A QUEEN AIR ATP PLT IS CONFUSED BY THE TFC SIT AND THE CLRNCS ISSUED BY THE TWR CTLR FOR A FLY IN AIRSHOW AT AWO; VA.
Synopsis
A QUEEN AIR ATP PLT IS CONFUSED BY THE TFC SIT AND THE CLRNCS ISSUED BY THE TWR CTLR FOR A FLY IN AIRSHOW AT AWO; VA.
Narrative
ON THE MORNING OF JUL/FRI/02; I WAS ENRTE TO AWO ARPT TO PARTICIPATE IN A FLY-IN. UPON ARR; I FOLLOWED PUBLISHED ARR PROCS FOR THAT DAY WHICH INSTRUCTED ME TO FLY OVER ANOTHER ARPT ABOUT 4 MI TO THE S OF ARLINGTON; IDENT MYSELF BY COLOR AND TYPE ONLY; THEN WAIT FOR CLRNC TO PROCEED INBOUND TO THE ARPT. WHEN I RECEIVED CLRNC TO PROCEED INBOUND; I WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW SEVERAL ACFT ALSO INBOUND FOR LNDG; ONE OF WHICH WAS AN ACFT ABOUT 2 MI AHEAD OF US. ONCE OVER THE TOWN OF ARLINGTON; I SWITCHED TO THE TWR FREQ AS INSTRUCTED. BY THIS TIME I SAW THAT I WAS NOW CLOSING ON THE ACFT AND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION ONCE IN THE PATTERN. I CALLED THE TWR AND WAS TOLD TO PASS THE ACFT ON THE L WHILE ENTERING R DOWNWIND FOR LNDG ON RWY 35. UP TO THIS POINT; I WAS IDENTING MYSELF AS A BEECHCRAFT FLT QUEEN AIR. QUEER AIR HAD BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS SUCH BY BOTH APCH AND THE TWR. WHILE ON THE DOWNWIND AND ABOUT ABEAM OF THE ACFT; THE TWR INSTRUCTED A TWIN BONANZA TO TURN BASE INSIDE OF THE ACFT FOR LNDG. AFTER A LONG SILENCE; I FIGURED THAT THE TWR WAS PROBABLY CALLING OUR ACFT; AND I ASKED THEM IF THE CALL WAS MEANT FOR US. THE TWR IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED HIS MISTAKE AND REPEATED HIS INSTRUCTIONS. BY NOW; I HAD PASSED THE ACFT AND COULD NOT TURN INSIDE OF HIM; SO THE TWR HAD THE ACFT TURN BASE AND TOLD US TO FOLLOW HIM FOR LNDG. I EXTENDED AS FAR AS POSSIBLE; THEN TURNED BASE TO SEE THE ACFT ON ABOUT A 1/2 MI FINAL. WHEN I TURNED FINAL; I HAD ABOUT 1/2 MI BTWN THE ACFT AND MYSELF. ONCE THIS HAPPENED; THE ACFT SLOWED TO ABOUT 60 KTS AND THE DISTANCE BTWN US BEGAN TO DECREASE (MY MINIMUM SPD ON APCH WAS ABOUT 110 KTS) AND ONCE AGAIN I SAW THAT SEPARATION COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED. I CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM THAT I COULD NOT LAND BEHIND THE ACFT AND THAT I WOULD OVERRUN HIM SOON. THE TWR THEN INSTRUCTED THE ACFT TO LAND SHORT AND FOR ME TO OVERFLY THE ACFT AND LAND LONG. I TOLD THE TWR THAT THIS WAS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND THAT I WOULD NOT DO IT. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF SILENCE; THE TWR SAID 'PUT YOUR WHEELS DOWN AND LAND NOW.' AT THIS POINT; I WAS ABOUT 700 FT ABOVE THE APCH END OF THE RWY AND COULD NOT HAVE MADE THE RWY AT ALL. I CALLED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM THAT I WAS INITIATING A GAR. UPON HEARING THIS; THE TWR SAID TO DEPART THE PATTERN; GO BACK (AGAINST ONCOMING TFC) TO THE INITIAL RPTING POINT; CLB TO 3000 FT AND WAIT 'UNTIL I GET BACK TO YOU LATER.' I INFORMED THE TWR THAT I DID NOT WANT TO DO THIS BECAUSE I WOULD BE LOW ON FUEL IF I HAD TO HOLD FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE TWR CAME BACK AND SAID THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 35. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE; THE TWR INTERPED THIS TO MEAN THAT I WAS OUT OF FUEL AND WAS DECLARING AN EMER; ALTHOUGH NO MENTION OF THIS WAS EVER MADE BY MYSELF OR CONFIRMED BY THE TWR. AFTER LNDG AND GOING TO PARKING; I WAS MET BY AN FAA REPRESENTATIVE AND ASKED HOW MUCH FUEL WAS ON BOARD. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD MORE THAN 45 MINS RESERVE LEFT. UPON HEARING THIS; HE SAID THAT I HAD DECLARED AN EMER; WHEN IN FACT THERE WAS NONE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.