EMB120 flight crew acknowledged and responded to clearance meant for another aircraft with a similar...

Attributes
ACN	538795
Time
Date	200202
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : bld.vortac
State Reference	NV
Altitude	msl bound lower : 15000 msl bound upper : 16000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zla.artcc tower : phx.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Brasilia EMB-120 All Series
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zla.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	climbout : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 225 flight time total : 10300 flight time type : 6500
ASRS Report	538795
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 3000 flight time type : 1400
ASRS Report	538964
Events
Anomaly	altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	atc equipment other atc equipment : radar other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance controller : issued alert
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

We were climbing out of las sebound, and our call sign was air carrier xayy. Our clearance was to climb and maintain 15000 ft. Then air carrier xyy came on frequency. I was trying to be careful about the similar flight numbers. I thought the controller gave us a clearance to FL220, so I read it back with our flight number. As we passed through 16000 ft, the controller told us to level at 17000 ft, and that we had accepted a clearance intended for air carrier xyy. My first officer and I both thought we heard our flight number with the clearance. I clearly used our number with the readback, and the controller never questioned my readback. There was no danger, no loss of separation. But if I made an error in answering the wrong clearance, the controller should have caught my error in the readback. In this situation, both the crew and the controller need to be responsible for errors. If I screw up, the controller should catch the error, and vice versa.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB120 FLC ACKNOWLEDGED AND RESPONDED TO CLRNC MEANT FOR ANOTHER ACFT WITH A SIMILAR CALL SIGN.

Narrative: WE WERE CLBING OUT OF LAS SEBOUND, AND OUR CALL SIGN WAS ACR XAYY. OUR CLRNC WAS TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 15000 FT. THEN ACR XYY CAME ON FREQ. I WAS TRYING TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THE SIMILAR FLT NUMBERS. I THOUGHT THE CTLR GAVE US A CLRNC TO FL220, SO I READ IT BACK WITH OUR FLT NUMBER. AS WE PASSED THROUGH 16000 FT, THE CTLR TOLD US TO LEVEL AT 17000 FT, AND THAT WE HAD ACCEPTED A CLRNC INTENDED FOR ACR XYY. MY FO AND I BOTH THOUGHT WE HEARD OUR FLT NUMBER WITH THE CLRNC. I CLRLY USED OUR NUMBER WITH THE READBACK, AND THE CTLR NEVER QUESTIONED MY READBACK. THERE WAS NO DANGER, NO LOSS OF SEPARATION. BUT IF I MADE AN ERROR IN ANSWERING THE WRONG CLRNC, THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT MY ERROR IN THE READBACK. IN THIS SIT, BOTH THE CREW AND THE CTLR NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS. IF I SCREW UP, THE CTLR SHOULD CATCH THE ERROR, AND VICE VERSA.

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.

EMB120 flight crew acknowledged and responded to clearance meant for another aircraft with a similar call sign.