B747 CREW HAD ALTDEV.

Narrative

WE HAD DEPARTED LAX ARPT AND WERE ON RADAR VECTORS TO THE S. I THINK THE HEADING WAS 160 DEGS. THE DEP CTLR CLRED US TO 15000 FT AND THEN GAVE US A CTR FREQ. WHEN I CHKED IN WITH ZLA I TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE WERE CLBING THROUGH 13700 FT AND THE CTLR TOLD US THAT WE WERE ONLY CLRED TO 13000 FT. I REPLIED IN THE NEGATIVE AND TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE CLRED TO 15000 FT BY THE PREVIOUS CTLR. HE THEN CLRED US TO 17000 FT. WHEN WE GOT THE 15000 FT CLRNC I DIALED IT INTO THE ALT WINDOW OF THE MODE CTL PANEL; ANNOUNCED IT TO THE COPLT; AND POINTED TO IT UNTIL THE COPLT REPEATED THE ALT AND ALSO POINTED. THIS IS STANDARD PROC FOR MY COMPANY. THIS PROC GAVE US A LARGE MEASURE OF CONFIDENCE WHEN THE CONFUSION AROSE BUT EVEN SO THERE WAS SOME CONCERN. THE CONCERN AROSE FROM THE HIGH WORKLOAD PRODUCED BY THIS DEP. THIS DEP ALMOST ALWAYS PRODUCES A FREQ CHANGE; ONE OR MORE HEADING CHANGES FOR THE RADAR VECTOR AND A NEW ALT ASSIGNMENT -- ALL BEFORE THE FLAPS ARE RETRACTED. THAT MEANS THAT THE PNF MUST RESPOND TO SEVERAL RADIO CALLS AS WELL AS AT LEAST 4 DIRECTIVES FROM THE PF; (FLAP RETRACTING CALLS). IDEALLY THERE WOULD BE NO RADIO CALLS; HEADING CHANGES OR NEW ALT ASSIGNMENTS UNTIL THE FLAPS ARE RETRACTED AND THE CREW HAS HAD TIME TO COMPLETE THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 452619: OCT/AB/99; AT OR ABOUT AM30 AM I WAS THE FO OF THE B747-400. SOCAL CLRED US TO 15000 FT; THE CAPT (PNF); READ BACK 15000 FT TO SOCAL AND SET IT IN THE ALT INDICATOR OF MCP AND HE POINTED TO IT. I VERIFIED IT BY POINTING TO IT ALSO (I HEARD 15000 FT ALSO) AND STARTED MY CLB. MOMENTS LATER THE CTLR HAD US SWITCH FREQ. AS WE WERE CLBING THROUGH 13700 FT THE CTLR TOLD US 'ACR ABCD HVY; YOU WERE ONLY CLRED TO 13000 FT.' CAPT RESPONDED; 'NEGATIVE; THE PREVIOUS CTLR HAD CLRED US UP TO 15000 FT.' HE RESPONDED; 'ACR ABCD CLB TO 17000 FT.' WE CONTACTED OUR DISPATCHER IF THEY CAN CALL THE ATC AND FIND OUT IF WE WERE WRONG IN ANY WAY. (HIGHLY UNLIKELY.) HE CAME BACK AND SAID THAT THE 2 CTLRS DIDN'T COMMUNICATE WELL; AND 15000 FT WAS AN UNUSUAL ALT FOR THE SECOND CTLR TO SEE. HE ALSO SAID NO RPT WILL BE FILED AGAINST US.