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Potential conflict during an altitude deviation by a descending carj flight crew when failing to reconfirm actual altitude assignment with approach controller at den.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 633194 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200410 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | navaid : fqf.vortac |
| State Reference | CO |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 12500 msl bound upper : 13000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : d01.tracon |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Regional Jet 700 ER&LR |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | descent : intermediate altitude |
| Route In Use | arrival : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : d01.tracon |
| Make Model Name | Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp pilot : multi engine |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5600 flight time type : 1900 |
| ASRS Report | 633194 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : overshoot conflict : airborne less severe non adherence : clearance non adherence : company policies non adherence : required legal separation other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | atc equipment other atc equipment : model-radar other controllera |
| Resolutory Action | controller : separated traffic controller : issued alert flight crew : returned to assigned altitude |
| Miss Distance | vertical : 500 |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Environmental Factor Airspace Structure Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
While on approach for den we were issued a heading of 350 degrees, speed of 210 KTS and an altitude, which I did not hear. The captain (working the radios) read back the heading, airspeed, and an altitude of 9000 ft. There was no response from the controller. At this point the captain turned to me and asked 'he did say 9000 ft, right?' I told him that I did not hear the altitude and that I had only heard the heading and the speed. The captain then keyed the microphone and asked the controller to verify our altitude of 9000 ft. The controller responded with a remark which was partially blocked by another aircraft, but it ended in 'five zero.' the captain responded by saying 'roger.' I was confused as to what was said so I asked the captain what he had heard. He responded by saying 'I think he said roger or affirmative.' I told him that this was not what I had heard and that I thought the controller was issuing instructions to another aircraft. I asked the captain to verify the altitude again. He responded by saying 'he is going to get mad at me.' the captain then put his hand to the microphone, making it seem as if he were going to transmit. Due to frequency congestion he was not able to transmit. At one point the controller issued instruction to another aircraft on the arrival to descend to 9000 ft. At this time the captain turned to me and said 'yeh, it was 9000 ft.' confident that this was our assigned altitude I continued the descent. At 12500 ft the controller contacted us and told us that we were 500 ft low. We immediately climbed back to 13000 ft and the controller issued us a traffic alert for traffic passing below us. I think the factors contributing to this deviation were poor cockpit communication and frequency congestion on den approach control. I also should not have descended until I was 100% sure, in my mind, what the correct altitude was. I also should have taken the initiative to query approach control myself, when the captain was hesitant because he was afraid of getting yelled at.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: POTENTIAL CONFLICT DURING AN ALTDEV BY A DSNDING CARJ FLT CREW WHEN FAILING TO RECONFIRM ACTUAL ALT ASSIGNMENT WITH APCH CTLR AT DEN.
Narrative: WHILE ON APCH FOR DEN WE WERE ISSUED A HDG OF 350 DEGS, SPD OF 210 KTS AND AN ALT, WHICH I DID NOT HEAR. THE CAPT (WORKING THE RADIOS) READ BACK THE HDG, AIRSPD, AND AN ALT OF 9000 FT. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE CTLR. AT THIS POINT THE CAPT TURNED TO ME AND ASKED 'HE DID SAY 9000 FT, RIGHT?' I TOLD HIM THAT I DID NOT HEAR THE ALT AND THAT I HAD ONLY HEARD THE HDG AND THE SPD. THE CAPT THEN KEYED THE MIKE AND ASKED THE CTLR TO VERIFY OUR ALT OF 9000 FT. THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH A REMARK WHICH WAS PARTIALLY BLOCKED BY ANOTHER ACFT, BUT IT ENDED IN 'FIVE ZERO.' THE CAPT RESPONDED BY SAYING 'ROGER.' I WAS CONFUSED AS TO WHAT WAS SAID SO I ASKED THE CAPT WHAT HE HAD HEARD. HE RESPONDED BY SAYING 'I THINK HE SAID ROGER OR AFFIRMATIVE.' I TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT WHAT I HAD HEARD AND THAT I THOUGHT THE CTLR WAS ISSUING INSTRUCTIONS TO ANOTHER ACFT. I ASKED THE CAPT TO VERIFY THE ALT AGAIN. HE RESPONDED BY SAYING 'HE IS GOING TO GET MAD AT ME.' THE CAPT THEN PUT HIS HAND TO THE MIKE, MAKING IT SEEM AS IF HE WERE GOING TO XMIT. DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION HE WAS NOT ABLE TO XMIT. AT ONE POINT THE CTLR ISSUED INSTRUCTION TO ANOTHER ACFT ON THE ARR TO DSND TO 9000 FT. AT THIS TIME THE CAPT TURNED TO ME AND SAID 'YEH, IT WAS 9000 FT.' CONFIDENT THAT THIS WAS OUR ASSIGNED ALT I CONTINUED THE DSCNT. AT 12500 FT THE CTLR CONTACTED US AND TOLD US THAT WE WERE 500 FT LOW. WE IMMEDIATELY CLBED BACK TO 13000 FT AND THE CTLR ISSUED US A TFC ALERT FOR TFC PASSING BELOW US. I THINK THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS DEV WERE POOR COCKPIT COM AND FREQ CONGESTION ON DEN APCH CTL. I ALSO SHOULD NOT HAVE DSNDED UNTIL I WAS 100% SURE, IN MY MIND, WHAT THE CORRECT ALT WAS. I ALSO SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO QUERY APCH CTL MYSELF, WHEN THE CAPT WAS HESITANT BECAUSE HE WAS AFRAID OF GETTING YELLED AT.
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.