UNAUTH RADIO XMISSIONS (BOGUS CLRNCS) DIRECTED AT DC9 FLT ON APCH TO BNA.

Narrative

WHILE ON DSCNT INTO BNA FROM THE NE; I RECEIVED A RADIO CALL OSTENSIBLY FROM BNA APCH; WHICH WHEN I ACKNOWLEDGED IT; APCH DISAVOWED ANY AUTHORSHIP OF. I THEN CHKED WITH BNA COMPANY STATION; BUT THEY WERE APPARENTLY NOT YET WITHIN RECEPTION RANGE. WHILE I WAS OFF VHF #1; THE FO APPARENTLY RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL. WHEN I RETURNED TO VHF #1; I HEARD; 'ACR XYZ IS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH.' SINCE WE WERE IN IMC AND THE PHRASEOLOGY WAS OFF; I NOW RECOGNIZED THIS AS A BOGUS XMISSION. I CALLED APCH AND ASKED HIM IF HE HAD JUST CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH TO WHICH HE REPLIED; 'NO; EXPECT AN ILS APCH CLRNC IN 5 MI.' I THEN INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE RECEIVING WHAT WE BELIEVED TO BE BOGUS COMS AND CLRNCS WHEREUPON HE VERIFIED OUR CLRNC STATUS. THE BOGUS CALLS; WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN BETTER THAN WEAK AND SCRATCHY (SUGGESTING BATTERY PWRED; HAND-HELD ORIGIN) NOW CEASED ALTOGETHER. A POSTFLT CALL TO OUR AIR SAFETY OFFICE INITIATED AN INVESTIGATION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK REGARDING THE SPURIOUS CLRNC CALLER FROM HIS ACR. THE DAY FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT; ANOTHER ACFT CREW RPTED BEING GIVEN ERRONEOUS CLRNCS AND CONCLUDED THESE CLRNCS DID NOT ORIGINATE FROM APCH CTL. THE RPTR STATES THAT THE CALLER WAS AN ADULT MALE WITH A VOICE SIMILAR TO THE APCH CTLR AT THE TIME AND THAT IF THE CALLER WAS MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE SYS AND THE EVENT TIMING; HIS MISCHIEF COULD POSSIBLY HAVE TURNED INTO A VERY HAZARDOUS SIT. HE HAS NO FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS HOW SUCH INCIDENTS MAY BE PREVENTED IN THE FUTURE OTHER THAN TO MAINTAIN VIGILANCE AND A SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IN TODAY'S BIZARRE ENVIRONMENT.