Poor sector coordination, clearance confusion, altitude deviation.

Attributes
ACN	223307
Time
Date	199209
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : hyk
State Reference	KY
Altitude	msl bound lower : 27700 msl bound upper : 28000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zid
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	cruise other descent other
Route In Use	arrival other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : flight engineer
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 4600 flight time type : 1460
ASRS Report	223307
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Operational Deviation Intra Facility Coordination Failure

Narrative:

While descending from cruise altitude, received clearance from ZID to FL240. Read back clearance to descend to FL240. Also received clearance to fly to groat intersection instead of dreft as originally filed on the geetr 1 arrival into bna. This was also read back accordingly. Then handed off to another indianapolis controller. I told controller altitude out of, and descending to FL240. He then questioned our heading and I confirmed the heading direct groat intersection. While descending through FL280 for FL240 at 27700 the controller asked our altitude. I confirmed 27500 descending to FL240. The controller then told us we were supposed to level at FL280 and to climb back up. The captain automatically climbed to FL280. The controller had traffic pass behind us and I read back that we had heard and read back descend to FL240 from other controller. I had also read this back to this controller when checking in. We subsequently received clearance to FL240. The controller sounded apologetic and handed us off to another controller. I suspect the 1ST controller and 2ND controller did not communicate our altitude and intersection clrncs to each other properly, causing our flight path to be different from originally filed and to what 2ND controller was expecting.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POOR SECTOR COORD, CLRNC CONFUSION, ALTDEV.

Narrative: WHILE DSNDING FROM CRUISE ALT, RECEIVED CLRNC FROM ZID TO FL240. READ BACK CLRNC TO DSND TO FL240. ALSO RECEIVED CLRNC TO FLY TO GROAT INTXN INSTEAD OF DREFT AS ORIGINALLY FILED ON THE GEETR 1 ARR INTO BNA. THIS WAS ALSO READ BACK ACCORDINGLY. THEN HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER INDIANAPOLIS CTLR. I TOLD CTLR ALT OUT OF, AND DSNDING TO FL240. HE THEN QUESTIONED OUR HDG AND I CONFIRMED THE HDG DIRECT GROAT INTXN. WHILE DSNDING THROUGH FL280 FOR FL240 AT 27700 THE CTLR ASKED OUR ALT. I CONFIRMED 27500 DSNDING TO FL240. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEVEL AT FL280 AND TO CLB BACK UP. THE CAPT AUTOMATICALLY CLBED TO FL280. THE CTLR HAD TFC PASS BEHIND US AND I READ BACK THAT WE HAD HEARD AND READ BACK DSND TO FL240 FROM OTHER CTLR. I HAD ALSO READ THIS BACK TO THIS CTLR WHEN CHKING IN. WE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED CLRNC TO FL240. THE CTLR SOUNDED APOLOGETIC AND HANDED US OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR. I SUSPECT THE 1ST CTLR AND 2ND CTLR DID NOT COMMUNICATE OUR ALT AND INTXN CLRNCS TO EACH OTHER PROPERLY, CAUSING OUR FLT PATH TO BE DIFFERENT FROM ORIGINALLY FILED AND TO WHAT 2ND CTLR WAS EXPECTING.

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.