ATC CONFUSES RPTR WITH ANOTHER ACFT AND STARTS TREATING HIM AS AN IFR FLT. RPTR LATER 'CANCELED IFR.'

Date: 1991-10 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft

Anomalies: other-unspecified

Synopsis

ATC CONFUSES RPTR WITH ANOTHER ACFT AND STARTS TREATING HIM AS AN IFR FLT. RPTR LATER 'CANCELED IFR.'

Narrative

UPON DEPARTING LBL I CLBED TO 11500 FT ON A HDG OF 110 DEGS; LEVEL AT 27 NM SE OF LBL I CONTACTED ZKC ON 126.95 AND REQUESTED VFR FOLLOWING WHICH WAS GRANTED! I COMFIRMED DEST ALT (11500) CORRECT FOR VFR DIRECTION OF FLT. APPROX 10 NM NW OF WATONGA ZKC ADVISED TO CONTACT ZFW ON 128.4 WHICH I DID RPTING LEVEL 11500! APPROX 15 MI FURTHER; I GAVE AS 200 MPH; ADDING THAT THE LORAN INDICATED 200 KTS. THE CTLR SAID THE COMPUTER TIME ASSUMED IT WAS BASED ON TYPE. CENTER HANDED ME OFF TO OKC APCH WHEN I ANNOUNCED I WAS DSNDING OUT OF 11500; I CONTACTED OKC APCH 124.6 WITH INFO ATIS DSNDING OUT OF 10700 TO WHICH I WAS TOLD 'FLY DIRECT WILEY POST (PWA) AND THEN A HDG OF 100 DEG DSND TO 6000'; I READ THIS BACK; WAS HANDED OFF TO 124.2 RPTED DSNDING OUT OF 6700 WAS TOLD 'FLY DIRECT 2 DT' TFC 10 O'CLOCK 1.5 MI DSND TO 4000.' I TURNED TO 135 DEG; WAS ASKED IF I HAD DOWNTOWN IN SIGHT; I SAID 'I DID.' I WAS TOLD TO EXPECT VISUAL APCH AND CANCEL THIS FREQ OR CENTER ON THE GND. I REPLIED CANCEL THIS TIME TO WHICH HE REPLIED 'CANCELLATION RECEIVED.' I REALIZED AT THIS TIME HE THOUGHT I WAS IFR. I WAS ENTERING THE TFC PATTERN AT 2 DT AND HE WAS BUSY ON THE RADIO; I THOUGHT IT BEST TO SWITCH TO UNICOM FOR TFC AND LANDED. SUMMATION: I NEVER RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC. I NEVER REQUESTED AN IFR CLRNC. I FLEW THE APPROPRIATE VFR ALT. IT IS NOT UNUSUAL FOR OKC APCH TO ASSIGN HDG AND ALT. I ANNOUNCED TO ZFW LEAVING 11500. I BELIEVE THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF SNOW BALLING. MY CLUES WERE: FLT PLAN EXPECT VISUAL APCH CANCEL THIS FREQ. I FEEL THE 30 KT TAILWIND MAY HAVE DECEIVED THE ZFW CTLR INTO BELIEVING I WAS ANOTHER ACFT THAT MUST HAVE BEEN IFR. I DID NOT BEHAVE IFR IN DSNDING AT MY WILL. I WAS NOT ASSIGNED A HDG TO FLY UNTIL OKC APCH FOR WHOM IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO ASSIGN ONE. I WOULD HAVE CLRED THIS UP ON THE APCH FREQ HAD THERE NOT BEEN FREQ CONGESTION; TFC TO LOOK FOR; UNICOM WAS BLOCKED BY AN ACR JET TRYING TO FIND AN SMA FOR ZFW. I FEEL THE ZFW CTLR MISIDENTED ME EVEN THOUGH I 3 TIMES GAVE HIM MY N NUMBER AND TYPE. THIS MISTAKE WAS OBVIOUSLY PASSED ON UNBEKNOWN TO ME UNTIL THE FINAL MINS OF FLT. I HOPE NO ONE WAS INCONVENIENCED. MY FLYING WAS COMPLYING WITH THE APCH CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS. I FELT AT THE TIME THE BEST PLACE TO STRAIGHTEN IT OUT WAS ON THE GND. I DID NOT TELEPHONE OKC APCH FOR FEAR OF REPRISAL! (THEY PROBABLY ARE BLAMING THE COMPUTER AT ZFW). I HOPE THIS MAY PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT! PS; IF THERE IS A NEXT TIME I WILL QUESTION UNKNOWNS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR COUNSELED. HE NOW REALIZES THAT WHEN HE 'CANCELLED IFR' HE PROBABLY CANCELLED SOMEONE ELSE'S CLRNC AND FREED AN ALT. THIS COULD HAVE LED TO A MIDAIR. HE HAS GIVEN INCIDENT MUCH THOUGHT SINCE THEN AND IS NOW MUCH WISER. HIS ATTITUDE IS POSITIVE. HE INTIMATED THAT HE HAS HAD WORDS WITH ATC IN THE PAST AND THIS MAY BE WHY HE WAS RELUCTANT TO FOLLOW UP ON THE DEAL.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.