Incorrect readbacks/instructions from ground or tower

[cowman]

So this minor thing happened today and got me thinking...
I called up ground and asked for my taxi clearance... he started to read my tail number back wrong but managed to catch it(this time) and then proceeded to give me taxi instructions that not only wouldn't get me to the assigned runway but were physically impossible. I knew what he meant, I read the correct route back to him and he didn't argue and all was well.

Speaking of my tail number... they're having a hard time with it here. 9/10 times on the initial callup they read it back wrong. I don't mean shortening I mean transposing and adding digits/letters. There's a lot of stumbling after that... pretty sure that's because it sounds similar to the 172 the FBO uses for training but you'd think by now they'd have it figured out... anyway again I've just taken to reading back the correct number and they figure it out by the time I'm asking for takeoff clearance usually.

A couple of days ago our grumpy controller had me taxi to 32, then after my runup I asked for clearance and he cleared me for takeoff on 22. I stopped and called back "uhh... shouldn't that be 32?" Apparently I really peed in his wheaties... he sounded especially grumpy with "THAT'S WHAT I SAID, 32". Had a CFI in my right seat to confirm I heard him just fine... didn't bother arguing and took the corrected clearance.

That's a pretty rare example... although that guys always sounds like he got up on the wrong side of the bed for some reason. But with the others, am I making a big mistake by just accepting things and correcting them on the readback? Keep in mind our airport isn't very busy, it's rare to see more than 1 or 2 aircraft in the pattern or moving on the ground at any one time so an actual accident seems unlikely... and to be fair our controllers are usually quite helpful/accommodating... and with one exception friendly.

 

[Shawn]

That is the whole point of the readback...to make sure you are both in the same page, but I would CONFIRM any discrepancies...NOT just amend their errors in the readback in case they meant something else.

I had one yesterday: ..."departing Watsonville, request flight following to Reid Hillview..."..."Skylane XYZ...radar contact 7 miles east of Reid Hillview". I was 7 miles east of WATSONVILLE!

I got chewed out once departing Hawthorne and requesting FF and Bravo Clearance via Mini Route (which that tower coordinates). He spends the next minute lecturing me that the "shoreline route" is not available to VFR and how I need to be better prepared next time...I looked at my passenger with a bewildered look then my passenger said "you did say mini route".

I still needed the transition and clearance so sometimes you gotta just nod and smile!

My tail number gets botched all the time I am 598 and I hear quite often 5-niner-BRAVO when controllers read the strip too fast.

 

[mjburian]

My tail number often gets read back from ground/tower incorrectly. I generally just slow down when reading back to them and they get it. I probably should do a better job of making sure they get it right before any movement, but it's usually fairly quiet and I'm generally the only one they're talking to at the time.

I'm interested to hear what the rest of the replies say, though...

 

[gismo]

So this minor thing happened today and got me thinking...
I called up ground and asked for my taxi clearance... he started to read my tail number back wrong but managed to catch it(this time) and then proceeded to give me taxi instructions that not only wouldn't get me to the assigned runway but were physically impossible. I knew what he meant, I read the correct route back to him and he didn't argue and all was well.

If I understand you correctly, that's not what I'd do WRT the bogus taxi route. IMO what you should do in that case is respond with "Did you mean...?" explaining what you thought made more sense. ATC does make mistakes (there's a pretty good chance this was a trainee) but you should never just assume you know what was meant when that's not what you heard and it's all too likely that the controller will hear what he expects rather than what you say on the readback. It's possible that those instructions that don't make sense to you actually do work for the controller due to some issues you aren't aware of. And even if they were truly invalid, your guess of ATC's intended route could easily be wrong.

Speaking of my tail number... they're having a hard time with it here. 9/10 times on the initial callup they read it back wrong. I don't mean shortening I mean transposing and adding digits/letters. There's a lot of stumbling after that... pretty sure that's because it sounds similar to the 172 the FBO uses for training but you'd think by now they'd have it figured out... anyway again I've just taken to reading back the correct number and they figure it out by the time I'm asking for takeoff clearance usually.

I get that fairly often as well. Part of the problem is that the ground controller has other duties besides talking on the radio so they don't always get the beginning of your transmission. One technique to mitigate this is to "clear your throat" (e.g. say "Ahhh) and/or speak the airport name and "ground" very slowly with a slight pause before giving your tail number. This shouldn't be necessary if the frequency is busy as the controller is likely paying attention but if the radio is quiet for a while before you call in this gives the controller a better chance to catch your information.

A couple of days ago our grumpy controller had me taxi to 32, then after my runup I asked for clearance and he cleared me for takeoff on 22. I stopped and called back "uhh... shouldn't that be 32?" Apparently I really peed in his wheaties... he sounded especially grumpy with "THAT'S WHAT I SAID, 32". Had a CFI in my right seat to confirm I heard him just fine... didn't bother arguing and took the corrected clearance.

Believe it or not, controllers are ordinary people with their share of bad days and attitudes. You did the right thing.

That's a pretty rare example... although that guys always sounds like he got up on the wrong side of the bed for some reason. But with the others, am I making a big mistake by just accepting things and correcting them on the readback? Keep in mind our airport isn't very busy, it's rare to see more than 1 or 2 aircraft in the pattern or moving on the ground at any one time so an actual accident seems unlikely... and to be fair our controllers are usually quite helpful/accommodating... and with one exception friendly.

Like I said, when you hear what you think is a mistake explain the problem and get a correct instruction to read back (even if it makes grumpy unhappy).

 

[JasonM]

sure he didn't say Tree Two? and it sounded like a two?

I hate grumpy controllers. I video many of my flights and have quite a few unnecessary controller situations and mistakes recorded. Last one, the lady in the tower started yelling at a guy inbound that had just repeated everything back perfectly but had an accent and I guess she didn't like that or didn't want to listen to him so she laid into him so intense it was insane. Truly unprofessional, then starts getting annoyed at everyone she talked to next including me when holding short for takeoff. she calls me up and says "well, are you ready yet or what?" I didn't even have a chance to tell her yet because of her yelling at everyone else. Crazy Lady....

 

[Mistake Not...]

Wow. Until this thread I thought it was just me.

I don't consider my tail number to be unusually hard to remember, and I've gotten extremely careful in how I say it (thinking maybe my radio voice just sucks). But for some reason lots of people (ground, tower, approach, FF) will often transpose two of the digits. Dunno why.

I suspect there's an aspect to this a scientist could explain, though I'm not sure what kind. I'm wonder if the beginning of mine (the same digit, repeated twice) sort of primes the mind to mishear what comes after?

In any case, most of the time If they call the wrong number, I'll reply with mine but more slowly and with added emphasis. The more awkward situation is where they're calling for a plane that's -probably- me, but with the wrong number. Then it's "Uh, center was that for XXXXX?"

Maybe I need to get my radios checked. Sidetone sounds fine, but if i'm hard to read...

 

[jordane93]

On initial call up, I make sure I say my numbers nice and slow so tower won't get confused. Controllers are humans too. They make mistakes. I was IFR coming back to the home field and requested a GPS approach and was given direct XXXXX (I forget the exact fix). I queued Approach and said "I think you want me direct XXXXX." Approach responded, "Uh, yes, my fault, direct XXXXX." No harm done. Readbacks are for BOTH pilots and controllers

 

[gismo]

I queued Approach and said "I think you want me direct XXXXX." Approach responded, "Uh, yes, my fault, direct XXXXX."

Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Your response was much better than just reading back what you thought ATC meant to say.

 

[cowman]

I got cleared on runway 5 this morning. We don't have a runway 5, he meant 4. Although after a hesitation, my tail number came back ok so not all is lost.

 

[MarkZ]

Mistakes happen, and I'd say a clarifying question is more appreciated than read back of the incorrect clearance. I've had a pilot save my skin before by asking me, "confirm you want us to climb?" Traffic was above the aircraft I cleared.

Was the controller being unprofessional in his/her response?

 

[MAKG1]

These guys are only human.

Just a few days ago, I got a vector for traffic avoidance on flight following, "turn left 20 degrees." It was followed almost immediately (before I executed any turn) by "turn right 20 degrees." The latter made much more sense as the traffic was on final to an airport ahead and to my left.

The traffic was probably not legal as the field was under the edge of a low marine layer.

I've also been cleared to land from the hold short line, cleared for takeoff when I was still #2, told to turn base while taxiing, and so on. Stuff happens.

 

[mondtster]

These guys are only human.

I agree. I'm actually impressed with how well controllers do with tail numbers when you call them up and they're not anticipating a call from you. They get it right a lot more of the time than I would.

I had some troubles with controllers transposing a couple of numbers in my old Cherokee's number. The number rolled off the tongue easy enough and was easy to remember but I think that the controllers didn't hear me right sometimes. I started speaking much more clearly on the radio and the problems went away, so I believe the problem was more mine than theirs.