Narrative:

I filed the flight plan from teb to sbn via contel duat. I filed all the navigation fixes along the route I wanted to fly. The route I wanted to fly was the teterboro 3 departure, eliot intersection J60 to djb (dryer) gij (gipper VOR, south bend, in) ksbn. Because the navigation log that duat generates either has too many en route intxns, or drops out 'intermediate' intxns, if that option is de-selected, I filed the following route. Eliot, etx, dimmo, psb, djb, gij, ksbn. This is the same routing as above, but I wanted all of these fixes on the navigation log. When I go to the aircraft, I hand to the co-captain the flight log generated by duat. 45 mins later he picks up the clearance, eliot J60 djb as filed (fpr) or (flight planned route). So we start our 1 hour 30 min flight to sbn on a beautiful cavok/VMC fall day. The flight is uneventful until ZOB, while descending us, hands us off to ZAU. ZAU wants to know where we are going. Our initial thought is we were given the wrong frequency. Since we passed djg (dryer) we were going direct gij (gipper VOR/4 NM north of sbn south bend, in). So the co-captain told center we were going to gij. His next question was, who cleared us to go direct gij. That caught us by surprise. We then explained that was the route we were cleared. He replied we were supposed to be on J60 to goshen (gsh) then direct gij/gipper, then had us turn left. Then we were treated to the explanation on how ZOB should have caught the mistake, saw us drifting off the airway before the handoff, etc. The result of his discussion was we arrived in the sbn area too high. Nothing that idle power and speed brakes couldn't fix, however. I would not have sent this in if it were not for the big deal that ZAU was making out of this. Even on the last transmission from ZAU on the handoff to south bend approach, he wanted to know where we got the routing change. There was no route change. In the course of flying 500-600 hours a yrs, this happens occasionally, and is resolved amicably. Perhaps cleared as filed should be dropped from the terminology. I can back the route just as easily as not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLRNC CONFUSION.

Narrative: I FILED THE FLT PLAN FROM TEB TO SBN VIA CONTEL DUAT. I FILED ALL THE NAV FIXES ALONG THE RTE I WANTED TO FLY. THE RTE I WANTED TO FLY WAS THE TETERBORO 3 DEP, ELIOT INTXN J60 TO DJB (DRYER) GIJ (GIPPER VOR, S BEND, IN) KSBN. BECAUSE THE NAV LOG THAT DUAT GENERATES EITHER HAS TOO MANY ENRTE INTXNS, OR DROPS OUT 'INTERMEDIATE' INTXNS, IF THAT OPTION IS DE-SELECTED, I FILED THE FOLLOWING RTE. ELIOT, ETX, DIMMO, PSB, DJB, GIJ, KSBN. THIS IS THE SAME ROUTING AS ABOVE, BUT I WANTED ALL OF THESE FIXES ON THE NAV LOG. WHEN I GO TO THE ACFT, I HAND TO THE CO-CAPT THE FLT LOG GENERATED BY DUAT. 45 MINS LATER HE PICKS UP THE CLRNC, ELIOT J60 DJB AS FILED (FPR) OR (FLT PLANNED RTE). SO WE START OUR 1 HR 30 MIN FLT TO SBN ON A BEAUTIFUL CAVOK/VMC FALL DAY. THE FLT IS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL ZOB, WHILE DSNDING US, HANDS US OFF TO ZAU. ZAU WANTS TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING. OUR INITIAL THOUGHT IS WE WERE GIVEN THE WRONG FREQ. SINCE WE PASSED DJG (DRYER) WE WERE GOING DIRECT GIJ (GIPPER VOR/4 NM N OF SBN SOUTH BEND, IN). SO THE CO-CAPT TOLD CTR WE WERE GOING TO GIJ. HIS NEXT QUESTION WAS, WHO CLRED US TO GO DIRECT GIJ. THAT CAUGHT US BY SURPRISE. WE THEN EXPLAINED THAT WAS THE RTE WE WERE CLRED. HE REPLIED WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON J60 TO GOSHEN (GSH) THEN DIRECT GIJ/GIPPER, THEN HAD US TURN L. THEN WE WERE TREATED TO THE EXPLANATION ON HOW ZOB SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE MISTAKE, SAW US DRIFTING OFF THE AIRWAY BEFORE THE HDOF, ETC. THE RESULT OF HIS DISCUSSION WAS WE ARRIVED IN THE SBN AREA TOO HIGH. NOTHING THAT IDLE PWR AND SPD BRAKES COULDN'T FIX, HOWEVER. I WOULD NOT HAVE SENT THIS IN IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE BIG DEAL THAT ZAU WAS MAKING OUT OF THIS. EVEN ON THE LAST XMISSION FROM ZAU ON THE HDOF TO SOUTH BEND APCH, HE WANTED TO KNOW WHERE WE GOT THE ROUTING CHANGE. THERE WAS NO RTE CHANGE. IN THE COURSE OF FLYING 500-600 HRS A YRS, THIS HAPPENS OCCASIONALLY, AND IS RESOLVED AMICABLY. PERHAPS CLRED AS FILED SHOULD BE DROPPED FROM THE TERMINOLOGY. I CAN BACK THE RTE JUST AS EASILY AS NOT.

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.