Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Procedure
Mazatlan center left us high at FL200 until we were within 25 NM from the Hermosillo airport. They were mostly occupied talking to other aircraft on frequency. We were finally able to ask for a lower altitude when the frequency cleared at about 25 NM from the airport. Instead of giving us lower; the controller sent us to Hermosillo Approach. We checked on with Hermosillo approach; and the new controller immediately gave us 'Descend to 6;000 feet and cleared VOR DME-2 RWY 23 approach'. At this point we were 20 NM out and still FL200; with the airport in sight. We were unable to accept this approach and told him that we were too high to accept. He denied our request for a visual approach. He came back irritated; and told us 'fly direct to the VOR and enter the published hold; maintain 6;000; then cleared the approach'. This was confusing right away; and after looking at the approach; turned out to be an invalid clearance. The HMO VOR is not an IAF for the approach we were given; and there is no transition to an IAF from the VOR. The controller gave us no instructions on how to begin the approach. About 10 miles out; the approach controller asked us if we were really going to need to enter the hold. We told him that we were way too high; and that we would either need to hold and descend; get vectors to descend; or just do a visual approach. He did not respond. We told him again with no response. Then he called our flight number asking for a response. We answered; but he didn't respond.At this point it was evident that we had lost communications with Hermosillo Approach. We were about 3 miles north of the airport at 10;000 feet. We had a clearance from approach that didn't make any sense. Just before we were going to enter the hold over HMO; we made the decision to contact HMO tower and then we tried to explain the situation. Hermosillo tower figured our position (over the airport at about 7;500 feet) and told us to enter a left base for runway 23. At that point it seemed to us like all clearances were out the window. We continued descending right through 6000 feet on crosswind now on the south side of the airport. Then Hermosillo tower told us to maintain 3;000 and contact approach again. We leveled at 3;000 and switched to approach. We were still flying SE on a crosswind for RWY 23. Approach just wanted to scold us for not complying with his clearance. We told him that we had lost communications; and he informed us that we did not lose communications. We decided not to argue since we were now at 3;000 feet with pattern traffic and terrain nearby. He told us to maintain 3;000 feet and contact tower. We went back to tower and she told us to maintain 3;000 feet and enter a left base for RWY 23. From there on in it was a normal approach to landing except for the fact that tower had no intention of letting us descend below 3;000 feet until we asked at the last moment.We were left very high. Center forgot to ship us to approach. Approach gave us a clearance that we weren't able to comply with; and then issued another clearance which was invalid. Then Approach stopped talking to us. We left frequency without being switched; and then complied with the next controller's clearance which actually made sense.I'm fully willing to admit when I'm wrong; but I feel that we did just about everything that we could do here. If I had to do it again; I would have entered the hold over the VOR as cleared and tried harder to work out the invalid clearance with approach control.This was mainly caused by an approach controller that issued a poor clearance and then either couldn't hear our transmissions or heard and chose not to respond to them.
CRJ-200 Captain reported ATC communication difficulties on arrival to MMHO.