SMT MAKES 180 DEG TURN ON BASE LEG WHEN UNABLE TO SIGHT TFC; A 737 ON FINAL.

Narrative

ON A VFR FLT FROM SITKA TO JUNEAU; AK; I MADE A 180 DEG R TURN WHILE ON A R BASE FOR RWY 8 AT JNU. MY INITIAL CALL TO JNU TWR WAS AT 10 MI S. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO RPT A 5 MI R BASE FOR RWY 8. ALSO ON FREQ WAS A B-737. THE JET WAS ON THE LDA-1 RWY 8. WITH A CEILING OF APPROX 1500 FT I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE THE JET (SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT 10- 11 O'CLOCK). WHILE I CONTINUED INBOUND ON THE R BASE; JNU TWR ASKED FOR MY POS. I THEN RPTED 5 MI SW. APPARENTLY THE TWR CTLR DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT AND ASKED IF I COULD SEE DOWNTOWN JNU. I REPLIED THAT I COULD. THE CTLR ASKED IF I WAS COMING IN FROM DOWNTOWN (FROM THE E?) I SAID NO; WE'RE SW AND COMING IN FROM THE W; FROM LYNN CANAL. THE CTLR ASKED IF I WAS OVER SOME LCL LANDMARK AND I SAID THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LCL AREA. ALL THE WHILE (1 OR 2 MINS PASSED) I WAS REDUCING THROUGH 150 KTS FOR GEAR EXTENSION AND STILL LOOKING FOR THE JET. I WAS NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE MY ACTUAL LOCATION IN REF TO LCL LANDMARKS AND THE TWR CTLR WAS NOT CLR AS TO WHERE I WAS. MEANTIME I AM GETTING CLOSER TO THE FINAL APCH PATH AND DO NOT SEE THE 737. I EXECUTED A R 180 DEG TURN (TOWARD THE ARPT; THEN BACK TO THE S) AND RPTED THIS TO THE TWR. UPON ROLLING OUT TO THE S I CAN SEE THE JET AT MY 5 O'CLOCK; THE TWR NOW HAS ME IN SIGHT; I RPT THE JET IN SIGHT AND TURN BACK TO MY R BASE FOR RWY 8. THE REST OF THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1500 FT CEILING. LOW HILLS W AND SW OF THE ARPT RESTRICT THE PLT'S VIEW OF THE ARPT AND THE CTLR'S VIEW OF ACFT ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE HILLS. PLT'S UNFAMILIARITY WITH LCL LANDMARKS (LYNN CANAL IS NW). CTLR'S USE OF LCL LANDMARKS VERSUS POS FROM ARPT. LACK OF APCH RADAR. P.S. I SPOKE WITH JNU TWR AFTER THIS INCIDENT AND THEY COMMENTED THAT THEY SAW MY LNDG LIGHTS (C-421A) WHEN I MADE THE R 180 DEG TURN; AND THEN SAW B-737. ESTIMATED SEPARATION 1.5 - 2 MI.