Narrative:

We were en route from akl to lax as air carrier a flight xb. We were using data link (cpdlc) for communication. At the same time, air carrier a flight xa was en route in the opposite direction from lax to akl. We were in tahiti airspace communicating to tahiti via cpdlc. Air carrier a xa was in oakland airspace communicating with oakland with cpdlc. Tahiti sent us a data link message to contact tahiti on an HF frequency. This did not make sense, since we were about to enter oakland fir. I checked the cpdlc log-on page to see what the 'next center' was, expecting to see oakland. Instead I saw that the next center was auckland. I realized that something was amiss. I then saw that we were logged on as air carrier a xa. I even thought our real flight number was air carrier a xb. I immediately broke link, and relogged on as air carrier a xb. It was evident that tahiti thought they were communicating with the real air carrier a xa headed south when in fact they were talking to us, air carrier a xb. I asked tahiti to confirm we were at the proper altitude. They said yes. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. For a period of time, confusion existed with tahiti as to which aircraft they were talking to via data link. Nothing serious came of the confusion. But the potential is there. Recommendation: it must be stressed that crews log-on with the proper flight number. It must also be stressed that ATC facilities do the mandatory tail number xchk when they get a log-on. A real issue is how did we get through both auckland fir and tahiti fir without either ATC doing the mandatory tail number/flight number xchk that would have shown we were logging on with an improper flight number. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this reporter participated in the structured callback questionnaire. This reporter is very comfortable using the data link system for position reporting. Reporter did not initialize the system nor check it to see if it had been set up properly. When reporter's aircraft received a message to contact new zealand control instead of ZOA, it was then he realized something was wrong. Shortly before that time he had been asleep on his rest break. As he assumed the flight control position, he acted as PF and was busy piloting the aircraft through large thunderstorms. The non-flying first officer was working with the data link, but did not have the experience with it that the reporter had. As aircraft flew farther east, they received a message indicating they were to contact new zealand control. That message did not make sense as they knew the next contact was to be ZOA. This prompted the flight crew to contact the tahiti control by HF radio to find out how this could happen. Tahiti control thought he was giving command to an air carrier flying to new zealand. All this because the tail number and flight number were in error. Reporter then investigated the data link and found the wrong flight number had been inserted into the data link. Upon landing in the states he went in detail with his company regarding why this incident happened. Reporter loves the use of the cpdlc when it is working right. He feels it is poorly trained for in-flight use, it is poorly understood among many of the pilots, and the whole program was poorly implemented when the air carrier decided to use it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B747-400 FLYING IN NTTT AIRSPACE SENDS THE WRONG FLT NUMBER IN HIS DATA LINK. NTTT FINDS 2 ACFT WITH THE SAME FLT NUMBER AND ELIMINATES ONE OF THE FLT PLANS FOR THE DUPLICATE FLT NUMBER.

Narrative: WE WERE ENRTE FROM AKL TO LAX AS ACR A FLT XB. WE WERE USING DATA LINK (CPDLC) FOR COM. AT THE SAME TIME, ACR A FLT XA WAS ENRTE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM LAX TO AKL. WE WERE IN TAHITI AIRSPACE COMMUNICATING TO TAHITI VIA CPDLC. ACR A XA WAS IN OAKLAND AIRSPACE COMMUNICATING WITH OAKLAND WITH CPDLC. TAHITI SENT US A DATA LINK MESSAGE TO CONTACT TAHITI ON AN HF FREQ. THIS DID NOT MAKE SENSE, SINCE WE WERE ABOUT TO ENTER OAKLAND FIR. I CHKED THE CPDLC LOG-ON PAGE TO SEE WHAT THE 'NEXT CTR' WAS, EXPECTING TO SEE OAKLAND. INSTEAD I SAW THAT THE NEXT CTR WAS AUCKLAND. I REALIZED THAT SOMETHING WAS AMISS. I THEN SAW THAT WE WERE LOGGED ON AS ACR A XA. I EVEN THOUGHT OUR REAL FLT NUMBER WAS ACR A XB. I IMMEDIATELY BROKE LINK, AND RELOGGED ON AS ACR A XB. IT WAS EVIDENT THAT TAHITI THOUGHT THEY WERE COMMUNICATING WITH THE REAL ACR A XA HEADED S WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE TALKING TO US, ACR A XB. I ASKED TAHITI TO CONFIRM WE WERE AT THE PROPER ALT. THEY SAID YES. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, CONFUSION EXISTED WITH TAHITI AS TO WHICH ACFT THEY WERE TALKING TO VIA DATA LINK. NOTHING SERIOUS CAME OF THE CONFUSION. BUT THE POTENTIAL IS THERE. RECOMMENDATION: IT MUST BE STRESSED THAT CREWS LOG-ON WITH THE PROPER FLT NUMBER. IT MUST ALSO BE STRESSED THAT ATC FACILITIES DO THE MANDATORY TAIL NUMBER XCHK WHEN THEY GET A LOG-ON. A REAL ISSUE IS HOW DID WE GET THROUGH BOTH AUCKLAND FIR AND TAHITI FIR WITHOUT EITHER ATC DOING THE MANDATORY TAIL NUMBER/FLT NUMBER XCHK THAT WOULD HAVE SHOWN WE WERE LOGGING ON WITH AN IMPROPER FLT NUMBER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS RPTR PARTICIPATED IN THE STRUCTURED CALLBACK QUESTIONNAIRE. THIS RPTR IS VERY COMFORTABLE USING THE DATA LINK SYS FOR POS RPTING. RPTR DID NOT INITIALIZE THE SYS NOR CHK IT TO SEE IF IT HAD BEEN SET UP PROPERLY. WHEN RPTR'S ACFT RECEIVED A MESSAGE TO CONTACT NEW ZEALAND CTL INSTEAD OF ZOA, IT WAS THEN HE REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. SHORTLY BEFORE THAT TIME HE HAD BEEN ASLEEP ON HIS REST BREAK. AS HE ASSUMED THE FLT CTL POS, HE ACTED AS PF AND WAS BUSY PILOTING THE ACFT THROUGH LARGE TSTMS. THE NON-FLYING FO WAS WORKING WITH THE DATA LINK, BUT DID NOT HAVE THE EXPERIENCE WITH IT THAT THE RPTR HAD. AS ACFT FLEW FARTHER E, THEY RECEIVED A MESSAGE INDICATING THEY WERE TO CONTACT NEW ZEALAND CTL. THAT MESSAGE DID NOT MAKE SENSE AS THEY KNEW THE NEXT CONTACT WAS TO BE ZOA. THIS PROMPTED THE FLC TO CONTACT THE TAHITI CTL BY HF RADIO TO FIND OUT HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN. TAHITI CTL THOUGHT HE WAS GIVING COMMAND TO AN ACR FLYING TO NEW ZEALAND. ALL THIS BECAUSE THE TAIL NUMBER AND FLT NUMBER WERE IN ERROR. RPTR THEN INVESTIGATED THE DATA LINK AND FOUND THE WRONG FLT NUMBER HAD BEEN INSERTED INTO THE DATA LINK. UPON LNDG IN THE STATES HE WENT IN DETAIL WITH HIS COMPANY REGARDING WHY THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED. RPTR LOVES THE USE OF THE CPDLC WHEN IT IS WORKING RIGHT. HE FEELS IT IS POORLY TRAINED FOR INFLT USE, IT IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD AMONG MANY OF THE PLTS, AND THE WHOLE PROGRAM WAS POORLY IMPLEMENTED WHEN THE ACR DECIDED TO USE IT.

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.