Narrative:

The approach controller cleared us for the visual to runway 26L. Shortly thereafter another, slightly higher pitch, male voice cleared us to land on the same frequency. I repeated the landing clearance. The approach controller came back on the frequency and said something like, 'who told you to do that? I didn't clear you to land.' I told him the slightly different voice (which, based on timing could easily have been a supervisor working along with the approach controller) and he told us that he would report it. Then he instructed us to contact tower. We did and were given the appropriate clearance to land. On taxi-in (with tower controller) I volunteered to submit a report from our side of the microphone to assist in getting the proper attention to this event. He checked with the supervisor on duty and they said they would appreciate it. The man's voice is a normal pitch, though slightly higher than the controller on duty. His english is that of a native and most likely caucasian. There is no hint of dialect or abnormal intonation and diction. It is most likely that he is using a hand held radio from the ground although he may be on an aircraft or desk-top radio that is out of our of line-of-sight with the approach and tower antennas as they did not get a heterodyne, nor did they hear his side of the transmission. I called the air carrier manager to find out whether to submit an air carrier, ASRS, or internal report. He felt the air carrier report would get the immediate attention the subject deserves while also getting the details into the ASRS database. I think that the existence of this rogue needs to be published to the pilot group so that they can be made aware of the possibility of receiving a clearance in the elp area that is not delivered by ATC personnel, but is quite reasonable for language and delivery. The frequent combining of positions at elp also contributes to the reasonableness of receiving a given clearance on an unusual frequency, e.g. Landing, clearance on approach control frequency or takeoff clearance on ground control frequency. In discussing this with others during the latter part of my workweek on the first officer's that I have previously flown with said they had submitted an air carrier report about 8 months ago related to an illegitimate clearance given while they were overhead elp. That clearance was to a fix way downline on their route of flight. When they repeated the clearance the abq center controller caught the readback of a clearance that he had not given and they reported the interjected clearance. This might be the same individual based on a discussion with that first officer regarding the limited statement and the ability to discern dialects and delivery patterns across race and education influences that have not been 'trained out' of the individual's normal speech pattern.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 EXPERIENCED PHANTOM ATC INSTRUCTION ON APCH TO ELP.

Narrative: THE APCH CTLR CLRED US FOR THE VISUAL TO RWY 26L. SHORTLY THEREAFTER ANOTHER, SLIGHTLY HIGHER PITCH, MALE VOICE CLRED US TO LAND ON THE SAME FREQUENCY. I REPEATED THE LNDG CLRNC. THE APCH CTLR CAME BACK ON THE FREQ AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE, 'WHO TOLD YOU TO DO THAT? I DIDN'T CLR YOU TO LAND.' I TOLD HIM THE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VOICE (WHICH, BASED ON TIMING COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN A SUPVR WORKING ALONG WITH THE APCH CTLR) AND HE TOLD US THAT HE WOULD RPT IT. THEN HE INSTRUCTED US TO CONTACT TWR. WE DID AND WERE GIVEN THE APPROPRIATE CLRNC TO LAND. ON TAXI-IN (WITH TWR CTLR) I VOLUNTEERED TO SUBMIT A RPT FROM OUR SIDE OF THE MIC TO ASSIST IN GETTING THE PROPER ATTENTION TO THIS EVENT. HE CHKED WITH THE SUPVR ON DUTY AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD APPRECIATE IT. THE MAN'S VOICE IS A NORMAL PITCH, THOUGH SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE CTLR ON DUTY. HIS ENGLISH IS THAT OF A NATIVE AND MOST LIKELY CAUCASIAN. THERE IS NO HINT OF DIALECT OR ABNORMAL INTONATION AND DICTION. IT IS MOST LIKELY THAT HE IS USING A HAND HELD RADIO FROM THE GND ALTHOUGH HE MAY BE ON AN ACFT OR DESK-TOP RADIO THAT IS OUT OF OUR OF LINE-OF-SIGHT WITH THE APCH AND TWR ANTENNAS AS THEY DID NOT GET A HETERODYNE, NOR DID THEY HEAR HIS SIDE OF THE XMISSION. I CALLED THE ACR MGR TO FIND OUT WHETHER TO SUBMIT AN ACR, ASRS, OR INTERNAL RPT. HE FELT THE ACR RPT WOULD GET THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION THE SUBJECT DESERVES WHILE ALSO GETTING THE DETAILS INTO THE ASRS DATABASE. I THINK THAT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS ROGUE NEEDS TO BE PUBLISHED TO THE PLT GROUP SO THAT THEY CAN BE MADE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF RECEIVING A CLRNC IN THE ELP AREA THAT IS NOT DELIVERED BY ATC PERSONNEL, BUT IS QUITE REASONABLE FOR LANGUAGE AND DELIVERY. THE FREQUENT COMBINING OF POSITIONS AT ELP ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE REASONABLENESS OF RECEIVING A GIVEN CLRNC ON AN UNUSUAL FREQUENCY, E.G. LNDG, CLRNC ON APCH CTL FREQUENCY OR TAKEOFF CLRNC ON GND CTL FREQUENCY. IN DISCUSSING THIS WITH OTHERS DURING THE LATTER PART OF MY WORKWEEK ON THE FO'S THAT I HAVE PREVIOUSLY FLOWN WITH SAID THEY HAD SUBMITTED AN ACR RPT ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO RELATED TO AN ILLEGITIMATE CLRNC GIVEN WHILE THEY WERE OVERHEAD ELP. THAT CLRNC WAS TO A FIX WAY DOWNLINE ON THEIR RTE OF FLT. WHEN THEY REPEATED THE CLRNC THE ABQ CTR CTLR CAUGHT THE READBACK OF A CLRNC THAT HE HAD NOT GIVEN AND THEY RPTED THE INTERJECTED CLRNC. THIS MIGHT BE THE SAME INDIVIDUAL BASED ON A DISCUSSION WITH THAT FO REGARDING THE LIMITED STATEMENT AND THE ABILITY TO DISCERN DIALECTS AND DELIVERY PATTERNS ACROSS RACE AND EDUCATION INFLUENCES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN 'TRAINED OUT' OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S NORMAL SPEECH PATTERN.

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.