B727. UNREADABLE RADIO XMISSION FROM BAQ COLUMBIA RESULT IN A VISUAL DSCNT BELOW MSA.

Date: 1998-09 · Aircraft: B727-200

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

B727. UNREADABLE RADIO XMISSION FROM BAQ COLUMBIA RESULT IN A VISUAL DSCNT BELOW MSA.

Narrative

CLRNC CONFUSION DUE COM PROBS. BAQ APCH CTL HAD AN ALMOST UNREADABLE XMIT TO US TO DSND INTO BAQ. WE ALL HEARD THAT WE WERE TO DSND TO 2200 FT AND RPT THE BAQ VOR. WE WERE DOWN TO 2200 FT AT 17 DME N UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. MEA WAS 6000 FT BUT IN CAVU CONDITION. WE PROCEEDED AT 2200 FT SAFELY TO EXPEDITE ARR. WE GAVE COURTESY CALL AT 2200 FT AND 17 DME N AND CTLR WAS SURPRISED TO FIND US AT 2200 FT AND INDICATED HE HAD WANTED US AT 4000 FT. WE WERE SURPRISED ALSO DUE TO OUR READBACK THAT WE WERE DSNDING TO 2200 FT. WE WERE TOLD TO PROCEED TO BAQ AND RPT THE FIELD. WE DID JUST THAT AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. RETROSPECT AND THINKING AT THE TIME TOLD US THAT WE SHOULD HAVE STAYED AT MEA'S UNDER IFR BUT DUE EXCELLENT WX AND GOOD TERRAIN BRIEF WE PROCEEDED AS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED. I BELIEVE THAT THE ARR CTL FREQ WAS OF SUCH POOR QUALITY THAT IT ALONE CREATED THE CONFUSION. SAFETY WAS NOT COMPROMISED DUE VISUAL SEPARATION. SEPARATION OF ANY POTENTIAL TFC CONFLICT WITH ADDITIONAL AID OF TCASII ONLY POTENTIAL PROB POSSIBLE WOULD BE DEV FROM CLRNC BUT DUE TO READBACK/HEARBACK ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREMELY POOR RADIO; I'M SUGGESTING A HIGHER DEGREE OF RADIO MAINT/FUNCTION AT BAQ ARR. SIDE NOTE THAT DEP ABOUT AN HR LATER HAD CLR AND VERY UNDERSTANDABLE XMISSIONS ALL THE WAY OUT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 413278: RECEIVED CLRNC FROM FL330 TO FL190 RPT FL220. ASKED IF WE HAD ARPT IN SIGHT. RESPONDED; 'LOOKING FOR ARPT.' CALLED ARPT IN SIGHT APPROX 10 DME. RECEIVED VISUAL APCH BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT. REVIEWING THE MEA FOR THIS RTE IT SHOWED 6000 FT. APPROPRIATE ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO STAY AT 6000 FT UNTIL BAQ VOR OR RWY IN SIGHT. COM DIFFICULTY WITH BAQ APCH FREQ BROKEN DURING ALMOST ALL OF THEIR XMISSIONS.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.