Narrative:

While being vectored on a left downwind for runway 25L at phx airport I noticed that we were getting vectored closer than normal to the runway and mentioned this to my first officer. Approach control then gave us a slight turn to the right to widen us out. The winds aloft were between 20-30 KTS blowing out of the south (blowing us toward the runway). We continued on this heading until ATC gave us a base turn approximately 90 degrees to the left. As soon as we rolled out on our heading I saw that we were being vectored across final and I asked my first officer to query ATC. I then noticed what appeared to be a heavy aircraft ahead of us coming head-on. My first officer attempted to contact ATC but his transmission appeared to have been covered by another aircraft or ATC. I determined that if we turned left towards the airport we would collide with the oncoming aircraft that appeared to be on a right base for runway 26 just slightly closer to the airport than we were. As I started a right turn to avoid the conflict I heard ATC warn the other aircraft that there was an rj in front and below them and told them to turn right. I believe that my first officer was finally able to get a transmission through over the busy frequency at this time. I am not sure what he said as things were happening fast; I was turning and aggressively looking for traffic as I was vectoring myself towards the approach corridor and our TCAS began to give us an RA. I believe at this time ATC asked why we did not turn in towards the airport and my first officer stated that we were on a heading. I then tried to explain that we were not cleared for the approach and we had to turn right on our own to avoid the oncoming aircraft (I did this because we were required by far's to notify ATC as soon as possible whenever we deviate from a clearance). At this point the controller told us to be quiet; as he didn't have time to listen to our excuses. We were given a climb from 3000 ft to 4000 ft and a turn to the right. We were then turned to a right base and told to slow. The controller then told us we were cleared for the visual for runway 26. At this point we were close to crossing the final for runway 26 and would have to overshoot final slightly in order to turn in. The controller had not said 'switch to runway 26' so I asked the controller to verify that we were cleared for runway 26. He snapped back that we were cleared for the visual runway 26. I could not believe that the controller that had just vectored us head-on to another aircraft and was continuing to talk to us in what I perceived to be an unprofessional manner. I told him that I had never witnessed such a bad job of controling. He then told us to copy down a phone number and I told him that we were too busy (I was trying to configure the aircraft for landing and set up for an approach to a runway we had not planned on landing on); but we would be happy to call him once on the ground. After the aircraft was shut down and our checklists were completed I called phx approach on the telephone and asked to speak to the supervisor. Mr X idented himself as the supervisor and told me he was also the controller that I had been talking to in the air. He was very angry and told me he was just about to listen to the tape of the incident. As he listened to the tape he told me what he had thought had happened and why he was upset with me. After he heard the tape and realized that he had turned us towards the oncoming traffic; he was very; very apologetic. He told me that in his 20+ yrs as an ATC controller; he had never done anything like this and he was in fact a pilot himself. I also apologized for the comment I had made about his controling. Looking back at this incident; the one thing that I would have done differently would have been to keep my comment to myself until I was on the ground and talking to him person-to-person. I then explained to him that it was not the mistake he made that had caused me to make the comment that offended him; but rather what I had perceived to be rude and unprofessional comments directed at us during the incident. He again apologized and I did the same. Looking back at the incident; I think the contributing factors were being vectored closer to the runway than normal on downwind; the winds aloft blowing us towards final; the ctlrthinking he had cleared us for the visual when he had not; and the controller's accusatory comments throughout the incident. The tone and phraseology that the controller used immediately put us on the defensive and made a difficult situation even more difficult. I have not been able to listen to the recording of the incident but I have recounted the events as best as I could recall.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ CAPT RPTS ATC INSTRUCTIONS PLACED ACFT IN CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT AT 3000 FT; BOTH ACFT LNDG PHX.

Narrative: WHILE BEING VECTORED ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 25L AT PHX ARPT I NOTICED THAT WE WERE GETTING VECTORED CLOSER THAN NORMAL TO THE RWY AND MENTIONED THIS TO MY FO. APCH CTL THEN GAVE US A SLIGHT TURN TO THE R TO WIDEN US OUT. THE WINDS ALOFT WERE BTWN 20-30 KTS BLOWING OUT OF THE S (BLOWING US TOWARD THE RWY). WE CONTINUED ON THIS HDG UNTIL ATC GAVE US A BASE TURN APPROX 90 DEGS TO THE L. AS SOON AS WE ROLLED OUT ON OUR HDG I SAW THAT WE WERE BEING VECTORED ACROSS FINAL AND I ASKED MY FO TO QUERY ATC. I THEN NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HVY ACFT AHEAD OF US COMING HEAD-ON. MY FO ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ATC BUT HIS XMISSION APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN COVERED BY ANOTHER ACFT OR ATC. I DETERMINED THAT IF WE TURNED L TOWARDS THE ARPT WE WOULD COLLIDE WITH THE ONCOMING ACFT THAT APPEARED TO BE ON A R BASE FOR RWY 26 JUST SLIGHTLY CLOSER TO THE ARPT THAN WE WERE. AS I STARTED A R TURN TO AVOID THE CONFLICT I HEARD ATC WARN THE OTHER ACFT THAT THERE WAS AN RJ IN FRONT AND BELOW THEM AND TOLD THEM TO TURN R. I BELIEVE THAT MY FO WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET A XMISSION THROUGH OVER THE BUSY FREQ AT THIS TIME. I AM NOT SURE WHAT HE SAID AS THINGS WERE HAPPENING FAST; I WAS TURNING AND AGGRESSIVELY LOOKING FOR TFC AS I WAS VECTORING MYSELF TOWARDS THE APCH CORRIDOR AND OUR TCAS BEGAN TO GIVE US AN RA. I BELIEVE AT THIS TIME ATC ASKED WHY WE DID NOT TURN IN TOWARDS THE ARPT AND MY FO STATED THAT WE WERE ON A HDG. I THEN TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT WE WERE NOT CLRED FOR THE APCH AND WE HAD TO TURN R ON OUR OWN TO AVOID THE ONCOMING ACFT (I DID THIS BECAUSE WE WERE REQUIRED BY FAR'S TO NOTIFY ATC ASAP WHENEVER WE DEVIATE FROM A CLRNC). AT THIS POINT THE CTLR TOLD US TO BE QUIET; AS HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO OUR EXCUSES. WE WERE GIVEN A CLB FROM 3000 FT TO 4000 FT AND A TURN TO THE R. WE WERE THEN TURNED TO A R BASE AND TOLD TO SLOW. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL FOR RWY 26. AT THIS POINT WE WERE CLOSE TO XING THE FINAL FOR RWY 26 AND WOULD HAVE TO OVERSHOOT FINAL SLIGHTLY IN ORDER TO TURN IN. THE CTLR HAD NOT SAID 'SWITCH TO RWY 26' SO I ASKED THE CTLR TO VERIFY THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR RWY 26. HE SNAPPED BACK THAT WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL RWY 26. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE CTLR THAT HAD JUST VECTORED US HEAD-ON TO ANOTHER ACFT AND WAS CONTINUING TO TALK TO US IN WHAT I PERCEIVED TO BE AN UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD NEVER WITNESSED SUCH A BAD JOB OF CTLING. HE THEN TOLD US TO COPY DOWN A PHONE NUMBER AND I TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE TOO BUSY (I WAS TRYING TO CONFIGURE THE ACFT FOR LNDG AND SET UP FOR AN APCH TO A RWY WE HAD NOT PLANNED ON LNDG ON); BUT WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO CALL HIM ONCE ON THE GND. AFTER THE ACFT WAS SHUT DOWN AND OUR CHKLISTS WERE COMPLETED I CALLED PHX APCH ON THE TELEPHONE AND ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE SUPVR. MR X IDENTED HIMSELF AS THE SUPVR AND TOLD ME HE WAS ALSO THE CTLR THAT I HAD BEEN TALKING TO IN THE AIR. HE WAS VERY ANGRY AND TOLD ME HE WAS JUST ABOUT TO LISTEN TO THE TAPE OF THE INCIDENT. AS HE LISTENED TO THE TAPE HE TOLD ME WHAT HE HAD THOUGHT HAD HAPPENED AND WHY HE WAS UPSET WITH ME. AFTER HE HEARD THE TAPE AND REALIZED THAT HE HAD TURNED US TOWARDS THE ONCOMING TFC; HE WAS VERY; VERY APOLOGETIC. HE TOLD ME THAT IN HIS 20+ YRS AS AN ATC CTLR; HE HAD NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS AND HE WAS IN FACT A PLT HIMSELF. I ALSO APOLOGIZED FOR THE COMMENT I HAD MADE ABOUT HIS CTLING. LOOKING BACK AT THIS INCIDENT; THE ONE THING THAT I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY WOULD HAVE BEEN TO KEEP MY COMMENT TO MYSELF UNTIL I WAS ON THE GND AND TALKING TO HIM PERSON-TO-PERSON. I THEN EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT IT WAS NOT THE MISTAKE HE MADE THAT HAD CAUSED ME TO MAKE THE COMMENT THAT OFFENDED HIM; BUT RATHER WHAT I HAD PERCEIVED TO BE RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL COMMENTS DIRECTED AT US DURING THE INCIDENT. HE AGAIN APOLOGIZED AND I DID THE SAME. LOOKING BACK AT THE INCIDENT; I THINK THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE BEING VECTORED CLOSER TO THE RWY THAN NORMAL ON DOWNWIND; THE WINDS ALOFT BLOWING US TOWARDS FINAL; THE CTLRTHINKING HE HAD CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL WHEN HE HAD NOT; AND THE CTLR'S ACCUSATORY COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THE INCIDENT. THE TONE AND PHRASEOLOGY THAT THE CTLR USED IMMEDIATELY PUT US ON THE DEFENSIVE AND MADE A DIFFICULT SITUATION EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE RECORDING OF THE INCIDENT BUT I HAVE RECOUNTED THE EVENTS AS BEST AS I COULD RECALL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.