FLC OF SMT GOV CHARTER ACFT TUNES THE WRONG FREQ AND CREATES CONFUSION AT ATC. RESULTING CLRNC IS CONFUSING TO FLC. ALTDEV.
Synopsis
FLC OF SMT GOV CHARTER ACFT TUNES THE WRONG FREQ AND CREATES CONFUSION AT ATC. RESULTING CLRNC IS CONFUSING TO FLC. ALTDEV.
Narrative
WHILE ENRTE FROM EFD TO NBG I WAS ACTING AS PNF (SIC) AND WORKING THE COM RADIOS. APPROX 80 NM OUT OF NBG AND IN LEVEL ASSIGNED CRUISE OF 17000 FT MSL; I WAS GIVEN A HDOF TO THE NEXT CTLR WHICH I READ BACK. I THEN REACHED UP AND ERASED THE EXISTING ZHU FREQ AND SUBSEQUENTLY FORGOT THE ASSIGNED HDOF FREQ. THE PIC THEN STATED HE HEARD THE FREQ AND REACHED OVER AND DIALED THE SUPPOSED FREQ IN. IT WAS NOT A VALID FREQ. THE PIC THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO TAKE CTL OF THE ACFT WHILE HE 'LOOKED UP' THE PROPER FREQ. HE DIALED IT IN AND TOOK THE PLANE AS PF AGAIN. I THEN CHKED IN WITH THE CTLR BY STATING 'ACFT IDENT WITH YOU AT 17000 FT.' THE CTLR RESPONDED BY SAYING 'ROGER.' AFTER A SHORT DURATION OF TIME; THE SAME CTLR GAVE US A CLRNC TO DSND FROM 17000 FT TO 2000 FT AT PLT'S DISCRETION. THE PF THEN STARTED THE DSCNT. THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME CONFUSION WITH THE CTLR AND ANOTHER ACFT WHICH WE COULD NOT HEAR (WE COULD ONLY HEAR THE CTLR RESPONDING TO THIS OTHER ACFT THAT THIS INSTRUCTION WAS FOR OUR ACFT IDENT; NOT HIM. I THEN AGAIN VERIFIED THAT THE CLRNC WAS INDEED FOR US WHEREUPON THE CTLR REPLIED 'AFFIRMATIVE.' THIS CTLR HANDED US OFF TO OUR FINAL CTLR (BEFORE TWR) WHEREUPON WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY ZHU TO CALL THEM BY LANDLINE; WHICH WE SUBSEQUENTLY DID. THEY INQUIRED WHY WE DSNDED TO 2000 FT UNAUTH. I THINK THE PIC POSSIBLY LOOKED UP THE WRONG FREQ AND EITHER CALLED LAFAYETTE APCH OR NEW ORLEANS APCH WHO DIDN'T QUITE EXPECT US AT THAT TIME AND GOT US CONFUSED WITH ANOTHER ACFT. HOWEVER; I DID CONFIRM OUR CLRNC BY READBACK AND EVEN CALLED BACK AGAIN TO RECONFIRM.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.