GIVEN LATE DSCNT CLRNC FROM 19000 FT TO 15000 FT BUT ATC LATER CLAIMED NO SUCH CLRNC WAS ISSUED.

Date: 1993-02 · Aircraft: Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

GIVEN LATE DSCNT CLRNC FROM 19000 FT TO 15000 FT BUT ATC LATER CLAIMED NO SUCH CLRNC WAS ISSUED.

Narrative

SBOUND ON VA632 AT FL190 ENRTE FROM JFK TO BARBADOS. FOR SOME TIME WE HAD BEEN REQUESTING A DSCNT FROM PIARCO CTR; WITH WHOM WE WERE IN CONTACT WITH ON 123.7. FINALLY; APPROX 20 NM N OF BGI (STILL ON VA632) PIARCO CLRED US TO 'DSND TO FL150; RPT LEAVING FL180.' MY FO READ THE CLRNC BACK; WE BOTH CONFIRMED FL150 SET IN THE ALT WINDOW (VIA NEW PROC) RECEIVED WHAT WE UNDERSTOOD WAS VERIFICATION FROM PIARCO; AND BEGAN A DSCNT. PIARCO THEN GAVE US DIRECTIONS TO CONTACT ADAMS APCH ON FREQ 129.35. WE DID AND CALLED LEVELING AT FL150. ADAMS INFORMED US WE SHOULD STILL BE LEVEL AT FL190. WE INFORMED ADAMS THAT PIARCO HAD CLRED US TO FL150 AND WOULD HE (ADAMS) LIKE US TO CLB BACK TO FL190? HE REPLIED TO THE NEGATIVE AND THEN VECTORED US FOR ADDITIONAL DSCNT AS NOW WE WERE WITHIN 10 MI OF THE FIELD AND STILL AT FL150. WE WERE VECTORED TO AND FLEW AN ILS TO RWY 9 AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I CONTACTED ADAMS APCH CTL IMMEDIATELY BY PHONE AND QUERIED HIM AS TO WHAT WAS GOING ON; IE; WHY HAD PIARCO DSNDED US SO LATE; WHY PIARCO DID NOT HAND US OFF TO ADAMS EARLIER AND WHY DID THEY KEEP US SO HIGH SO LONG. HE (ADAMS) THEN CALLED PIARCO; WHO DENIED EVER HAVING GIVEN US THE DSCNT CLRNC. ADAMS CTLR THEN COMPLAINED TO ME THAT THEY (ADAMS) HAVE THIS TYPE OF 'TROUBLE' WITH PIARCO ALL THE TIME; PARTICULARLY WITH LATE HDOFS TO ADAMS. THE PROB SEEMS TO HAVE ARISEN FROM A TIMING PROB WITH PIARCO CTR. IN DEFENSE OF PIARCO I WILL SAY THAT AT THE TIME HE WAS WORKING ME; HE WAS WORKING QUITE A FEW OTHER ACFT AND SEEMED TASK SATURATED. I WOULD RECOMMEND ICAO INTRODUCE FURTHER TRAINING TO PIARCO AS I FELT ADAMS WAS FAIRLY CAPABLE AND SEEMED TO REACT VERY PROFESSIONALLY TO THE SIT. I ALSO RECOMMEND PIARCO BE EQUIPPED WITH MODE 3A INTERROGATION CAPABILITY BECAUSE MUCH OF HIS (PIARCO'S) ENERGY WAS SPENT QUERYING ACFT AS TO THEIR RADIAL AND DME FROM BGI. A VERY HAPHAZARD SIT AT BEST.

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