B737-700 CREW RELATES LANGUAGE AND HANDLING PROBS WITH APCH CTLR ON FIRST ARR AT MMMX.
Synopsis
B737-700 CREW RELATES LANGUAGE AND HANDLING PROBS WITH APCH CTLR ON FIRST ARR AT MMMX.
Narrative
THESE DETAILS INDICATE THAT; ON THIS SPECIFIC ARR INTO MEXICO CITY; ATC INSTRUCTIONS WERE EXCESSIVE; CHANGED FREQUENTLY; AND HINDERED BY A LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE CAUSING CONFUSION AND STRESS TO US DURING OUR ARR AND LNDG. UPON CONTACTING MEXICO APCH DURING OUR DSCNT INTO THE TERMINAL AREA; WE WERE GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO PROCEED TO THE SLM VOR FOR ARR TO RWY 23. THIS WAS JUST SHORT OF THE PTJ VOR THUS EFFECTING A SMALL SHORTCUT TURN. SHORT OF THE SLM VOR; NEARLY ABEAM THE FIELD; WE WERE GIVEN A CLRNC TO PROCEED DIRECT TO SMO VOR. THIS WAS A TURN OF ALMOST 180 DEGS. THE CTLR TELLS US WE ARE GOING TO RWY 5R. WITHIN 60-90 SECONDS OF THIS INSTRUCTION; WE WERE GIVEN A HDG VECTOR. THE HDG WAS NEARLY THE SAME AS THE COURSE TO SMO VOR THAT NOW WE WERE ROLLING OUT ON. THE CTLR NOW GIVES US RWY 5L. ABOUT 5-6 MI SHORT OF SMO VOR; WE ARE GIVEN A LOWER ALT AND A HDG TO INTERCEPT THE SMO VOR 160 DEG RADIAL. THIS VECTOR IS ANOTHER SHORTCUT TO THE PROC. AS SOON AS WE ROLL OUT ON THE HDG; ANOTHER HDG OF ABOUT 20 DEGS FURTHER L. THEN A CHANGE TO RWY 5R. I MAKE THE REMARK ON THE RADIO THAT WE HAVE NOW BEEN GIVEN THE 'THIRD RWY CHANGE IN 20 MI.' WE CAN SEE THE ARPT AND ASK FOR A VISUAL APCH. THE CTLR REPLIES WITH NEGATIVE. WE ARE GIVEN YET ANOTHER HDG AND ALT AND WE ARE ESSENTIALLY ON A BASE LEG TO THE RWY ABOUT 8 MI OUT. I SENSE WE BOTH ARE VERY HEAVILY TASKED WITH THE ABUNDANCE OF INSTRUCTIONS AND I REPLY WITH 'UNABLE; WE WILL MAINTAIN 8800 FT AND CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD.' THE CTLR SAYS NEGATIVE; TURN L AND CLRED FOR THE APCH. WITH THE WX BEING VMC; AND THE FIELD IN SIGHT; AND THE CTLR NOT WORKING WELL WITH US; WE MAKE THE TURN AND COMPLETE THE LNDG ON RWY 5R. THROUGHOUT THE MANY EXCHANGES WITH THE CTLR; WE ARE REQUESTING THAT INSTRUCTIONS BE REPEATED OR VERIFIED BECAUSE THE CTLR HAS A VERY HVY ACCENT AND IS SPEAKING FAST. I AM TRYING TO SPEAK SLOWLY TO ALLOW MYSELF TO BE UNDERSTOOD; BUT IT SEEMS AS THOUGH HE DOESN'T HEAR WHAT I AM SAYING. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN I DECLARE THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO MAKE A TURN TO FINAL. THIS SITUATION PUT THE 2 OF US ON THE VERGE OF TASK SATURATION. IF THIS WERE FURTHER COMPLICATED WITH IMC; NIGHT; OR FATIGUE IT COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN TOO MUCH. WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO COMMUNICATE OUR CONFUSION. WE ASKED FOR A VISUAL APCH WHICH WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN THE PRESSURE OFF. WE ASKED NOT TO BE TURNED TOWARD THE ARPT TO ALLOW US TO CATCH UP A LITTLE WITH THE CTLR. ALL THESE ATTEMPTS WERE NOT UNDERSTOOD OR AT LEAST NOT RESPONDED TO. ALL OF THIS TOOK PLACE IN THE MATTER OF A FEW MINS. THE CTLR'S RELUCTANCE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR REQUESTS TO SIMPLIFY OUR ARR AND LNDG MADE THE SITUATION MORE DANGEROUS THAN IT NEEDED TO BE. THE CTLR'S EXCESSIVE USE OF CLRNCS TO VOR STATIONS; FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY VECTORS IN THE SAME DIRECTION; CREATED AN ELEVATED WORKLOAD IN THE TERMINAL AREA UNNECESSARILY. I AM PARTICULARLY DISTURBED BY THE APPARENT UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE WORD 'UNABLE.' AT THE COMPLETION OF THE FLT; WE BOTH AGREED THAT THIS WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING ARR AND LNDG WE HAVE HAD IN MANY YRS. I BELIEVE IT WAS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND I HOLD ATC ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CHALLENGE AND WONDER WHY WE WERE NOT GIVEN A VISUAL APCH OR A TURN OUT OF TFC.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.