Narrative:

After an engine was shut down due to an engine low pressure light, we declared an emergency and requested the emergency equipment to stand by for landing at vcp. Curitiba center had difficulty understanding our request due to the language barrier between us. In addition he did not realize that we were declaring an emergency. He asked us if it was a red, yellow, or green emergency. We did not know what this meant. This resulted in my decision to dump fuel without notifying ATC. I also failed to set the transponder to 7700. Not being able to communicate adequately with ATC greatly increased our workload. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this reporter expresses concern primarily over the fact that the curitiba center controller did not understand the meaning of the word 'emergency.' this captain stated 'emergency' many times and it was not until another air carrier interrupted the communications, about 5 mins after the first emergency declaration, that this reporter's words were translated into portuguese for the controller. It was then that the controller asked if this was a 'red, green, or yellow' emergency. Reporter replied, 'red,' as he believes that anyone would. Reporter stated that in all of the confusion, he had decided to begin fuel dumping in preparation to return and land. When communication was established through the help of the other flight crew, he felt uncomfortable, then, about stating that he was dumping fuel after the fact. He originally thought that the delay in the clearance to return was a result of coordination problems between the different controllers. The various sectors are: ground up through 6000 ft (viracopos airport), 7000 ft through 140000 ft is sao paulo airspace, and 15000 ft and upwards, belongs to curitiba center. He now believes that the problem was purely related to the controller's failure to understand 'emergency.' the reporter's aircraft was at 15000 ft at the time that the flight crew received the low oil pressure bypass indication and the #2 engine had been shut down in response. The reporter states that the indication was caused by the faulty switch and filter combination that was installed. The company had received a bad batch of parts which was discovered after other similar incidents on the same type aircraft. (The filter was only to go down to 40 microns, but the one installed screened down to 15 microns.) in hindsight, the captain states that he should have communicated the fuel dumping to ATC and set 7700 in the transponder. He also might have tried 'mayday' and 'pan.' reporter has questioned his own actions in this emergency -- he states that everything was so confusing as a result of the conversation that transpired. This reporter never discussed the incident further after landing, because he did not want to 'stir the pot.' this captain believes that when english is a language primarily used by the operators in the area, it is imperative that the controllers at least be able to clearly speak and understand the ICAO glossary (pilot and controller) of approximately 300 words. Reporter has filed a mechanical interruption report with the company and has not yet received any response.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING THE DEP CLB, A B727 FLC RECEIVED AN ENG OIL PRESSURE BYPASS LIGHT. THEY PERFORMED A PRECAUTIONARY ENG SHUTDOWN AND NEEDED TO RETURN AND LAND AT THE CAMPINAS ARPT, IN BRAZIL. THE CAPT STATED 'EMER' SEVERAL TIMES, BUT WAS NOT GIVEN A CLRNC TO RETURN LAND. WHEN ANOTHER ACR FLC BEGAN TRANSLATING THE RPTR'S WORDS, IT WAS RECOGNIZED THAT THE CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'EMER.'

Narrative: AFTER AN ENG WAS SHUT DOWN DUE TO AN ENG LOW PRESSURE LIGHT, WE DECLARED AN EMER AND REQUESTED THE EMER EQUIP TO STAND BY FOR LNDG AT VCP. CURITIBA CTR HAD DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING OUR REQUEST DUE TO THE LANGUAGE BARRIER BTWN US. IN ADDITION HE DID NOT REALIZE THAT WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER. HE ASKED US IF IT WAS A RED, YELLOW, OR GREEN EMER. WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANT. THIS RESULTED IN MY DECISION TO DUMP FUEL WITHOUT NOTIFYING ATC. I ALSO FAILED TO SET THE XPONDER TO 7700. NOT BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE ADEQUATELY WITH ATC GREATLY INCREASED OUR WORKLOAD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS RPTR EXPRESSES CONCERN PRIMARILY OVER THE FACT THAT THE CURITIBA CTR CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'EMER.' THIS CAPT STATED 'EMER' MANY TIMES AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL ANOTHER ACR INTERRUPTED THE COMS, ABOUT 5 MINS AFTER THE FIRST EMER DECLARATION, THAT THIS RPTR'S WORDS WERE TRANSLATED INTO PORTUGUESE FOR THE CTLR. IT WAS THEN THAT THE CTLR ASKED IF THIS WAS A 'RED, GREEN, OR YELLOW' EMER. RPTR REPLIED, 'RED,' AS HE BELIEVES THAT ANYONE WOULD. RPTR STATED THAT IN ALL OF THE CONFUSION, HE HAD DECIDED TO BEGIN FUEL DUMPING IN PREPARATION TO RETURN AND LAND. WHEN COM WAS ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE HELP OF THE OTHER FLC, HE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE, THEN, ABOUT STATING THAT HE WAS DUMPING FUEL AFTER THE FACT. HE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THAT THE DELAY IN THE CLRNC TO RETURN WAS A RESULT OF COORD PROBS BTWN THE DIFFERENT CTLRS. THE VARIOUS SECTORS ARE: GND UP THROUGH 6000 FT (VIRACOPOS ARPT), 7000 FT THROUGH 140000 FT IS SAO PAULO AIRSPACE, AND 15000 FT AND UPWARDS, BELONGS TO CURITIBA CTR. HE NOW BELIEVES THAT THE PROB WAS PURELY RELATED TO THE CTLR'S FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND 'EMER.' THE RPTR'S ACFT WAS AT 15000 FT AT THE TIME THAT THE FLC RECEIVED THE LOW OIL PRESSURE BYPASS INDICATION AND THE #2 ENG HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN IN RESPONSE. THE RPTR STATES THAT THE INDICATION WAS CAUSED BY THE FAULTY SWITCH AND FILTER COMBINATION THAT WAS INSTALLED. THE COMPANY HAD RECEIVED A BAD BATCH OF PARTS WHICH WAS DISCOVERED AFTER OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON THE SAME TYPE ACFT. (THE FILTER WAS ONLY TO GO DOWN TO 40 MICRONS, BUT THE ONE INSTALLED SCREENED DOWN TO 15 MICRONS.) IN HINDSIGHT, THE CAPT STATES THAT HE SHOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED THE FUEL DUMPING TO ATC AND SET 7700 IN THE XPONDER. HE ALSO MIGHT HAVE TRIED 'MAYDAY' AND 'PAN.' RPTR HAS QUESTIONED HIS OWN ACTIONS IN THIS EMER -- HE STATES THAT EVERYTHING WAS SO CONFUSING AS A RESULT OF THE CONVERSATION THAT TRANSPIRED. THIS RPTR NEVER DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT FURTHER AFTER LNDG, BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT TO 'STIR THE POT.' THIS CAPT BELIEVES THAT WHEN ENGLISH IS A LANGUAGE PRIMARILY USED BY THE OPERATORS IN THE AREA, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE CTLRS AT LEAST BE ABLE TO CLRLY SPEAK AND UNDERSTAND THE ICAO GLOSSARY (PLT AND CTLR) OF APPROX 300 WORDS. RPTR HAS FILED A MECHANICAL INTERRUPTION RPT WITH THE COMPANY AND HAS NOT YET RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE.

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.