EMB140 FLT CREW EXPERIENCED CONFUSION WITH DSCNT CLRNC FROM ZDC.

Narrative

WHILE AT FLT LEVEL (SOMEWHERE IN THE TWENTIES; I DON'T REMEMBER); ZDC GAVE US (ACR X) A DSCNT TO 15000 FT AND TO DSND AT A GOOD RATE. THE CAPT READ BACK THE CLRNC WITH NO QUERY OR CONTRADICTION FROM THE CTLR. UPON APCHING 16000 FT; THE CTLR ASKED US ASSIGNED ALT AND WE INFORMED HIM WE WERE DSNDING TO 15000 FT AS ASSIGNED. HE (THE CTLR) THEN TOLD US TO LEVEL AT 16000 FT THEN WE HEARD THE CTLR INFORM ACR Y TO IMMEDIATELY DSND TO AN ALT. WE ASKED THE CTLR IF EVERYTHING WAS OK AND HE SAID YES. ON AT LEAST 1 OTHER OCCASION WHILE ON THIS SAME FREQ; WE WERE REFERRED TO AS ACR Y; BUT ON THOSE OCCASIONS THE CTLR MADE THE CORRECTION TO ACR X. AT NO TIME WAS THERE A TFC CONFLICT MADE AWARE TO US; NOR WAS THERE A TA/RA OR TFC SEEN WHILE DSNDING. TO MY KNOWLEDGE; THERE WAS NO TFC CONFLICT FOR ACR Y WHILE WE HEARD HIM ON THE FREQ. ONCE ON THE GND IN ORF; WE CALLED THE SUPVR AT ZDC TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS OK AND HE TOLD THE CAPT EVERYTHING WAS FINE AND THERE WAS NO CONFLICT. I THINK THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS CONFUSION IN CLRNCS WAS THE SIMILARITY BTWN CALL SIGNS OF OUR ACR X AND ACR Y AND THE HVY WORKLOAD OF THE CTLR. I BELIEVE THE CTLR MISTAKENLY GAVE US ACR Y'S CLRNC AND DID NOT CATCH THE READBACK AS COMING FROM US AND NOT ACR Y.