A P28 PLT FAILS TO CANCEL HIS FLT PLAN. HE WONDERS WHY ATC QUESTIONS HIM ON HIS SUBSEQUENT DEP ADVISING HIM THEY HAVE NOTIFIED THE STATE POLICE TO INVESTIGATE HIS WHEREABOUTS.

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DURING DSCNT TO DHT AND WHILE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN; THE ZAB CTLR ASKED ME TO RPT THE ARPT IN SIGHT. I DID AT 7 MI OUT AND THE CTLR CLRED ME FOR THE VISUAL APCH TO DHT AND APPROVED SWITCHING FREQS. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND SPENT APPROX 1 HR ON THE GND REFUELING AND GETTING SOMETHING TO EAT. AFTER VFR DEP; I CAME BACK UP ON ZAB TO REQUEST VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND THE CTLR ASKED ME WHERE I HAD BEEN AND THAT THEY HAD CONTACTED THE STATE POLICE TO SEARCH FOR ME. THE CTLR ASKED ME IF I HAD CANCELLED MY IFR FLT PLAN BEFORE LNDG AT DHT. I REPLIED NO AND THAT I HAVE BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL AFTER RPTING THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND THEN SWITCHED FREQS TO COMMUNICATE WITH DHT. THE CTLR WAS VERY UPSET THAT I HAD NOT FORMALLY CANCELLED IFR AND TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO THE CTLR I HAD DURING THE DSCNT INTO DHT. HE CAME UP TWICE MORE OVER THE NEXT 20 MINS TO ASK ME MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INCIDENT. HE ALSO FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO REPEATEDLY TELL ME WHAT I HAD DONE WRONG OVER THE AIR. THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS INCIDENT FINALLY ENDED WHEN I SWITCHED TO THE NEXT CTLING AUTH. I COULDN'T HELP THINKING THAT IF THE CTLR WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT MY WHEREABOUTS; WHY DIDN'T HE SIMPLY CALL DHT AND SEE IF I HAD ARRIVED INSTEAD OF CALLING THE STATE POLICE. I ALSO THOUGHT I HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG BECAUSE I HAD RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND BEEN CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. WHILE I APPRECIATED THE CTLR'S CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY; I FOUND THE CTLR'S STRIDENT QUESTIONS ABOUT CANCELING IFR TO BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES. GIVEN THE SAME SIT; I WILL NOW COMMUNICATE CANCELING IFR AT THE POINT I FEEL A SAFE APCH AND LNDG WAS ASSURED.