A300-600 CAPTAIN RELATES LANGUAGE BARRIER PROBLEMS WITH SVZM CONTROL.
Synopsis
A300-600 CAPTAIN RELATES LANGUAGE BARRIER PROBLEMS WITH SVZM CONTROL.
Narrative
PASSING ABEAM PJG (CURACAO) THE FO CALLED CARACAS CTR (MIQ) TO GIVE A FIR XING TIME. MIQ THEN ADVISED US TO DSND TO 7000 FT. INITIAL ATTEMPTS TO ADVISE MIQ THAT WE WERE NOT IN THEIR AIRSPACE YET WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. AFTER THE THIRD ATTEMPT WE SAID WE WOULD CALL THEM AT THE FIR. WHEN WE CALLED AT THE FIR; THEY ONCE AGAIN TOLD US TO DSND TO 7000 FT. WE STARTED A SLOW DSCNT AS WE WERE 80 MI FROM TOP OF DSCNT. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO SWITCH OVER TO MAIQUETIA APCH CTL (MIQ APCH). THINKING IT WAS A BIT EARLY; WE ASKED IF THE FREQ CHANGE WAS FOR US. WE WERE TOLD AGAIN TO CONTACT APCH. INITIAL CONTACT WITH MIQ APCH RESULTED IN OUR BEING GIVEN A DSCNT TO 4000 FT AND A TURN TO 115 TO INTERCEPT THE LOC. FEELING THE CTLR HAD US CONFUSED WITH ANOTHER ACFT; I STAYED ON COURSE. THE 115 DEG HDG WOULD NOT ONLY HAVE US MISS THE LOC AND ARPT; IT WOULD HAVE HAD US MISS THE CONTINENT OF SOUTH AMERICA. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CLARIFY IF THE CTLR KNEW OUR POS. I WAS ABOUT TO HAVE THE FO SPEAK IN SPANISH. HE SAID HE THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE HEARD THE PHRASE 'FOR TFC.' I DID NOT HEAR THE PHRASE BUT THEN TURNED TO 115 DEGS. WHILE HEADING FOR AFRICA; I HAD THE FO ASK THE CTLR WHAT RADIAL AND DME HE SHOWED US ON. THE CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND. AFTER THE FIFTH ATTEMPT; THE CTLR HAD US IDENT. HE THEN GAVE US AN 85 DEG TURN TO INTERCEPT THE MIQ 290 DEG RADIAL INBOUND. CALL IT A HUNCH; BUT I BELIEVE THE CTLRS CAN SPEAK ENGLISH; BUT MAY NOT NECESSARILY UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. THEY MAY KNOW PROCS; BUT DO NOT NECESSARILY IMPLEMENT THEM.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.