CFIT NEAR HAYDEN; CO.

Narrative

WE PROCEEDED TO HDN AND NAVED VIA DIRECT BECAUSE OF OUR FMS. AS WE APCHED HDN FROM THE SW; WE WERE APPROX ABOUT 20 MINS AWAY AND FINALLY RECEIVED THE WX. THE WX AT HDN WAS 1 MI; 100 FT OVCST AND TEMP OF -1 DEG. WE WERE CLRED IN THE DSCNT TO 17000 FT. BEFORE WE REACHED 17000 FT WE WERE THEN CLRED TO 16000 FT. I DIALED IN 16000 FT IN OUR ALT ALERTER IN WHICH MY FO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE HEARD 16000 FT. I TOLD MY FO THAT I WAS GOING OFF THE RADIO TO BRIEF THE PAX ON WHAT OUR OPTIONS WERE FOR GETTING INTO HDN. I GAVE MY FO CTL OF THE ACFT. THEN; I TOOK MY HEADSET OFF TO BRIEF THE PAX ON THE CURRENT WX AND THAT WE COULD SHOOT THE APCH ONE TIME. THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO GJT TO REFUEL AND ASSESS THE WX. THEY SAID THAT WAS FINE. I TURNED BACK AROUND AND PUT MY HEADSET BACK ON. MY FO TOLD ME WE WERE NOW CLRED DOWN TO 10000 FT AND HE GAVE ME BACK CTL OF THE ACFT. WE LEVELED OFF AT 10000 FT AND STARTED TO BRIEF THE ILS INTO HDN. I LOOKED UP TO SEE THAT MY RADAR ALTIMETER STARTED TO READ 1500 FT AND WAS DSNDING. I IMMEDIATELY KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AND STARTED TO CLB. AS SOON AS I STARTED TO INCREASE THE PWR AND PITCH UP; OUR TERRAIN WARNING STARTED TO GO OFF AND 1 SECOND LATER; ZDV ASKED WHAT ALT WE WERE AT CURRENTLY. MY FO RESPONDED THAT WE WERE AT 10000 FT AND CLBING. CTR TOLD US TO CLB IMMEDIATELY TO 12000 FT. WE REACHED 12000 FT VERY QUICKLY AND LEVELED OFF. ZDV SAID WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT 12000 FT AND MY FO SAID HE READ BACK 10000 FT AND CTR NEVER CORRECTED HIM. ZDV SAID WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL RIGHT BECAUSE THE MOCA IN OUR AREA WAS 10000 FT. I BELIEVE THIS INCIDENT CAME ABOUT BECAUSE OF A BREAKDOWN IN COM BTWN OUR ACFT AND ZDV. MY FO SWEARS THAT HE READ BACK 10000 FT AND ZDV NEVER CORRECTED HIM. OTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS WERE THAT I WAS OFF THE RADIO AND BRIEFING THE PAX ON THE CURRENT SIT AND WAS NOT ABLE TO VERIFY WHAT ZDV SAID OR WHAT MY COPLT RESPONDED WITH. I THINK IN FUTURE SITS THAT WHEN I TAKE MY HEADSET OFF I WILL TURN THE OVERHEAD SPEAKER ON AND LISTEN IN THE BACKGND FOR RADIO COMS.