Narrative:

We were en route to E25 airport. Center had changed our routing after takeoff from psp, to a route direct to bxk VOR, then direct to our destination. Center was very busy. (I believe we were still with ZLA at the time.) while level at FL250 we heard center tell naxo to descend and maintain FL240. Our tail number is nbxo not naxo. I did not descend, because I wanted to be sure we were the aircraft being told to descend, since our call sign had not been stated correctly by center. We asked center to verify that it was nbxo he wanted to descend to FL240. Every time we queried center there was no reply or we would only hear garbled xmissions. Apparently many people were 'stepping' on each other. This happened 2 or 3 times before we finally thought we could make out learjet bxo. Finally center came back and told us to descend now to FL240. We were never sure if there was another aircraft with the call sign naxo or if center had meant nbxo all along. At this point we descended to FL240 and were told to change frequencys. We often get calls from controllers using wrong or extra numbers in our call sign. This may be due to our single number, 2 letter, call sign. Throughout this flight we heard constant garbled xmissions, blocked calls, etc. I don't know what else we could have done under the circumstances. Center was irritated, but had not answered any of our queries about the wrong call sign. I think we were the aircraft center wanted to descend all along, but we were not totally comfortable with what had happened. I don't believe the couple of mins delay in our descent caused any problem or center would have turned us, as well, to provide separation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN LJ31 CREW, ENRTE PSP TO PHX AREA, DELAYED DSCNT, UNSURE IF CLRNC WAS FOR THEM.

Narrative: WE WERE ENRTE TO E25 ARPT. CTR HAD CHANGED OUR ROUTING AFTER TKOF FROM PSP, TO A RTE DIRECT TO BXK VOR, THEN DIRECT TO OUR DEST. CTR WAS VERY BUSY. (I BELIEVE WE WERE STILL WITH ZLA AT THE TIME.) WHILE LEVEL AT FL250 WE HEARD CTR TELL NAXO TO DSND AND MAINTAIN FL240. OUR TAIL NUMBER IS NBXO NOT NAXO. I DID NOT DSND, BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE SURE WE WERE THE ACFT BEING TOLD TO DSND, SINCE OUR CALL SIGN HAD NOT BEEN STATED CORRECTLY BY CTR. WE ASKED CTR TO VERIFY THAT IT WAS NBXO HE WANTED TO DSND TO FL240. EVERY TIME WE QUERIED CTR THERE WAS NO REPLY OR WE WOULD ONLY HEAR GARBLED XMISSIONS. APPARENTLY MANY PEOPLE WERE 'STEPPING' ON EACH OTHER. THIS HAPPENED 2 OR 3 TIMES BEFORE WE FINALLY THOUGHT WE COULD MAKE OUT LEARJET BXO. FINALLY CTR CAME BACK AND TOLD US TO DSND NOW TO FL240. WE WERE NEVER SURE IF THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT WITH THE CALL SIGN NAXO OR IF CTR HAD MEANT NBXO ALL ALONG. AT THIS POINT WE DSNDED TO FL240 AND WERE TOLD TO CHANGE FREQS. WE OFTEN GET CALLS FROM CTLRS USING WRONG OR EXTRA NUMBERS IN OUR CALL SIGN. THIS MAY BE DUE TO OUR SINGLE NUMBER, 2 LETTER, CALL SIGN. THROUGHOUT THIS FLT WE HEARD CONSTANT GARBLED XMISSIONS, BLOCKED CALLS, ETC. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE WE COULD HAVE DONE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. CTR WAS IRRITATED, BUT HAD NOT ANSWERED ANY OF OUR QUERIES ABOUT THE WRONG CALL SIGN. I THINK WE WERE THE ACFT CTR WANTED TO DSND ALL ALONG, BUT WE WERE NOT TOTALLY COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I DON'T BELIEVE THE COUPLE OF MINS DELAY IN OUR DSCNT CAUSED ANY PROB OR CTR WOULD HAVE TURNED US, AS WELL, TO PROVIDE SEPARATION.

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.