ACR X UNAUTH DSCNT BELOW ASSIGNED ALT. ALTDEV.

Narrative

ACR X CLRED TO CROSS 6 MI NW OF SFO AT 11000 FT AT 250 KTS. WE WERE NOT ON THE GOLDEN GATE 3 ARR; NOR CLRED AS SUCH. WE QUESTIONED THE CLRNC AND IT WAS REPEATED. THE CTLR 'STUMBLED' OVER HIS WORDS AND WE ASKED HIM TO ACKNOWLEDGE IF IT WAS 6 MI OR 6000 FT. HE STATED '06;' HOWEVER; WE WERE NOW DSNDING RAPIDLY AND REALIZED WE HAD TO LEVEL AT 11000 FT - THE CTLR XMITTED THAT WE CLB BACK TO 11000 FT - WE ACKNOWLEDGED AND LEVELED OFF AT 10300 FT AND INITIATED A CLB BACK TO 11000 FT. I FEEL IF WE WERE GIVEN THE GOLDEN GATE ARR TO CROSS LESTR (WHICH IS 6 NM NW OF SFO) ALL PROBS COULD HAVE BEEN A AVOIDED. A MISCOM AND UNDERSTANDING PREVAILED. IF WE'D HAVE REQUESTED OR BEEN ASSIGNED THE GOLDEN GATE 3 ARR I FEEL THE FMS/VERT NAV WOULD HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED AND ALL PROBS AVOIDED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 299620: APCH CTL CLRED (US) TO; WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A POINT 60 NW OF SFO AT 11000 FT. I QUESTIONED THE FO ABOUT THE CLRNC. HE THOUGHT 6; NOT 60; MI. AS 1 RTE WAS DIRECT PYE DIRECT SFO; BOTH OF US HAD DOUBTS. WE AGAIN QUESTIONED APCH AND HE READ BACK ZERO SIX MI; N OF SFO AT 11000 FT. STILL UNSURE; WE HAD A COCKPIT DISCUSSION. I HAD WRITTEN THE CLRNC DOWN INCORRECTLY. THE READBACK WAS SLURRED THE SECOND TIME. THE 11000 FT WAS CORRECT; BUT WHERE? FOR WHATEVER REASON I HAD 6000 FT IN MY MIND AND ROLLED 6000 FT INTO THE FMS. I SLOWED EARLY FROM 290 KTS TO 250 KTS WITH DOUBTS STILL IN MY MIND. WE WERE DRIVING DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN. I KNOW THE FO COULDN'T SEE THE FMS WITHOUT SPECIAL EFFORT; AS I COULDN'T EITHER. THE DEBATE IN THE COCKPIT CONTINUED AS TO THE CLRNC. I ROLLED ZERO VERT/SPD INTO THE FMS; NOT WANTING TO DSND ON A DOUBTFUL CLRNC. WE LEVELED AT 10500 FT. APCH ASKED US WHAT WE WERE DOING; WE RESPONDED CLRNC TO 6000 FT. THEY TOLD US CLRNC WAS TO 11000 FT AND CLB BACK TO 11000 FT.