A DSNDING B727 CREW HAS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH A DSNDING B767; BOTH BEING VECTORED INTO ATL. COM MIX UP IN SIMILAR SOUNDING ALPHA NUMERIC.

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OUR FLT WAS B727 TALKING TO ATL APCH. WE WERE ON A 360 DEG HDG; BASE LEG FOR RWY 27L AT 5000 FT. APCH SAID; 'YOU HAVE B727 TFC AT 2 O'CLOCK; 5000 FT; GOOD RATE TO 4000 FT.' WE READ BACK THE CLRNC AND DSNDED AT 1500 FPM. AT ABOUT 4500 FT APCH SAID; 'MAINTAIN 5000 FT.' WE DISHED OUT AT ABOUT 4300 FT AND CLBED BACK TO 5000 FT. IN THE PROCESS WE GOT A TA AND THE SO ESTABLISHED VISUAL CONTACT WITH A B767 AT 4000 FT AT 9 O'CLOCK. APPARENTLY; EITHER WE COPIED THE CLRNC FOR B767 (WHICH MAKES SENSE) OR APCH WAS CONFUSED AND ACTUALLY CLRED US TO 4000 FT. ON THE GND; I CALLED APCH CTL. THE CTLR HAD ALREADY BEEN RELIEVED; BUT IT WAS THE SUPVR'S IMPRESSION THAT WE HAD COPIED THE WRONG CLRNC; BUT THEY WOULDN'T KNOW TILL THEY LISTENED TO THE TAPES. AT ANY RATE; SEPARATION WAS NOT LOST IN THAT VISUAL CONTACT WAS MAINTAINED. THIS WAS A VERY BUSY TIME ON THE FREQ WITH THE ADDITIONAL COMPLICATION OF SIMILAR SOUNDING CALL SIGNS. IN ADDITION; WE HAD ANOTHER PLT ON THE JUMP SEAT; AND WE WERE ALL OF THE OPINION THAT THE CTLR HAD; IN FACT; CLRED US 'GOOD RATE TO 4000 FT.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 403585: ON APCH INTO ATL; OUR FLT WAS GIVEN A HDG OF 360 DEGS. THE RESPONSE TO THE HDG CLIPPED THE CTLR'S CALL. THE CTLR WAS QUERIED AND HE DIRECTED A DSCNT FROM 5000 FT TO 4000 FT; AND GIVES INSTRUCTIONS TO EXPEDITE THE DSCNT. AT THE SAME TIME; TFC WAS GIVEN -- A B727 AT 2 O'CLOCK. PASSING 4500 FT IN THE DSCNT TO 4000 FT; THE CTLR DIRECTED AN IMMEDIATE CLB TO 5000 FT AND ADVISED OF B767 TFC; 3 NM AT 10 O'CLOCK. THE B767 TFC WAS VISUALLY ACQUIRED AT 10 O'CLOCK; 2 NM AWAY.