Narrative:

While descending from cruise altitude, received clearance from ZID to FL240. Read back clearance to descend to FL240. Also received clearance to fly to groat intersection instead of dreft as originally filed on the geetr 1 arrival into bna. This was also read back accordingly. Then handed off to another indianapolis controller. I told controller altitude out of, and descending to FL240. He then questioned our heading and I confirmed the heading direct groat intersection. While descending through FL280 for FL240 at 27700 the controller asked our altitude. I confirmed 27500 descending to FL240. The controller then told us we were supposed to level at FL280 and to climb back up. The captain automatically climbed to FL280. The controller had traffic pass behind us and I read back that we had heard and read back descend to FL240 from other controller. I had also read this back to this controller when checking in. We subsequently received clearance to FL240. The controller sounded apologetic and handed us off to another controller. I suspect the 1ST controller and 2ND controller did not communicate our altitude and intersection clrncs to each other properly, causing our flight path to be different from originally filed and to what 2ND controller was expecting.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POOR SECTOR COORD, CLRNC CONFUSION, ALTDEV.

Narrative: WHILE DSNDING FROM CRUISE ALT, RECEIVED CLRNC FROM ZID TO FL240. READ BACK CLRNC TO DSND TO FL240. ALSO RECEIVED CLRNC TO FLY TO GROAT INTXN INSTEAD OF DREFT AS ORIGINALLY FILED ON THE GEETR 1 ARR INTO BNA. THIS WAS ALSO READ BACK ACCORDINGLY. THEN HANDED OFF TO ANOTHER INDIANAPOLIS CTLR. I TOLD CTLR ALT OUT OF, AND DSNDING TO FL240. HE THEN QUESTIONED OUR HDG AND I CONFIRMED THE HDG DIRECT GROAT INTXN. WHILE DSNDING THROUGH FL280 FOR FL240 AT 27700 THE CTLR ASKED OUR ALT. I CONFIRMED 27500 DSNDING TO FL240. THE CTLR THEN TOLD US WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEVEL AT FL280 AND TO CLB BACK UP. THE CAPT AUTOMATICALLY CLBED TO FL280. THE CTLR HAD TFC PASS BEHIND US AND I READ BACK THAT WE HAD HEARD AND READ BACK DSND TO FL240 FROM OTHER CTLR. I HAD ALSO READ THIS BACK TO THIS CTLR WHEN CHKING IN. WE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED CLRNC TO FL240. THE CTLR SOUNDED APOLOGETIC AND HANDED US OFF TO ANOTHER CTLR. I SUSPECT THE 1ST CTLR AND 2ND CTLR DID NOT COMMUNICATE OUR ALT AND INTXN CLRNCS TO EACH OTHER PROPERLY, CAUSING OUR FLT PATH TO BE DIFFERENT FROM ORIGINALLY FILED AND TO WHAT 2ND CTLR WAS EXPECTING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.