 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A320 flight crew has miscom with ATC when being vectored for river visual approach. They overshot the river then were vectored to the river and assigned the visual approach.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 375060 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199707 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : dca |
| State Reference | DC |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 5000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | Mixed |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : dca artcc : zau |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | A320 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Route In Use | approach : visual enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 140 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 700 |
| ASRS Report | 375060 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | other controllera other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
On approach to dca, we were being vectored around thunderstorms for a river visual to runway 18. Approach control was very busy due heavy friday evening traffic that was backed up due to thunderstorms in the area. At approximately 10 mi north of the airport the controller asked us if we had the river in sight. We responded that we did and he must have cleared us for the river visual but we neither heard nor acknowledged this clearance. The frequency congestion was so bad we could not get a word in to ask him about a clearance and we flew beyond the river. At this point he asked us if we were following the river and we said we were turning back and he cleared us for the approach and to contact dca tower. When we talked to tower he told us to turn immediately to get back over the river, which we did. At this point we were high on the approach and had to descend at a higher than normal descent rate to get down. We stopped on the runway and made the normal turn off. The situation was compounded by the fact that we had a low fuel state and thunderstorms were moving in from the south which shut down the airport shortly after we landed.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A320 FLC HAS MISCOM WITH ATC WHEN BEING VECTORED FOR RIVER VISUAL APCH. THEY OVERSHOT THE RIVER THEN WERE VECTORED TO THE RIVER AND ASSIGNED THE VISUAL APCH.
Narrative: ON APCH TO DCA, WE WERE BEING VECTORED AROUND TSTMS FOR A RIVER VISUAL TO RWY 18. APCH CTL WAS VERY BUSY DUE HVY FRIDAY EVENING TFC THAT WAS BACKED UP DUE TO TSTMS IN THE AREA. AT APPROX 10 MI N OF THE ARPT THE CTLR ASKED US IF WE HAD THE RIVER IN SIGHT. WE RESPONDED THAT WE DID AND HE MUST HAVE CLRED US FOR THE RIVER VISUAL BUT WE NEITHER HEARD NOR ACKNOWLEDGED THIS CLRNC. THE FREQ CONGESTION WAS SO BAD WE COULD NOT GET A WORD IN TO ASK HIM ABOUT A CLRNC AND WE FLEW BEYOND THE RIVER. AT THIS POINT HE ASKED US IF WE WERE FOLLOWING THE RIVER AND WE SAID WE WERE TURNING BACK AND HE CLRED US FOR THE APCH AND TO CONTACT DCA TWR. WHEN WE TALKED TO TWR HE TOLD US TO TURN IMMEDIATELY TO GET BACK OVER THE RIVER, WHICH WE DID. AT THIS POINT WE WERE HIGH ON THE APCH AND HAD TO DSND AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL DSCNT RATE TO GET DOWN. WE STOPPED ON THE RWY AND MADE THE NORMAL TURN OFF. THE SIT WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE FACT THAT WE HAD A LOW FUEL STATE AND TSTMS WERE MOVING IN FROM THE S WHICH SHUT DOWN THE ARPT SHORTLY AFTER WE LANDED.
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.