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Flight crew of a B727-200 accepted another aircraft's clearance and climbed to that altitude. ARTCC radar controller intervened and advised that they had not been cleared to the altitude to which they were at and then cleared them to a higher altitude.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 421629 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199812 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : len |
| State Reference | FO |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 21000 msl bound upper : 22000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dawn |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 140 flight time total : 3900 flight time type : 1300 |
| ASRS Report | 421629 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
During a flight from leon, mexico, to laredo, tx. We either misheard a mexican controller or controller issued a climb clearance which she later questioned. I was flying the plane and captain was handling the radios with myself and the flight engineer monitoring. Our flight was being step-climbed to our flight planned altitude and we were currently at FL210. The controller working on our particular sector was switching back and forth between english with a heavy accent and spanish. At one point, she mentioned our call sign and said something unintelligible, followed by 'maintain two-two-zero.' we interpreted this to mean climb to FL220. Captain read back to the controller the new clearance, 'climb to FL220 air carrier X.' I confirmed clearance with captain on the altitude alerter and commenced a climb to FL220. Several mins later she queried us as to our altitude. We informed her we were at FL220 per her clearance. She told us she had not cleared us to that altitude. She then told us to climb to another altitude. We confirmed and executed this clearance. The important information leading to this altitude deviation was the confusion resulting from controller switching languages in her xmissions and the fact she definitely said 'maintain 220' with our call sign. The 'maintain 220' was an altitude assignment and not a heading assignment because we were on a northeast heading for the VOR.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: FLC OF A B727-200 ACCEPTED ANOTHER ACFT'S CLRNC AND CLBED TO THAT ALT. ARTCC RADAR CTLR INTERVENED AND ADVISED THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN CLRED TO THE ALT TO WHICH THEY WERE AT AND THEN CLRED THEM TO A HIGHER ALT.
Narrative: DURING A FLT FROM LEON, MEXICO, TO LAREDO, TX. WE EITHER MISHEARD A MEXICAN CTLR OR CTLR ISSUED A CLB CLRNC WHICH SHE LATER QUESTIONED. I WAS FLYING THE PLANE AND CAPT WAS HANDLING THE RADIOS WITH MYSELF AND THE FE MONITORING. OUR FLT WAS BEING STEP-CLBED TO OUR FLT PLANNED ALT AND WE WERE CURRENTLY AT FL210. THE CTLR WORKING ON OUR PARTICULAR SECTOR WAS SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH BTWN ENGLISH WITH A HVY ACCENT AND SPANISH. AT ONE POINT, SHE MENTIONED OUR CALL SIGN AND SAID SOMETHING UNINTELLIGIBLE, FOLLOWED BY 'MAINTAIN TWO-TWO-ZERO.' WE INTERPED THIS TO MEAN CLB TO FL220. CAPT READ BACK TO THE CTLR THE NEW CLRNC, 'CLB TO FL220 ACR X.' I CONFIRMED CLRNC WITH CAPT ON THE ALT ALERTER AND COMMENCED A CLB TO FL220. SEVERAL MINS LATER SHE QUERIED US AS TO OUR ALT. WE INFORMED HER WE WERE AT FL220 PER HER CLRNC. SHE TOLD US SHE HAD NOT CLRED US TO THAT ALT. SHE THEN TOLD US TO CLB TO ANOTHER ALT. WE CONFIRMED AND EXECUTED THIS CLRNC. THE IMPORTANT INFO LEADING TO THIS ALTDEV WAS THE CONFUSION RESULTING FROM CTLR SWITCHING LANGUAGES IN HER XMISSIONS AND THE FACT SHE DEFINITELY SAID 'MAINTAIN 220' WITH OUR CALL SIGN. THE 'MAINTAIN 220' WAS AN ALT ASSIGNMENT AND NOT A HDG ASSIGNMENT BECAUSE WE WERE ON A NE HDG FOR THE VOR.
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.