2005-03 · NASA ASRS report 650847
B757 PLT EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING SIMILAR FLT NUMBERS AND RELATED CONFUSION WITH REGARD TO ATC CLRNCS.
SIMILAR SOUNDING CALL SIGNS: WITH HEARBACK/READBACK ERRORS AND ALT BUSTS RANKING VERY HIGH IN RPTS; I WOULD LIKE TO DRAW ATTN TO A COUPLE OF SITS THAT WILL ADD TO THOSE STATISTICS IF NOT REMEDIED. DSNDING INTO EWR ON THE WILLIAMSPORT ARR; BOTH OUR FLT X AND ACR FLT Y (TO LGA) WERE ON THE SAME FREQ. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED US THAT BOTH OF OUR FLTS WERE REASONABLY ON TIME AND THAT THESE FLT NUMBERS WERE SCHEDULED THIS WAY (X TO EWR WAS 6 MINS EARLY AND Y TO LGA WAS 11 MINS LATE). WE WERE BOTH ON THE SAME SET OF FREQS FROM THE LATTER PORTION OF CRUISE; THROUGH DSCNT AND UNTIL WE ENTERED HOLDING FOR EWR AND Y CONTINUED ON TO LGA. EFFORT WAS MADE BY ZNY AND BOTH FLT CREWS BY SLOWLY ENUNCIATING THE FLT NUMBERS; BUT AT LEAST 1 RADIO CALL WAS INCORRECTLY TAKEN BY THE OTHER FLT. I AM SURE THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN CHANGE TO AVOID HAVING ONE FLT TAKE THE WRONG ATC INSTRUCTION AND POTENTIALLY CAUSING A MUCH LARGER SIT. IN ADDITION; I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT DEPARTING LAX; ACR FLT X TOOK OFF JUST BEFORE ACR Y FLT Z (AND FOLLOWED US FOR THE FIRST HR OF FLT) AND CHKING ON WITH NEW YORK APCH; ACR Z FLT W WAS PRECEDING US. ALL IN ALL; 3 SIMILAR SOUNDING CALL SIGNS CAUSED CONFUSION AND AT LEAST 2 INCORRECT RESPONSES (ONE WITH ACR X FLT Y AND ONE WITH ACR Y FLT Z) DURING THE TRANSCONTINENTAL FLT FROM LAX TO EWR. CORRECTING THIS (ESPECIALLY BTWN COMPANY FLTS) WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN REDUCING HEARBACK/READBACK ERRORS.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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