A CPR LJ31 DEPARTING FROM LAS RECEIVING CONFLICTING ATC INSTRUCTIONS FROM CLRNC DELIVERY AND DEP CTL.
Synopsis
A CPR LJ31 DEPARTING FROM LAS RECEIVING CONFLICTING ATC INSTRUCTIONS FROM CLRNC DELIVERY AND DEP CTL.
Narrative
WE RECEIVED A CLRNC FROM CLRNC DELIVERY WHICH STATED 'FLY RWY HDG FOR THE MEAD 2 DEP.' WHEN CLRED FOR TKOF; TWR ISSUED THE SAME CLRNC. THE FIRST PART OF THE MEAD 2 DEP IS TO FLY RWY HDG UNTIL 3 DME; THEN TURN R TO HDG 360 DEGS. THAT'S WHAT WE DID. THE DEP CTLR ASKED US WHAT OUR CLRNC WAS AS WE WERE IN OUR TURN TO 360 DEGS AND WE REPEATED WHAT THE CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR AND TWR CTLR HAD SAID. THE DEP CTLR SAID 'FLY HDG 050 DEGS; RADAR VECTORS FOR THE MEAD 2.' HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY THE WORDS 'RADAR VECTORS.' AFTER RECEIVING A SECOND VECTOR TO 070 DEGS; A DIFFERENT VOICE CAME OVER THE RADIO AND TOLD US TO CALL THE ATC FACILITY ON THE TELEPHONE WHEN WE LANDED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NOTAM EXISTED FOR THE LAS VOR AS OTS; BUT 2 DIFFERENT CTLRS ISSUED CLRNCS WHICH USED IT; PLUS; ACCORDING TO MY FO; IT HAD A GOOD MORSE CODE IDENT. LACK OF THE KEYWORDS 'RADAR VECTORS' IN THE CLRNCS. FAA PROC OF XMITTING T-E-S-T WHEN VORS ARE INOP. WE (MY FO AND I) BOTH KNEW THE LAS VOR WAS NOTAMED OTS BUT SINCE 2 DIFFERENT CTLRS ISSUED A CLRNC USING IT (THE FO CHKED THE IDENT AND SAID IT WAS GOOD) WE FIGURED IT WAS BACK UP AND THE NOTAM HADN'T BEEN UPDATED; AS IS FREQUENTLY THE CASE. IF THE CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR AND TWR CTLR SAID THE WORDS 'RADAR VECTORS;' NEITHER THE FO NOR I HEARD IT. THE FIRST CTLR WE HEARD SAY THAT WAS THE DEP CTLR. EACH TIME WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC; WE READ IT BACK THEY WAY WE HEARD IT. IF THE CTLRS NOTICED WE DIDN'T USE THE WORDS 'RADAR VECTORS;' THEY SHOULD HAVE QUERIED US. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FAA RECENTLY SHIFTED ITS POS AND THAT CTLRS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO CORRECT INACCURATE READBACKS. IF JUST ONE OF THOSE CTLRS HAD DONE SO; THIS RPT WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY. FINALLY; IT'S POSSIBLE THE FO HEARD THE MORSE CODE FOR T-E-S-T AND MISTOOK IT FOR THE CORRECT IDENT. IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT THE CORRECT IDENT WAS BEING XMITTED (I DIDN'T MONITOR IT MYSELF). IF HE DID MISTAKE THE T-E-S-T CODE FOR THE IDENT; HE CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TO HAVE DONE SO. I RECOMMEND THAT A SIGNAL OF A STEADY TONE OR A CONSTANT; UNINTERRUPTED SERIES OF '......' OR '--------' BE XMITTED DURING PERIODS OF VOR/TACAN MAINT. THAT WAY THERE WOULD BE NO CONFUSING IT. WHEN I CALLED THE LAS ATC FACILITY; THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE TO SAID NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT; A LOT OF OTHER FOLKS HAVE BEEN DOING THE SAME THING. IF I'M IN THE COMPANY OF A LOT OF OTHER FOLKS; THERE MUST BE AN AMBIGUITY IN THE CLRNCS/PROCS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS VOR OUTAGE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.