Narrative:

On IFR flight plan from spa to cmh was a planned fuel stop on trip to dtw. Because of less than normal headwinds, we could see 30 mins before scheduled landing at cmh that we would have plenty of fuel to continue nonstop to dtw. At that time I called 'indy center, our fuel is looking real good, so we are requesting direct dtw, provided there are no major delays expected. Could you check that for us?' after a while indy center came back with 'cleared direct dtw.' we continued towards dtw and nothing was said out of the ordinary. However, upon contacting dtw approach, they came back with something like 'because of your emergency/priority fuel status, do you want runway 3R or 27?' (traffic was using runway 21). At this point we told approach that we did not have any kind of fuel emergency. The only thing we had asked for was the center to check to see of any major delays were to be expected into dtw. We followed normal traffic flow into dtw. Talking to dtw tower on the ground and by phone, it seems that the center told them not to give us any turns on the way in. The tower did not know if my explanation of what had been said and that it must have been a total misunderstanding on the center's part would clear the matter up. They had not given us any priority handling, but did not know what the ctrs (indy and cleveland) had done. We landed at dtw with one and a half hours worth of fuel left. We knew we would have enough (legal fuel plus 20 mins) even if we had to fly the arrival route, which we hoped we would not have to do at that time of the night, provided there would be no major delays.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMS MISUNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ARTCC AND TRACON ABOUT CPR SMT FUEL STATE.

Narrative: ON IFR FLT PLAN FROM SPA TO CMH WAS A PLANNED FUEL STOP ON TRIP TO DTW. BECAUSE OF LESS THAN NORMAL HEADWINDS, WE COULD SEE 30 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULED LNDG AT CMH THAT WE WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF FUEL TO CONTINUE NONSTOP TO DTW. AT THAT TIME I CALLED 'INDY CTR, OUR FUEL IS LOOKING REAL GOOD, SO WE ARE REQUESTING DIRECT DTW, PROVIDED THERE ARE NO MAJOR DELAYS EXPECTED. COULD YOU CHK THAT FOR US?' AFTER A WHILE INDY CTR CAME BACK WITH 'CLRED DIRECT DTW.' WE CONTINUED TOWARDS DTW AND NOTHING WAS SAID OUT OF THE ORDINARY. HOWEVER, UPON CONTACTING DTW APCH, THEY CAME BACK WITH SOMETHING LIKE 'BECAUSE OF YOUR EMER/PRIORITY FUEL STATUS, DO YOU WANT RWY 3R OR 27?' (TFC WAS USING RWY 21). AT THIS POINT WE TOLD APCH THAT WE DID NOT HAVE ANY KIND OF FUEL EMER. THE ONLY THING WE HAD ASKED FOR WAS THE CTR TO CHK TO SEE OF ANY MAJOR DELAYS WERE TO BE EXPECTED INTO DTW. WE FOLLOWED NORMAL TFC FLOW INTO DTW. TALKING TO DTW TWR ON THE GND AND BY PHONE, IT SEEMS THAT THE CTR TOLD THEM NOT TO GIVE US ANY TURNS ON THE WAY IN. THE TWR DID NOT KNOW IF MY EXPLANATION OF WHAT HAD BEEN SAID AND THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN A TOTAL MISUNDERSTANDING ON THE CTR'S PART WOULD CLR THE MATTER UP. THEY HAD NOT GIVEN US ANY PRIORITY HANDLING, BUT DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE CTRS (INDY AND CLEVELAND) HAD DONE. WE LANDED AT DTW WITH ONE AND A HALF HRS WORTH OF FUEL LEFT. WE KNEW WE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH (LEGAL FUEL PLUS 20 MINS) EVEN IF WE HAD TO FLY THE ARR RTE, WHICH WE HOPED WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO DO AT THAT TIME OF THE NIGHT, PROVIDED THERE WOULD BE NO MAJOR DELAYS.

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.