Narrative:

While descending to dulles airport from london heathrow, we were filed to fly to hyper then to aml VOR. While approaching hyper, we asked the controller if she wanted us on a heading after hyper. She told us to just fly the arrival. Since we weren't cleared for an arrival, I asked the first officer to request further clearance. When questioned as to which arrival to fly, the controller stated 'fly whatever arrival you have.' since this was an ambiguous clearance, I again had the first officer ask for more clearance. The controller seemed frustrated and asked what we wanted? I had the first officer tell the controller we could fly the hyper arrival and at that point she cleared us for the hyper arrival into dulles. An aircraft behind us on the same frequency (another company heavy) had similar problems. The approach controller did not act in a professional manner in this instance. There seems to be confusion on the controller's part as to what arrs are charted into iad. With the increased flying this summer and the closed runway, this could cause a potential safety problem. Specific clearance instructions should be the norm.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767-300 CREW IS REQUIRED TO QUESTION IAD ARPT CLRNC RTE MULTIPLE TIMES WITH PCT APCH CTLR FOR RTE PLANNING VERIFICATION.

Narrative: WHILE DSNDING TO DULLES ARPT FROM LONDON HEATHROW, WE WERE FILED TO FLY TO HYPER THEN TO AML VOR. WHILE APCHING HYPER, WE ASKED THE CTLR IF SHE WANTED US ON A HDG AFTER HYPER. SHE TOLD US TO JUST FLY THE ARR. SINCE WE WEREN'T CLRED FOR AN ARR, I ASKED THE FO TO REQUEST FURTHER CLRNC. WHEN QUESTIONED AS TO WHICH ARR TO FLY, THE CTLR STATED 'FLY WHATEVER ARR YOU HAVE.' SINCE THIS WAS AN AMBIGUOUS CLRNC, I AGAIN HAD THE FO ASK FOR MORE CLRNC. THE CTLR SEEMED FRUSTRATED AND ASKED WHAT WE WANTED? I HAD THE FO TELL THE CTLR WE COULD FLY THE HYPER ARR AND AT THAT POINT SHE CLRED US FOR THE HYPER ARR INTO DULLES. AN ACFT BEHIND US ON THE SAME FREQ (ANOTHER COMPANY HVY) HAD SIMILAR PROBS. THE APCH CTLR DID NOT ACT IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER IN THIS INSTANCE. THERE SEEMS TO BE CONFUSION ON THE CTLR'S PART AS TO WHAT ARRS ARE CHARTED INTO IAD. WITH THE INCREASED FLYING THIS SUMMER AND THE CLOSED RWY, THIS COULD CAUSE A POTENTIAL SAFETY PROB. SPECIFIC CLRNC INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD BE THE NORM.

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.