Two aircraft were on tpa TRACON frequency with similar sound call signs; one aircraft took the other...

Attributes
ACN	1118873
Time
Date	201309
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	TPA.TRACON
State Reference	FL
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	British Aerospace Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Route In Use	Vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Route In Use	Vectors
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 52 Flight Crew Total 11450 Flight Crew Type 2300
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Deviation - Procedural Clearance Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Track / Heading All Types

Narrative:

As we were being vectored for an ILS; TRACON gave us successive headings that turned us toward localizer interception. Then we heard and acknowledged a heading change to 170 degrees; almost 180 degrees from the inbound course. We were still several miles away from the localizer course. I commented that was odd; the pm said they must have had a conflict and wanted us behind another aircraft. A few moments later; TRACON commented that there were two aircraft with similar sounding callsigns; and called aircraft X (us) to return to 330 degrees heading; our last previous intercept course; and for aircraft Y to fly heading 170. No mention was made of any conflict. All subsequent radio calls were made with our complete call sign; and active crew concurrence of each transmission. We noted that the other aircraft required repeated contact attempts for controller instructions. I should have pressed for verifying the instructions when we received the heading that put us on radar downwind after being on a 45 deg heading to intercept final. Had we been aware there was a similar callsign situation; we would have been more wary.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Two aircraft were on TPA TRACON frequency with similar sound call signs; one aircraft took the other aircraft vector which put it nearly 180 out of the intended track. ATC realized the error and became more accurate.

Narrative: As we were being vectored for an ILS; TRACON gave us successive headings that turned us toward localizer interception. Then we heard and acknowledged a heading change to 170 degrees; almost 180 degrees from the inbound course. We were still several miles away from the localizer course. I commented that was odd; the PM said they must have had a conflict and wanted us behind another aircraft. A few moments later; TRACON commented that there were two aircraft with similar sounding callsigns; and called Aircraft X (us) to return to 330 degrees heading; our last previous intercept course; and for Aircraft Y to fly heading 170. No mention was made of any conflict. All subsequent radio calls were made with our complete call sign; and active crew concurrence of each transmission. We noted that the other aircraft required repeated contact attempts for Controller instructions. I should have pressed for verifying the instructions when we received the heading that put us on radar downwind after being on a 45 deg heading to intercept final. Had we been aware there was a similar callsign situation; we would have been more wary.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Two aircraft were on tpa TRACON frequency with similar sound call signs; one aircraft took the other aircraft vector which put it nearly 180 out of the intended track. ATC realized the error and became more accurate.