FLC OF WDB ACR MISCOPIED DRIFT INTXN FOR SIMILAR SOUNDING DITCH INTXN IN ATC CLRNC. THE CLRNC DEP CTLR MISSED THE INCORRECT FIX READBACK.
Synopsis
FLC OF WDB ACR MISCOPIED DRIFT INTXN FOR SIMILAR SOUNDING DITCH INTXN IN ATC CLRNC. THE CLRNC DEP CTLR MISSED THE INCORRECT FIX READBACK.
Narrative
WE RECEIVED OUR ATC CLRNC TO FRA VIA THE PHILADELPHIA 6 DEP RADAR VECTORS TO DRIFT; J121 TO J62 ACK AS FILED. THIS RTE WAS NOT OUR ORIGINAL FILED RTE AND WHEN THE CTLR READ THE CLRNC SHE READ IT SO FAST I WAS UNABLE TO COPY THE CLRNC. I REQUESTED ANOTHER READING; AND READ BACK THE ABOVE CLRNC. THE CTLR CONCURRED. I LOADED DRIFT IN THE FIRST WAYPOINT POS AND LOADED THE OTHER WAYPOINTS ALONG OUR RTE. UPON DEP WE WERE TOLD TO CONTACT DEP CTL AND DEP TOLD US TO TURN L AND PROCEED DIRECT DITCH INTXN. I ASKED THE FO TO CONFIRM THAT WE WERE CLRED TO DITCH AND NOT DRIFT INTXN. AT THAT POINT THE RADIO FAILED. WE COULD RECEIVE BUT NOT XMIT. THE CTLR REPEATED THE CLRNC TO DITCH INTXN. I SWITCHED MY NAV RADIOS TO DETERMINE WHERE DITCH WAS AND TOOK UP A HEADING TOWARD DITCH. I WAS UNABLE TO RNAV TO DITCH BECAUSE OUR INS'S REQUIRE LATITUDE LONGITUDE INPUT AND THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIME. THE FO CONTACTED DEP ON THE #2 RADIO AND WE CONFIRMED OUR RTE CLRNC WITH DEP. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN NAVING DIRECT TO DITCH AND ON COURSE. HOWEVER; I WAS SURPRISED BY OUR CLRNC AFTER TKOF AND A LOT OF CONFUSION ENSUED BECAUSE DITCH AND DRIFT INTXNS SOUND VERY SIMILAR ACROSS THE RADIO AND COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR ONE ANOTHER. THIS IS THE REASON I REQUESTED CLARIFICATION. IN SHORT; THE COM PRIOR TO AND DURING THE RADIO FAILURE WAS POOR. THE ATC CLRNC I RECEIVED WAS NOT WHAT DEP REALLY WANTED AND THE NAMES OF THE INTXNS WERE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE DEP CTLR WAS REALLY SURE WHICH INTXN HE WAS CLRING ME TO. I THINK WE IN THE INDUSTRY NEED TO FOCUS ON COM; NOT THE PLT CTLR GLOSSARY; BUT RENAMING SIMILAR SOUNDING INTXNS AND TRYING TO MAKE PREDEP CLRNCS EQUAL WHAT THE DEP CTLR REALLY WANTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH FACILITY PROCS SPECIALIST REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK WAS MADE TO A FACILITY PROCS SPECIALIST WHO STATED THE COMMON RTE CLRNC FOR RPTR'S RTE IS DITCH V312 DRIFT J121 AND INDICATED IN ANY EVENT; THE ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE SID OVER DITCH AND THEN THE APPROPRIATE AIRWAY.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.