NASA · Aviation Safety Reporting System
Hawker flight crew reported receiving multiple step down altitudes from ATC on approach. Without the airport in sight, the flight crew was given a vector and a climb to the minimum vectoring altitude, then conducted another approach to a successful landing.
What is ASRS?
The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.
Pilot narratives
Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the
reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time);
anonymization placeholders are ZZZ,
X, Y.
Reporter 1
While being vectored for a visual approach Runway XX into ZZZ we were stepped down 15000, then 14000, then 13000 ft. and then 12000 ft. I read back each altitude as it was given as well as direction of flight. As we were given a turn to the left and asked if we had the runway in sight I responded "NO". That there was a few clouds between us and the airport and we couldn't quite see it yet. We then were given a turn and asked to climb to 13000 ft. We complied. I asked if the Controller indeed wanted us to climb to 13000 ft. and Controller said yes because it was the minimum vectoring altitude in that this area. We continued being vectored, picked up the runway, was cleared for the visual and landed. Once taxied clear of runway was asked to call the Tower.
Reporter 2
While being vectored for the visual approach Runway XX into ZZZ we were being stepped down 15000 ft, then 14000, then 13000, and then 12000 ft. We read back each altitude as it was given as well as direction of flight. As we were given a turn to the left, and asked if we had the runway in sight, the Captain responded "No". There was a few clouds between us and the field and we didn't have the airport in sight yet. We were then giving a turn and asked to climb to 13000 ft. We complied. Next the Captain asked if the Controller indeed wanted us to climb to 13000 ft. and the Controller said yes because it was the minimum vectoring altitude in the area. We continued being vectored, picked up the runway, and was cleared for the visual and landed. Once taxied clear of runway, was asked the call the Tower.
NASA classification — Anomalies
- ATC Issue
- Inflight Event / Encounter
NASA classification — Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Human Factors · Weather
- Primary Problem
- Human Factors
ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.