A P180 PLT AT A CLRNC LIMIT ON AN ARR TURNED TOWARD HIS NEXT FLT PLAN FIX. ATC NOTED THAT A HDG SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED AT THE CLRNC LIMIT.

Date: 2006-10 · Aircraft: Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng

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

Synopsis

A P180 PLT AT A CLRNC LIMIT ON AN ARR TURNED TOWARD HIS NEXT FLT PLAN FIX. ATC NOTED THAT A HDG SHOULD HAVE REQUESTED AT THE CLRNC LIMIT.

Narrative

ON A TRIP TO PTK I WAS CLRED TO FLY THE SPRTN3 ARR OFF OF LAN VOR. UPON REACHING PARKY INTXN APCH STATES 'EXPECT RADAR VECTORS.' ABSENT A VECTOR; UPON REACHING PARKY I TURNED TO MY NEXT FLT PLANNED FIX WHICH WAS PTK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE APCH CTLR ASKED WHO HAD CLRED ME TO FLY THAT DIRECTION INSTEAD OF A 160 DEG HDG. HE THEN INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN TO A 180 DEG HDG. I MADE THE TURN TO 180 DEGS AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT SINCE I WAS NOT ISSUED A VECTOR I WAS PROCEEDING AS FILED. THE CTLR REQUESTED THAT I CALL THE FACILITY WHEN I LANDED. I DID AS REQUESTED AND WAS TOLD THAT IF I WAS NOT ISSUED A VECTOR PRIOR TO REACHING THE FIX THAT I SHOULD ASK THE CTLR WHAT THEY WANT ME TO DO NEXT. THERE IS NOTHING ON THE PUBLISHED ARR PROC; OR ANYWHERE ELSE THAT I CAN RECALL THAT DESCRIBES A SPECIFIC PROC TO FOLLOW IN SUCH A SITUATION. I WAS FOLLOWING THE ONLY PROC I AM AWARE OF WHEN NO CLR COURSE OF ACTION IS APPARENT WHICH IS FOLLOW THE CLRNC; FLT PLAN OR EXPECTED RTE GIVEN BY ATC. I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF A PROC WAS DEVELOPED TO FOLLOW IN SUCH AN INSTANCE TO AVOID FURTHER CONFUSION.

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