Narrative:

In cruise flight approaching cmh. Center had given us a vector in preparation for the descent into cmh. Apparently and unknown to us, there was another flight with a nearly identical call sign on the frequency. ATC issued a clearance to descend to FL240, and because the initial part of the call sign was clipped, all I heard was what sounded like my call sign, descend to FL240. I acknowledged the descent clearance, and called departing FL370 to FL240. Approximately FL300, ATC called us and asked us to state our altitude, which we did. I was then instructed to level at FL290 and informed that the descent clearance was for another aircraft. Shortly thereafter, he again issued another clearance to the other aircraft, and again his transmission was initially clipped, and the call sign sounded exactly like ours. This time I asked if the clearance was for us, and was informed that it was not. I informed the controller that his xmissions were clipping and that they were coming out sounding like our call sign. The next 2 missions included a repeat of the company call sign along with the flight number. We were informed that no loss of separation took place. I called the ATC center and discussed the situation with them. Apparently the controller was new, and he did not follow the established procedures when contacting us to let us know another aircraft with a similar call sign was on the frequency and he also did not repeat the company call sign following our flight number as per their procedures. In addition he missed my acknowledgement of the clearance. Given the circumstances that we were expecting a descent clearance (this was why we were on the vector) and that the first officer was off the ATC frequency obtaining the ATIS and contacting operations, I am not sure that the same thing would not have happened to anyone else. I knew that I was by myself on the frequency, and I was being particularly attentive to radio calls at that busy time -- and even after the mistake was made, and with not only the first officer and a company jump seat pilot listening, the very next transmission from the ATC controller to the other aircraft was so close in sound to our call sign that I had to call ATC and specifically request him to repeat just exactly to whom he was calling so we could be sure that it was not for us. Following that request, he then started repeating the company name after the flight number and no further misunderstandings occurred.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS A319 FLC DSNDED ON A CLRNC INTENDED FOR ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: IN CRUISE FLT APCHING CMH. CTR HAD GIVEN US A VECTOR IN PREPARATION FOR THE DSCNT INTO CMH. APPARENTLY AND UNKNOWN TO US, THERE WAS ANOTHER FLT WITH A NEARLY IDENTICAL CALL SIGN ON THE FREQ. ATC ISSUED A CLRNC TO DSND TO FL240, AND BECAUSE THE INITIAL PART OF THE CALL SIGN WAS CLIPPED, ALL I HEARD WAS WHAT SOUNDED LIKE MY CALL SIGN, DSND TO FL240. I ACKNOWLEDGED THE DSCNT CLRNC, AND CALLED DEPARTING FL370 TO FL240. APPROX FL300, ATC CALLED US AND ASKED US TO STATE OUR ALT, WHICH WE DID. I WAS THEN INSTRUCTED TO LEVEL AT FL290 AND INFORMED THAT THE DSCNT CLRNC WAS FOR ANOTHER ACFT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE AGAIN ISSUED ANOTHER CLRNC TO THE OTHER ACFT, AND AGAIN HIS XMISSION WAS INITIALLY CLIPPED, AND THE CALL SIGN SOUNDED EXACTLY LIKE OURS. THIS TIME I ASKED IF THE CLRNC WAS FOR US, AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT. I INFORMED THE CTLR THAT HIS XMISSIONS WERE CLIPPING AND THAT THEY WERE COMING OUT SOUNDING LIKE OUR CALL SIGN. THE NEXT 2 MISSIONS INCLUDED A REPEAT OF THE COMPANY CALL SIGN ALONG WITH THE FLT NUMBER. WE WERE INFORMED THAT NO LOSS OF SEPARATION TOOK PLACE. I CALLED THE ATC CTR AND DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH THEM. APPARENTLY THE CTLR WAS NEW, AND HE DID NOT FOLLOW THE ESTABLISHED PROCS WHEN CONTACTING US TO LET US KNOW ANOTHER ACFT WITH A SIMILAR CALL SIGN WAS ON THE FREQ AND HE ALSO DID NOT REPEAT THE COMPANY CALL SIGN FOLLOWING OUR FLT NUMBER AS PER THEIR PROCS. IN ADDITION HE MISSED MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CLRNC. GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE WERE EXPECTING A DSCNT CLRNC (THIS WAS WHY WE WERE ON THE VECTOR) AND THAT THE FO WAS OFF THE ATC FREQ OBTAINING THE ATIS AND CONTACTING OPS, I AM NOT SURE THAT THE SAME THING WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE. I KNEW THAT I WAS BY MYSELF ON THE FREQ, AND I WAS BEING PARTICULARLY ATTENTIVE TO RADIO CALLS AT THAT BUSY TIME -- AND EVEN AFTER THE MISTAKE WAS MADE, AND WITH NOT ONLY THE FO AND A COMPANY JUMP SEAT PLT LISTENING, THE VERY NEXT XMISSION FROM THE ATC CTLR TO THE OTHER ACFT WAS SO CLOSE IN SOUND TO OUR CALL SIGN THAT I HAD TO CALL ATC AND SPECIFICALLY REQUEST HIM TO REPEAT JUST EXACTLY TO WHOM HE WAS CALLING SO WE COULD BE SURE THAT IT WAS NOT FOR US. FOLLOWING THAT REQUEST, HE THEN STARTED REPEATING THE COMPANY NAME AFTER THE FLT NUMBER AND NO FURTHER MISUNDERSTANDINGS OCCURRED.

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.