Narrative:

Our flight was proceeding as cleared on the glasr 3 arrival to seattle. Between oncet and kruzr intxns, we were given holding instructions 'hold east of twisp intersection (twisp was unreadable to both crew members first transmission) left turns, legs your discretion, expect further clearance XA00.' ATC was asked to repeat the name of the intersection. The reply sounded like 'krisp.' both the first officer and myself looked at our arrival charts for an intersection that was similar to krisp. At that point, the aircraft was slowed to holding speed and asked ATC for the 5 letter identify for the holding fix. The reply from ATC was 'tango, whisky, india, sierra, papa.' after looking again at our arrival charts with no success, I asked the first officer to look at the area and hi altitude charts. First officer found twisp intersection (sea 039 degree radial, 105 DME). I asked first officer to manually tune VOR and radial. He also put twisp on the FMS 'fix' page. The HSI showed us approximately 3 mi west (past) twisp. ATC was advised and a left turn was started to return to holding area. No traffic conflict occurred to our knowledge. We were shortly thereafter given a heading for vectors by ATC followed by a turn to rejoin the glasr 3 arrival. Factors that led to the confusion: 1) the name of the holding fix was not understood by the first officer and myself on the first 2 xmissions. 2) high volume of traffic in the area made communication with the center difficult. 3) crew was expecting to find holding fix on arrival chart. Twisp was not depicted on our arrival chart nor on our HSI initially. (Twisp is on the same sea radial as oncet to kruzr intxns, sea 039 degree radial.) suggestions to prevent recurring problem: 1) it would be preferable to hold at a fix or intersection that is on your route of flight. (Twisp is depicted on the hi altitude chart as a fix on the respective jet airway but is concurrently on the same radial that the arrival fixes are on.) 2) the clearance would have been somewhat less confusing if given as 'cleared direct to twisp intersection....' again we kept trying to find twisp along our cleared route. 3) in retrospect, we as a crew could have been more aggressive using our FMS capability, rather than getting caught up in looking for the fix on a chart. For example, we could have gone to the 'direct intercept' page and put the fix in and gone direct to it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B757 FLC HAS A PROB FINDING TWISP INTXN ON THEIR ARR CHART, FINALLY FINDING IT ON THE HI ALT CHART. ACFT PASSED THE HOLDING POINT.

Narrative: OUR FLT WAS PROCEEDING AS CLRED ON THE GLASR 3 ARR TO SEATTLE. BTWN ONCET AND KRUZR INTXNS, WE WERE GIVEN HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS 'HOLD E OF TWISP INTXN (TWISP WAS UNREADABLE TO BOTH CREW MEMBERS FIRST XMISSION) L TURNS, LEGS YOUR DISCRETION, EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC XA00.' ATC WAS ASKED TO REPEAT THE NAME OF THE INTXN. THE REPLY SOUNDED LIKE 'KRISP.' BOTH THE FO AND MYSELF LOOKED AT OUR ARR CHARTS FOR AN INTXN THAT WAS SIMILAR TO KRISP. AT THAT POINT, THE ACFT WAS SLOWED TO HOLDING SPD AND ASKED ATC FOR THE 5 LETTER IDENT FOR THE HOLDING FIX. THE REPLY FROM ATC WAS 'TANGO, WHISKY, INDIA, SIERRA, PAPA.' AFTER LOOKING AGAIN AT OUR ARR CHARTS WITH NO SUCCESS, I ASKED THE FO TO LOOK AT THE AREA AND HI ALT CHARTS. FO FOUND TWISP INTXN (SEA 039 DEG RADIAL, 105 DME). I ASKED FO TO MANUALLY TUNE VOR AND RADIAL. HE ALSO PUT TWISP ON THE FMS 'FIX' PAGE. THE HSI SHOWED US APPROX 3 MI W (PAST) TWISP. ATC WAS ADVISED AND A L TURN WAS STARTED TO RETURN TO HOLDING AREA. NO TFC CONFLICT OCCURRED TO OUR KNOWLEDGE. WE WERE SHORTLY THEREAFTER GIVEN A HDG FOR VECTORS BY ATC FOLLOWED BY A TURN TO REJOIN THE GLASR 3 ARR. FACTORS THAT LED TO THE CONFUSION: 1) THE NAME OF THE HOLDING FIX WAS NOT UNDERSTOOD BY THE FO AND MYSELF ON THE FIRST 2 XMISSIONS. 2) HIGH VOLUME OF TFC IN THE AREA MADE COM WITH THE CTR DIFFICULT. 3) CREW WAS EXPECTING TO FIND HOLDING FIX ON ARR CHART. TWISP WAS NOT DEPICTED ON OUR ARR CHART NOR ON OUR HSI INITIALLY. (TWISP IS ON THE SAME SEA RADIAL AS ONCET TO KRUZR INTXNS, SEA 039 DEG RADIAL.) SUGGESTIONS TO PREVENT RECURRING PROB: 1) IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO HOLD AT A FIX OR INTXN THAT IS ON YOUR RTE OF FLT. (TWISP IS DEPICTED ON THE HI ALT CHART AS A FIX ON THE RESPECTIVE JET AIRWAY BUT IS CONCURRENTLY ON THE SAME RADIAL THAT THE ARR FIXES ARE ON.) 2) THE CLRNC WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT LESS CONFUSING IF GIVEN AS 'CLRED DIRECT TO TWISP INTXN....' AGAIN WE KEPT TRYING TO FIND TWISP ALONG OUR CLRED RTE. 3) IN RETROSPECT, WE AS A CREW COULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE USING OUR FMS CAPABILITY, RATHER THAN GETTING CAUGHT UP IN LOOKING FOR THE FIX ON A CHART. FOR EXAMPLE, WE COULD HAVE GONE TO THE 'DIRECT INTERCEPT' PAGE AND PUT THE FIX IN AND GONE DIRECT TO 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.