Originally Posted by
englishal
I heard a story of some people coming back from the CI to some airfield in the UK. They got a call from Solent that they were to divert to Southampton, which they did and were met by SB. SB Carted them off and interviewed them, it turns out that SB had "lost" the GAR. The matter was eventually cleared up and they were sent on their way.
Just out of interest, what are the legalities of an external agency issuing instructions whilst in flight?
Whilst in controlled airspace, can an ATCO direct you to land somewhere, that is not on your route?