C650 on approach to st. Johns antigua received TCAS RA with other holding aircraft; ATC indicated th...

Attributes
ACN	823780
Time
Date	200902
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	TAPA.Airport
State Reference	FO
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Citation III VI VII (C650)
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Route In Use	Other Holding Pattern
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Cessna Citation Sovereign (C680)
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 120 Flight Crew Total 3100 Flight Crew Type 1500
Person 2
Function	Pilot Not Flying First Officer
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 75 Flight Crew Total 9700 Flight Crew Type 1500
Events
Anomaly	Conflict Airborne Conflict Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude Deviation - Procedural Clearance
Miss Distance	Horizontal 2500 Vertical 100

Narrative:

We were approaching antigua on airway G633 and ZSU had terminated radar service and handed us off to vc bird approach. While in the descent; there was another aircraft with a similar call sign. Ours is xxxxx and theirs was xyxxx. The controller for vc bird approach was giving multiple instructions to both of us but referring to each aircraft as either 'XXX' or 'xx' and not giving the complete call sign. We were one of several aircraft intercepting the anu 12 DME arc to hold as published at omrel. They were stacking us in 2000 ft intervals until being cleared to land. We were getting multiple stepdown instructions which would change before we reached the last assigned altitude. It was a high workload and the foreign accent was very hard to understand. We got an RA as we entered the hold at 5000 ft. The RA command was to 'arrest descent.' I saw the high wing twin turboprop at 9 o'clock position and about 2500 ft away as it passed behind us. When we switched to tower; they said we read back the wrong tail number instructions and we were supposed to be at 7000 ft instead of 5000 ft. We talked to another crew who was airborne at that time and they were amazed at the chaotic environment.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C650 on approach to St. Johns Antigua received TCAS RA with other holding aircraft; ATC indicated the flight crew was at other than assigned altitude.

Narrative: We were approaching Antigua on Airway G633 and ZSU had terminated radar service and handed us off to VC Bird Approach. While in the descent; there was another aircraft with a similar call sign. Ours is XXXXX and theirs was XYXXX. The Controller for VC Bird Approach was giving multiple instructions to both of us but referring to each aircraft as either 'XXX' or 'XX' and not giving the complete call sign. We were one of several aircraft intercepting the ANU 12 DME arc to hold as published at OMREL. They were stacking us in 2000 FT intervals until being cleared to land. We were getting multiple stepdown instructions which would change before we reached the last assigned altitude. It was a high workload and the foreign accent was very hard to understand. We got an RA as we entered the hold at 5000 FT. The RA command was to 'Arrest Descent.' I saw the high wing twin turboprop at 9 o'clock position and about 2500 FT away as it passed behind us. When we switched to Tower; they said we read back the wrong tail number instructions and we were supposed to be at 7000 FT instead of 5000 FT. We talked to another crew who was airborne at that time and they were amazed at the chaotic environment.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

C650 on approach to st. Johns antigua received TCAS RA with other holding aircraft; ATC indicated the flight crew was at other than assigned altitude.