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Medical priority flight begins approach procedure prior to ATC clearance; priority handling assumptions by the reporter listed as causal.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 792975 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200806 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : zzz.airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Altitude | msl single value : 5000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : zzz.tracon |
| Operator | common carrier : charter |
| Make Model Name | Learjet 35 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach |
| Route In Use | arrival : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : charter |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : multi engine pilot : atp pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 73 flight time total : 7325 flight time type : 550 |
| ASRS Report | 792975 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
Narrative:
On jun/xa/08 we were flying a medical flight in a lear jet (LJ35A) with a child's heart on board. While descending to land on runway 36 at ZZZ and at 2300 ft a ZZZ approach controller told us we were cleared to 3000 ft. Both the PF and I thought we were cleared for the visual approach behind a citation coming in from the opposite direction and landing on the same runway. We began to climb back to 3000 ft. Prior to the confusion; numerous traffic alerts were issued to us about the citation and also a small piper aircraft that passed within 1 mi from us at the same altitude. Although we were a medical flight; we were given several vectors for our descent. I thought we would be given priority due to our call sign and allowed the PF to continue flying at 250 KTS until we were about 8 mi from the airport and descending from 5000 ft. At that time we began to slow up and started to configure. I believed the citation would be given a vector and we would be allowed to land first but that did not happen. In retrospect; we should have slowed to 200 KTS earlier and allowed for more separation and time. There was a lot of communications going on between several aircraft and the controller but I do not recall reading back maintain 3000 ft and believed we were cleared for the approach. Maybe a call sign or other methodology can be developed for use to pass on to the ATC controllers that this is really an extremely urgent case.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: MEDICAL PRIORITY FLT BEGINS APCH PROC PRIOR TO ATC CLRNC; PRIORITY HANDLING ASSUMPTIONS BY THE REPORTER LISTED AS CAUSAL.
Narrative: ON JUN/XA/08 WE WERE FLYING A MEDICAL FLT IN A LEAR JET (LJ35A) WITH A CHILD'S HEART ON BOARD. WHILE DSNDING TO LAND ON RWY 36 AT ZZZ AND AT 2300 FT A ZZZ APCH CTLR TOLD US WE WERE CLRED TO 3000 FT. BOTH THE PF AND I THOUGHT WE WERE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL APCH BEHIND A CITATION COMING IN FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND LNDG ON THE SAME RWY. WE BEGAN TO CLB BACK TO 3000 FT. PRIOR TO THE CONFUSION; NUMEROUS TFC ALERTS WERE ISSUED TO US ABOUT THE CITATION AND ALSO A SMALL PIPER ACFT THAT PASSED WITHIN 1 MI FROM US AT THE SAME ALT. ALTHOUGH WE WERE A MEDICAL FLT; WE WERE GIVEN SEVERAL VECTORS FOR OUR DSCNT. I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE GIVEN PRIORITY DUE TO OUR CALL SIGN AND ALLOWED THE PF TO CONTINUE FLYING AT 250 KTS UNTIL WE WERE ABOUT 8 MI FROM THE ARPT AND DSNDING FROM 5000 FT. AT THAT TIME WE BEGAN TO SLOW UP AND STARTED TO CONFIGURE. I BELIEVED THE CITATION WOULD BE GIVEN A VECTOR AND WE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO LAND FIRST BUT THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. IN RETROSPECT; WE SHOULD HAVE SLOWED TO 200 KTS EARLIER AND ALLOWED FOR MORE SEPARATION AND TIME. THERE WAS A LOT OF COMS GOING ON BTWN SEVERAL ACFT AND THE CTLR BUT I DO NOT RECALL READING BACK MAINTAIN 3000 FT AND BELIEVED WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH. MAYBE A CALL SIGN OR OTHER METHODOLOGY CAN BE DEVELOPED FOR USE TO PASS ON TO THE ATC CTLRS THAT THIS IS REALLY AN EXTREMELY URGENT CASE.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.