PROPER COM PROCS BY FLC. INCOMPLETE AND VAGUE COM BY FLC PROVIDES ATC CONCERNS.

Date: 2002-06 · Aircraft: Regional Jet CL65; Undifferentiated or Other Model · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-acft-to-atc-communications

Synopsis

PROPER COM PROCS BY FLC. INCOMPLETE AND VAGUE COM BY FLC PROVIDES ATC CONCERNS.

Narrative

WE HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED TWO INCIDENTS INVOLVING ACRS IN WHICH THE PLTS HAVE USED VAGUE TERMS WHEN DESCRIBING CONDITIONS AFFECTING THEIR ACFT. IN ONE CASE; THE PLT WAS ON THE GND AND RPTED HE HAD 'ISSUES' BEFORE LEAVING THE FREQUENCY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME WHILE ON A TXWY. IN THE SECOND INSTANCE; THE PLT MADE REFERENCE TO 'A SIT' WHILE AIRBORNE. THE PLT WANTED TO CIRCLE THE ARPT FOR AN UNSPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME; BUT WAS NOT SPECIFIC REGARDING WHY HE NEEDED TO CIRCLE. IN BOTH CASES; THE CTLRS AND SUPVRS-IN-CHARGE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE FLC AND PAX AND ADDITIONAL ACTIONS WERE TAKEN TO ENSURE EACH ACFT WAS NOT BEING UNLAWFULLY INTERFERED WITH. FORTUNATELY NEITHER CASE INVOLVED UNLAWFUL INTERFERENCE. HOWEVER; THE WORDS USED BY THE PLTS CERTAINLY RAISED SUSPICIONS AND CONCERNS AMONG ATC PERSONNEL. IN THE POST 9/TUE/2001 CLIMATE WE'RE IN; PLTS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT VAGUE REFERENCES MIGHT BE MISINTERPRETED BY ATC AS A PLT ATTEMPTING TO COVERTLY ALERT ATC TO AN INSTANCE OF UNLAWFUL INTERFERENCE. NOW; MORE THAN EVER; ATC NEEDS TO KNOW ANYTIME A PLT IS GOING TO DEVIATE FROM THE 'NORMAL ROUTINE.' WE ARE ALL ON A HEIGHTENED STATE OF ALERT AND COM IS KEY TO ENSURING ATC DOES NOT OVERREACT TO A MINOR PROB OR; EVEN WORSE; UNDER-REACT TO A LIFE THREATENING CONDITION.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.