ZOB controller questions E145 flight crew for 'slow flight.'

Attributes
ACN	513761
Time
Date	200105
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : cxr.vor
State Reference	OH
Altitude	msl single value : 20000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zob.artcc artcc : zjx.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	EMB ERJ 145 ER&LR
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	cruise : level
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 120 flight time total : 4200 flight time type : 2500
ASRS Report	513761
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : far other anomaly
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued advisory controller : issued new clearance
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

We were flying at FL200 at an indicated airspeed of 250 KTS. We had been in cruise flight for some time after departing buf en route to cle. About halfway between jhw VOR and cxr VOR, we were asked to say speed by the center controller. We informed him 'we were indicating 250 KTS. What speed did we need.' he informed us he needed 300 KTS, which we immediately accelerated to. He then asked us why we were going so slow. I told him we had no reason. He then informed us that he thought we were a turboprop! He also said that there was an far that requires us to notify him if we were flying slow. I also acknowledged that he was right that is an far. We did forget to inform him that we were not flying at our redline speed which I feel he was expecting us to fly at but at a much slower speed. We were in his sector for some time but he didn't once ask us our speed until it possibly caused a conflict with a faster aircraft behind us. I feel although we did not report our slow speed which is the primary factor in this report, he assumed we would fly as fast as we could. Also our dispatch filed us at our redline airspeed which is not easy to maintain because of the overspd protection and lack of autothrottles in the plane.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZOB CTLR QUESTIONS E145 FLC FOR 'SLOW FLT.'

Narrative: WE WERE FLYING AT FL200 AT AN INDICATED AIRSPD OF 250 KTS. WE HAD BEEN IN CRUISE FLT FOR SOME TIME AFTER DEPARTING BUF ENRTE TO CLE. ABOUT HALFWAY BTWN JHW VOR AND CXR VOR, WE WERE ASKED TO SAY SPD BY THE CTR CTLR. WE INFORMED HIM 'WE WERE INDICATING 250 KTS. WHAT SPD DID WE NEED.' HE INFORMED US HE NEEDED 300 KTS, WHICH WE IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED TO. HE THEN ASKED US WHY WE WERE GOING SO SLOW. I TOLD HIM WE HAD NO REASON. HE THEN INFORMED US THAT HE THOUGHT WE WERE A TURBOPROP! HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS AN FAR THAT REQUIRES US TO NOTIFY HIM IF WE WERE FLYING SLOW. I ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE WAS RIGHT THAT IS AN FAR. WE DID FORGET TO INFORM HIM THAT WE WERE NOT FLYING AT OUR REDLINE SPD WHICH I FEEL HE WAS EXPECTING US TO FLY AT BUT AT A MUCH SLOWER SPD. WE WERE IN HIS SECTOR FOR SOME TIME BUT HE DIDN'T ONCE ASK US OUR SPD UNTIL IT POSSIBLY CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH A FASTER ACFT BEHIND US. I FEEL ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT RPT OUR SLOW SPD WHICH IS THE PRIMARY FACTOR IN THIS RPT, HE ASSUMED WE WOULD FLY AS FAST AS WE COULD. ALSO OUR DISPATCH FILED US AT OUR REDLINE AIRSPD WHICH IS NOT EASY TO MAINTAIN BECAUSE OF THE OVERSPD PROTECTION AND LACK OF AUTOTHROTTLES IN THE PLANE.

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.