UNAUTH ACTIVATION OF IFR FLT PLAN BY INSTRUCTOR PLT AND HIS STUDENT WHEN CLRNC INTERP IS ERRONEOUS.
Synopsis
UNAUTH ACTIVATION OF IFR FLT PLAN BY INSTRUCTOR PLT AND HIS STUDENT WHEN CLRNC INTERP IS ERRONEOUS.
Narrative
ON APR/XX/93; A STUDENT WHO WAS WORKING ON HIS INST RATING. WE PLANNED AN IFR XCOUNTRY TRAINING FLT FROM 3I3 TO DNV. WX WAS RPTED AT HUF AS BEING 700 SCATTERED; 2100 OVCST WITH 4 MI VISIBILITY. THE STUDENT THEN CALLED HULMAN TWR TO OBTAIN A CLRNC VOID TIME. THE INFO RECEIVED WAS AS FOLLOWS: '...CLRED TO DNV VIA RADAR VECTORS; CLB AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT; ENTER CTLED AIRSPACE ON A HDG OF 360 DEGS; DEP FREQ IS 125.45; SQUAWK XXXX; HOLD FOR RELEASE AT XA50Z AND GIVE US A CALL BACK.' THERE WAS A MISCOM BTWN THE STUDENT AND I MISUNDERSTOOD THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE HOLD FOR RELEASE. I UNDERSTOOD THAT I COULD GO AFTER XA50Z. WE TOOK OFF IN THE SMA AND CONTACTED APCH AT XA53Z. AT THIS TIME THE STUDENT WAS WORKING THE RADIOS AND THE CTLR SAID THAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO CALL FOR A RELEASE AND THAT WE WERE NOT GIVEN A CLRNC. THEN THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS AND THE STUDENT SAID 'YES.' THIS WAS A COM PROB BTWN THE 2. AS WE WERE PASSING THROUGH THE SCATTERED LAYER THAT'S WHEN WE WERE ASKED THE QUESTION. WE HAD NOT PASSED THROUGH OR GOT INTO THE OVCST LAYER YET. THE STUDENT REPLIED YES WE ARE IN THE CLOUDS; WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DSND. THE CTLR SAID 'NO BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT US TO CRASH INTO ANYTHING.' WE WOULD NOT HAVE ASKED TO DSND IF WE WERE IN IMC CONDITIONS. THE STUDENT WAS THINKING THAT WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS EVEN THOUGH WE WERE PASSING THROUGH THE SCATTERED LAYER AND SAID THAT WE WERE. THAT IS WHERE THE MISUNDERSTANDING WAS BTWN THE CTLR AND THE STUDENT. THERE HAS BEEN A DISCUSSION BTWN THE SUPVR AND I TO PREVENT THE SAME SIT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.