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Pilot of B767-300 advises that company practice of assigning similar call signs for international flts coupled with controller verbal english skills, poor radio frequencys, and a foreign country results in confusion regarding clrncs.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 616743 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200405 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : egpx.artcc |
| State Reference | FO |
| Altitude | msl single value : 34000 |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : egpx.artcc tracon : c90.tracon |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B767-300 and 300 ER |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Route In Use | enroute : atlantic |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : egpx.artcc |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Commercial Fixed Wing |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain observation : company check pilot oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 17000 flight time type : 5000 |
| ASRS Report | 616743 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : foreign |
| Function | controller : radar |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Company Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Company |
Narrative:
3 flts with similar call signs are on the same frequencys at same time. Scottish controllers are hard to understand due to poor radios. Several times, air carrier XXX answered air carrier xyx's calls. Later during arrival at ord, ord approach accidentally gave instructions to air carrier xzx that were meant for air carrier XXX. The company needs to change to call numbers that do not start and end with the same digits. No incident occurred during this flight, but it is only a matter of time before a significant and potentially deadly mistake is made due to a failure to change the call signs.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PLT OF B767-300 ADVISES THAT COMPANY PRACTICE OF ASSIGNING SIMILAR CALL SIGNS FOR INTL FLTS COUPLED WITH CTLR VERBAL ENGLISH SKILLS, POOR RADIO FREQS, AND A FOREIGN COUNTRY RESULTS IN CONFUSION REGARDING CLRNCS.
Narrative: 3 FLTS WITH SIMILAR CALL SIGNS ARE ON THE SAME FREQS AT SAME TIME. SCOTTISH CTLRS ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND DUE TO POOR RADIOS. SEVERAL TIMES, ACR XXX ANSWERED ACR XYX'S CALLS. LATER DURING ARR AT ORD, ORD APCH ACCIDENTALLY GAVE INSTRUCTIONS TO ACR XZX THAT WERE MEANT FOR ACR XXX. THE COMPANY NEEDS TO CHANGE TO CALL NUMBERS THAT DO NOT START AND END WITH THE SAME DIGITS. NO INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THIS FLT, BUT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE A SIGNIFICANT AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY MISTAKE IS MADE DUE TO A FAILURE TO CHANGE THE CALL SIGNS.
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.