B767 FLT CREW REPORTS CONFUSION OVER PROPER PROCEDURES ENTERING DKNN FIR AND LANDING DNMM; FROM DGAC FIR.

Date: 2008-03 · Aircraft: B767-300 and 300 ER · Phase: approach

Anomalies: deviation-altitude-excursion-from-assigned-altitude|deviation-track-heading-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-clearance|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy

Synopsis

B767 FLT CREW REPORTS CONFUSION OVER PROPER PROCEDURES ENTERING DKNN FIR AND LANDING DNMM; FROM DGAC FIR.

Narrative

THE HANDOVER POINT FROM UNCTLED (NON-RADAR) ENVIRONMENT FROM ACCRA RADIO TO LAGOS APCH CTL IS OVER TYE VOR. I WAS THE RELIEF PLT IN THE JUMPSEAT. THE CAPT; PNF; RPTED TYE TO ACCRA. WE WERE MAINTAINING FL210. THE RESPONSE FROM ACCRA WAS SOMETHING LIKE; 'YOU ARE PAST TFC...FL180...CONTACT LAGOS ON (I CAN'T REMEMBER THE FREQ).' THE FO; PF; DIALED IN FL180 IN THE ALT COMMAND WINDOW AND POINTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR COMPANY PROCS. THE CAPT POINTED TO THE COMMAND WINDOW AND VERBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY RESPONDING TO THE RADIO CALL; 'ROGER; DSND TO FL180 AND CONTACT LAGOS ON (WHATEVER FREQ IT WAS).' I DID NOT SPECIFICALLY HEAR THE WORD 'DSND' BY ACCRA; BUT I WAS ALSO INVOLVED WITH OTHER RELIEF PLT DUTIES TO INCLUDE ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT COMPANY OPS AT LAGOS ON ANOTHER RADIO AND MAKING A PA TO THE PAX ABOUT THE WX AT LAGOS. THE LAGOS CTLR QUERIED US AS TO THE CLRNC THAT WE RECEIVED FROM ACCRA BUT THE QUERY WAS FAIRLY SHORT. ONCE ON THE GND AT LAGOS; THE LAGOS TWR QUERIED US EXTENSIVELY ABOUT OUR ACTIONS. LAGOS TWR INFORMED US OF A PARTICULAR PROC THAT WE ALLEGEDLY FAILED TO COMPLY WITH. NAMELY; THAT WE WERE 'SUPPOSED TO INTERCEPT THE 270 DEG RADIAL OFF OF LAG AND FLY IT INBOUND AFTER PASSING TYE VOR.' THE PROC IS SUPPOSEDLY ACCOMPANIED BY ALT CONSTRAINTS. THE WAY LAGOS TWR MADE IT SOUND; THIS PROC IS PUBLISHED. THIS IS THE 7TH OR 8TH TIME THAT I'VE FLOWN INTO LAGOS SINCE DEC/07 AND I AM UNAWARE OF SUCH A PROC. I HAVE LOOKED EXTENSIVELY THROUGH OUR COMMERCIAL CHART PUBS AND HAVE FOUND NO PUBLISHED ARR PROCS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 779874: DSNDING INTO LAGOS; NIGERIA; JUST BEFORE HDOF TO LAGOS CTL FROM ACCRA; MYSELF; AS CAPT IN L SEAT; FO FLYING IN R SEAT ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER TAKING OVER AFTER OUR SECOND BREAK. RELIEF CAPT AND RELIEF FO ON JUMPSEATS; ALSO MONITORING. WHILE DSNDING FROM FL310 TO FL210; ALL 4 OF US HEARD ACCRA CLR US TO DSND TO FL180. SINCE WE USUALLY CROSS TYE AT FL210; I SLOWLY AND CLEARLY READ BACK CLRNC TO DSND PASSING THROUGH FL270 FOR FL180. ACCRA SAID NOTHING TO MAKE US DOUBT MY READBACK. A FEW MOMENTS LATER; I ASKED ABOUT OUR HDOF TO LAGOS CTL AND HE SAID TO STAND BY; HE WAS WORKING ON IT. ACCRA SAID NOTHING FURTHER BUT ON THE SAFE SIDE; WE DID CROSS TYE AT FL210 WHILE IN THE DSCNT. UPON CONTACTING LAGOS CTL WITH PASSING FL207 FOR FL180; CTL QUERIED AND I CONFIRMED FL180 CLRNC. HE RESPONDED WITH A RADAR VECTOR OF 020 DEGS; AND WE COMPLIED. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS HE SAID THERE WAS TFC ON CLBOUT PASSING FL180. WE NEVER SAW HIM VISUALLY OR ON TCAS ON 40 MI SCALE AND HE WAS NEVER A FACTOR. LATER; LAGOS TWR SAID WE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CLRED TO FL180 AND SHOULD HAVE FLOWN THE PROC OF TYE 050 DEG RADIAL TO THE LAG 270 DEG RADIAL INBOUND AND MAINTAIN FL210. WE SCOURED OUR MANUALS AND OUR COMPANY GUIDANCE HANDOUTS AND STILL HAVE FOUND NO SUCH PROC. I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF ACCRA DENIED GIVING US THE CLRNC TO FL180. I HAVE FLOWN THIS RTE A DOZEN TIMES AND HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE 050/270 CLRNC BEFORE; BUT AN EQUAL NUMBER OF TIMES I HAVE BEEN GIVEN DIRECT LAG! INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH; WHILE LEAVING LAGOS THE NEXT DAY WE WERE CONTACTING ACCRA ON ANOTHER RADIO TO LET THEM KNOW WE WERE APCHING TYE WITH CLRNC FROM LAGOS TO FL200. ACCRA CLRED US TO CLB UNRESTR TO FL310. WE TOLD LAGOS OF THE ACCRA CLRNC AND HE SIMPLY HANDED US OFF TO ACCRA! I KNOW WE WERE ALL TIRED FROM THE 11 HR FLT; BUT ALL OF US HEARD THE FL180 CLRNC AND MY UNCONTESTED READBACK. WE STILL DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS AN ALTDEV OR NOT BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT LAGOS AND ACCRA MIGHT NOT HAVE THE BEST OF COM WITH EACH OTHER. WE STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE 'PROC' BUT WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK. I RETURN IN 3 DAYS AND PLAN TO CALL LAGOS WELL IN ADVANCE AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO. OUR NORMAL PROC IS TO CALL THEM '10 EARLY;' BUT RATHER THAN HAVING JUMPSEAT DO SO; I WILL; EARLIER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 780141: LAGOS CTL QUERIED US AS TO OUR ALT ASSIGNMENT AND MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS TFC AT FL180; ALTHOUGH WE NEVER SAW TFC VISUALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY AND LAGOS NEVER SAID WHERE THE TFC WAS LOCATED. WE WERE THEN GIVEN FURTHER DSCNT CLRNC AND DIRECTLY VECTORED TO THE ILS LOC TO RWY 18R AND LANDED. LANGUAGE WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT HUMAN FACTOR INVOLVED. COORD BTWN ADJACENT CTLING STATES WAS ALSO A FACTOR.

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