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C206 pilot thought he was cleared to land. He began descent and did not observe the charted visual altitude limitations for the approach. The ATCT local controller alerted the pilot and he corrected his altitude.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 591414 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200308 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : slc.airport |
| State Reference | UT |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 5000 msl bound upper : 5500 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : slc.tower |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Cessna Stationair/Turbo Stationair 6 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Route In Use | arrival : vfr arrival other |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : slc.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 15 flight time total : 970 flight time type : 950 |
| ASRS Report | 591414 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : far non adherence : required legal separation non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | atc equipment other atc equipment : radar other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued alert flight crew : returned to assigned altitude |
| Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew |
| Miss Distance | vertical : 1000 |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Airport Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance FAA Chart Or Publication |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : slc.tower |
| Chart | terminal area : i-80 visual arrival |
Narrative:
I was on an IFR flight plan from donnelly, identification, to slc. About 15 mi north of slc I cancelled IFR and requested to proceed VFR. ZLC then advised me to use the I-80 transition which dictates to follow antelope island sbound to I-80 and then eastbound along I-80 to the airport. After a few mins, center cleared me to 6000 ft from the previously prescribed 9000 ft. As I turned eastbound on I-80 at 6000 ft, I called the tower to verify that I would be landing runway 35. Tower responded that I would be landing runway 35 and that I was cleared to land. I then descended to 5000 ft and started to set-up for a landing. As I reached 5000 ft tower called me and said that I was supposed to be at 5500 ft over the numbers at the end of the runway. I immediately ascended to 5500 ft and corrected my heading to fly over the numbers. As I passed over runway 34R I could see a commercial airliner a few hundred feet off the ground coming in for a landing. Since the airport is at 4200 ft there was probably about 1000 ft clearance between our planes. No evasive action was taken by the commercial airliner. I called back to the tower and told them that I thought I had been cleared for the landing. The tower told me that I had not been cleared and that I had probably heard the clearance for some other aircraft. The problem occurred when I thought that I had been cleared to land. I normally am in the habit of repeating everything back to the center or tower, but in this situation it is possible that I was busy preparing for the landing and I might have forgotten to repeat the instructions back to them. I believe that if I would have repeated back the instructions that I thought I had heard then the miscom would have been resolved. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the pilot thought he was cleared to land, that is why he descended below the altitude listed on the visual arrival. He was not sure if he gave a clearance readback. The pilot was not using the commercial charts or the DOD charts, but was familiar with the VFR I-80 arrival.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: C206 PLT THOUGHT HE WAS CLRED TO LAND. HE BEGAN DSCNT AND DID NOT OBSERVE THE CHARTED VISUAL ALT LIMITATIONS FOR THE APCH. THE ATCT LCL CTLR ALERTED THE PLT AND HE CORRECTED HIS ALT.
Narrative: I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM DONNELLY, ID, TO SLC. ABOUT 15 MI N OF SLC I CANCELLED IFR AND REQUESTED TO PROCEED VFR. ZLC THEN ADVISED ME TO USE THE I-80 TRANSITION WHICH DICTATES TO FOLLOW ANTELOPE ISLAND SBOUND TO I-80 AND THEN EBOUND ALONG I-80 TO THE ARPT. AFTER A FEW MINS, CTR CLRED ME TO 6000 FT FROM THE PREVIOUSLY PRESCRIBED 9000 FT. AS I TURNED EBOUND ON I-80 AT 6000 FT, I CALLED THE TWR TO VERIFY THAT I WOULD BE LNDG RWY 35. TWR RESPONDED THAT I WOULD BE LNDG RWY 35 AND THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND. I THEN DSNDED TO 5000 FT AND STARTED TO SET-UP FOR A LNDG. AS I REACHED 5000 FT TWR CALLED ME AND SAID THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT 5500 FT OVER THE NUMBERS AT THE END OF THE RWY. I IMMEDIATELY ASCENDED TO 5500 FT AND CORRECTED MY HEADING TO FLY OVER THE NUMBERS. AS I PASSED OVER RWY 34R I COULD SEE A COMMERCIAL AIRLINER A FEW HUNDRED FEET OFF THE GND COMING IN FOR A LNDG. SINCE THE ARPT IS AT 4200 FT THERE WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 1000 FT CLRNC BTWN OUR PLANES. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINER. I CALLED BACK TO THE TWR AND TOLD THEM THAT I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE LNDG. THE TWR TOLD ME THAT I HAD NOT BEEN CLRED AND THAT I HAD PROBABLY HEARD THE CLRNC FOR SOME OTHER ACFT. THE PROB OCCURRED WHEN I THOUGHT THAT I HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND. I NORMALLY AM IN THE HABIT OF REPEATING EVERYTHING BACK TO THE CTR OR TWR, BUT IN THIS SIT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I WAS BUSY PREPARING FOR THE LNDG AND I MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN TO REPEAT THE INSTRUCTIONS BACK TO THEM. I BELIEVE THAT IF I WOULD HAVE REPEATED BACK THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD THEN THE MISCOM WOULD HAVE BEEN RESOLVED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE PLT THOUGHT HE WAS CLRED TO LAND, THAT IS WHY HE DSNDED BELOW THE ALT LISTED ON THE VISUAL ARR. HE WAS NOT SURE IF HE GAVE A CLRNC READBACK. THE PLT WAS NOT USING THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS OR THE DOD CHARTS, BUT WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE VFR I-80 ARR.
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.