FLT CREW OF GLF4 EXPERIENCE FLAWED HANDLING BY L30 APCH CTLR ON STAR ARRS.

Date: 2004-01 · Aircraft: Gulfstream IV / G350 / G450 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance

Synopsis

FLT CREW OF GLF4 EXPERIENCE FLAWED HANDLING BY L30 APCH CTLR ON STAR ARRS.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED BUR FOR LAS ON A FLT PLAN FILED FOR CRESO STAR. CLRNC DELIVERY CLRED US TO DAG AND CLARR. WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS CLARR AT 13000 FT. NOTE THAT THE IDALE STAR IS 13000 FT FOR CLARR AND THE CLARR STAR IS 12000 FT FOR CLARR. PRIOR TO REACHING CLARR; THERE WERE SEVERAL XMISSIONS FROM LAS APCH REGARDING A SHIFT CHANGE ISSUED TO OTHER ACFT. APPROX UPON REACHING CLARR; THE CTLR TOLD US TO 'DSND VIA THE IDALE; EXPECT RWY 25R.' WE SCRAMBLED FOR THE CHART AND LOADED THE ARR. I SELECTED THE NEXT ALT AND DIRECT TO IDALE. THIS OCCURRED WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. THE CTLR ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING; THAT WE WERE 20 DEGS OFF. THIS DID NOT APPEAR TO MAKE SENSE. THE CTLR THEN ISSUED 050 DEG HDG AND ASKED WHEN WE COULD NAV TO BLD. WE TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE ABLE. THE HDG PARALLELED THE ARR. THIS AROUSED OUR SUSPICIONS. WE WERE NOT ISSUED THE IDALE UNTIL WE WERE TOLD TO DSND VIA. I CALLED TRACON ON THE GND TO FIND OUT WHAT WENT ON. I EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE COMPLYING WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO CRESO ARR AND THAT NEXT TIME WE SHOULD NOT TRY TO COMPLY WITH ATC INSTRUCTION; BUT TELL THEM WHAT WE ARE DOING! IT APPEARED THAT; BECAUSE WE WERE PROCEEDING TO CLARR AT 13000 FT; THEY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE ON THE IDALE AS OPPOSED TO THE CLARR WHICH CROSSES AT 12000 FT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR AND ANALYST DETERMINED THAT IDALE WAS NOT THE REFED ARR TO WHICH THEY WERE SWITCHED. RPTR BELIEVES IT WAS LIKELY THE KEPEC RNAV ARR ON WHICH CLARR IS ALSO UTILIZED; BUT AT WHICH THE ALT IS 13000 FT VICE 12000 FT ON THE CLARR ARR. THE UNDERLYING PROB APPEARS TO RPTR TO BE THAT L30 TRACON IS HAVING DIFFICULTY IN ADAPTING TO THE MULTITUDE OF ARR PROCS INTO LAS. SIMILAR RPTS INDICATE THAT SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS NEED TO BE MADE TO STANDARDIZE PHRASEOLOGY; PROCS AND TECHNIQUES APPLIED BY L30 TO THESE ARRS.

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