Confusion in Using Pre-Departure Clearances

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  Aviation Safety Reporting System (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Aviation Operations Branch
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Aircraft Pilotage Air Traffic Control Clearance For Takeoff Communication And Control Communication Formats Pre-Departure Clearances (PDC) Takeoff
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.21949/1403199
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Abstract:
  In 1990, the FAA implemented the Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) program at a number of U.S. airports. This system allows pilots to obtain IFR clearances through aircraft ACARS units prior to taxi-out, thus eliminating the need for verbal communication on Clearance Delivery frequencies. The program's objective of reducing congestion on Clearance Delivery frequencies has been met. However, a number of Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident reports indicate that pilots and controllers frequently experience confusion in using the PDC system. In this bulletin, examples of inconsistent PDC formats and explanations of how the confusion arose are presented. The bulletin focuses on the two most frequently cited areas of concern: (1) inconsistent PDC formats, and (2) lack of confirmation procedures for PDC receipt.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b85252d184b78a6f9bc3a141b7b67d210d4293a8889f0e2fc4299090dcef65fe25945f984285e04573c6721a03004651478ea18184112530908fdf1645cf286
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/12772/dot_12772_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 271.91 KB ]