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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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B737-300 aircraft. When flight crew read back clearance they had read back clearance for a similar call sign. ATC didn't catch the call sign error either. As aircraft was climbing through the expected altitude, the controller intervened and flight crew leveled aircraft.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 370191 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199705 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : ztl |
| State Reference | GA |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 29000 msl bound upper : 29350 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : ztl |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B737-300 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | climbout : intermediate altitude cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 18000 flight time type : 5000 |
| ASRS Report | 370191 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 250 |
| ASRS Report | 371320 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Our call sign AB10, cruising at FL290, anticipating climb. First officer handling radio. AB20 had taxied out in front of us at clt and flying same route towards west coast. We read back clearance for AB20 to climb to FL330 and ATC accepted our readback. We started climb, maximum altitude obtained was 29350 ft when ATC advised us to maintain FL290. We descended back to FL290. Familiarity with having heard our company's call sign since taxi from the gate, coupled with a simultaneous distraction from an FMC route irregularity contributed to us accepting the wrong clearance. Electronic data link messages for climb/descent clrncs would certainly help prevent this type of error.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B737-300 ACFT. WHEN FLC READ BACK CLRNC THEY HAD READ BACK CLRNC FOR A SIMILAR CALL SIGN. ATC DIDN'T CATCH THE CALL SIGN ERROR EITHER. AS ACFT WAS CLBING THROUGH THE EXPECTED ALT, THE CTLR INTERVENED AND FLC LEVELED ACFT.
Narrative: OUR CALL SIGN AB10, CRUISING AT FL290, ANTICIPATING CLB. FO HANDLING RADIO. AB20 HAD TAXIED OUT IN FRONT OF US AT CLT AND FLYING SAME RTE TOWARDS WEST COAST. WE READ BACK CLRNC FOR AB20 TO CLB TO FL330 AND ATC ACCEPTED OUR READBACK. WE STARTED CLB, MAX ALT OBTAINED WAS 29350 FT WHEN ATC ADVISED US TO MAINTAIN FL290. WE DSNDED BACK TO FL290. FAMILIARITY WITH HAVING HEARD OUR COMPANY'S CALL SIGN SINCE TAXI FROM THE GATE, COUPLED WITH A SIMULTANEOUS DISTR FROM AN FMC RTE IRREGULARITY CONTRIBUTED TO US ACCEPTING THE WRONG CLRNC. ELECTRONIC DATA LINK MESSAGES FOR CLB/DSCNT CLRNCS WOULD CERTAINLY HELP PREVENT THIS TYPE OF ERROR.
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.