Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 134; Flight Crew Total 11700
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Fatigue
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Overshoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Human Factors; Procedure
While descending for the ILS 9R; the SBGR approach controller told us to 'descend to 5000 feet; unrestricted descent'. The captain; who was the PM; read back the clearance to descend to 5000 feet. The air traffic controller; who's English was terrible; then repeated the clearance to 'descend to five thousand five hundred; unrestricted descent.' It was very difficult to understand these two clearances. The captain again read back the clearance to descend to 5000 feet. I wasn't sure of the altitude clearance; because of the lack of clear English used by the controller; but I asked the captain to verify if we were cleared down to 5500 or 5000 feet. The captain; who had become very grumpy and agitated after being awake all night while flying down to SBGR barked at me that he was sure the altitude assigned to us was 5000 feet and he set it in the MCP. He seemed certain about the assigned altitude so I took his word for it. Once level at 5000 feet; the controller told us we should have been at 5500 feet.
We heard Approach clear us to 5000 ft and I read back 5000 ft. Radar minimum altitude is 5500 ft. I asked approach for altitude clearance again and he said 5000 ft and I read back 5000 ft again. ATC cleared us to an intercept heading for ILS final and cleared us to 5500 ft. I told him we were previously cleared to 5000 ft.
The Captain of a redeye flight to SBGR heard a clearance to 5;000 feet. The foreign Controller's clearance was actually to 5;500 feet which the flying First Officer heard correctly. When level at 5;000 feet; which the Captain wanted; the Controller commented on the incorrect altitude.