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20011118032459I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Boeing 747200 · Oceanic, FR · November 18, 2001

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

Date
November 18, 2001 · 13:20 local
Place
Oceanic, FR
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
Operator
CNFF
Aircraft
UNKNOWN
Reported as
Boeing 747200

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) On 11/18/2001, air france flt 3531 (AFR3531) had been cleared into the new york Oceanic cta at 18N60W at FL330. Subsequent flight plan route points were 32N50W, 30N40W, & 43N50W. At 1325 UTC arinc sent a teletype message to ARTCC indicating the flight progressed position 30N40W at FL320. Upon receipt of this message the ARTCC controller contacted arinc and requested AFR3531 to verify altitude. At 1327 UTC, arinc again sent a teletype message confirming that AFR3531 was maintaining FL320. The ARTCC controller immediately contacted santa maria, who was expecting the a/c at FL330 ARTCC advised that AFR3531 reported maintaining FL320 and relinquished control for a climb. Arinc, mgr listened to the voice recording of the operators involved and determined that AFR3531 actually reported level at FL320 several times, but the arinc operators copied and readback FL330. When this read back was not corrected by AFR3531 pilots, the teletype message was sent to ARTCC with inaccurate altitude info.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON 11/18/2001, AIR FRANCE FLT 3531 (AFR3531) HAD BEEN CLEARED INTO THE NEW YORK OCEANIC CTA AT 18N60W AT FL330. SUBSEQUENT FLIGHT PLAN ROUTE POINTS WERE 32N50W, 30N40W, & 43N50W. AT 1325 UTC ARINC SENT A TELETYPE MESSAGE TO ARTCC INDICATING THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED POSITION 30N40W AT FL320. UPON RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE THE ARTCC CONTROLLER CONTACTED ARINC AND REQUESTED AFR3531 TO VERIFY ALTITUDE. AT 1327 UTC, ARINC AGAIN SENT A TELETYPE MESSAGE CONFIRMING THAT AFR3531 WAS MAINTAINING FL320. THE ARTCC CONTROLLER IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED SANTA MARIA, WHO WAS EXPECTING THE A/C AT FL330 ARTCC ADVISED THAT AFR3531 REPORTED MAINTAINING FL320 AND RELINQUISHED CONTROL FOR A CLIMB. ARINC, MGR LISTENED TO THE VOICE RECORDING OF THE OPERATORS INVOLVED AND DETERMINED THAT AFR3531 ACTUALLY REPORTED LEVEL AT FL320 SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE ARINC OPERATORS COPIED AND READBACK FL330. WHEN THIS READ BACK WAS NOT CORRECTED BY AFR3531 PILOTS, THE TELETYPE MESSAGE WAS SENT TO ARTCC WITH INACCURATE ALTITUDE INFO.