CAPT OF A B737-300 STARTED DSCNT AND HDG CHANGE PER APCH CTLR CLRNC. THEN SUBSEQUENTLY NOTICED THAT THE CLRNC WAS FOR ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT AND STOPPED DSNDING AND ROLLED OUT ON DOWNWIND.
Synopsis
CAPT OF A B737-300 STARTED DSCNT AND HDG CHANGE PER APCH CTLR CLRNC. THEN SUBSEQUENTLY NOTICED THAT THE CLRNC WAS FOR ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT AND STOPPED DSNDING AND ROLLED OUT ON DOWNWIND.
Narrative
CALL SIGN ACR X (THERE WAS ALSO ACR Y IN PATTERN). HE MUST HAVE BEEN ON BASE BY OUTSIDE OF EBENO INTXN BECAUSE CTLR INADVERTENTLY USED OUR CALL SIGN AND TOLD US TO TURN TO A 240 DEG HDG TO INTERCEPT AND DSND FROM 6000 FT TO 4000 FT. (THIS MUST HAVE BEEN FOR ACR X.) WE BEGAN DSCNT AND STARTED TURN AND STARTED QUERYING CTLR ABOUT HDG. IT GOT CONFUSING BECAUSE IT WAS BUSY AND ACR Y STARTED WONDERING WHO THE HDGS WERE FOR AS WELL. CTLR STARTED TO GET EXCITED BECAUSE NOW WE WERE IN A DSNDING TURN TOWARDS ILS FINAL TFC! FORTUNATELY I WAS VFR AND I COULD SEE THIS WAS NOT RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY DID A 45 DEG BANK TURN TO THE L AND ROLLED OUT ON OUR DOWNWIND HDG OF 090 DEGS AND CLBED BACK UP TO 6000 FT. ( WE COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWISE WHILE WE DID THIS.) THE CTLR WAS CONFUSED AND STARTED TELLING ACR X TO FLY 180 DEG HDG (HE WAS TALKING TO ACR Y ON BASE). WE FINALLY GOT A WORD IN AND TOLD THEM WHAT WE WERE DOING AND HE TOLD US TO CLB TO 6000 FT AND MAINTAIN 080 DEG HDG. WE CONTINUED VECTORS UNTIL FINAL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. WHEN ON GND I CALLED UP APCH CTL AND TALKED TO SUPVR. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT CTLR MAY HAVE USED WRONG CALL SIGN; BUT HAD NOT LISTENED TO THE TAPES. I TOLD HIM NO PROB; I WOULD FILE A NASA RPT AND LEAVE IT AT THAT. FORTUNATELY; IT WAS VFR AND MY GUT INSTINCT WAS TO TURN BACK TO WHERE I THOUGHT WE SHOULD BE -- ON DOWNWIND AT 6000 FT.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.