PERHAPS THERE IS A MANPWR SHORTAGE SINCE I OFTEN HEAR ATC WORKING MORE THAN ONE SECTOR AT A TIME. THAT PARTICULAR SCENARIO DOESN'T DO ANYBODY ANY GOOD PARTICULARLY WHEN THE PLTS ONLY HEAR ONE SIDE OF A CONVERSATION. THAT WAS ALSO THE CASE IN OUR PROB. WE DIDN'T HEAR THE OTHER ACFT ACKNOWLEDGE 7000' BEFORE WE ACKNOWLEDGED IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.