SMT ON CONTACT APCH WAS TOO HIGH AND STARTED A CIRCLING APCH. ATC ADVISED MAKE MISSED APCH.

Narrative

WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ILS APCH AT DET FOR RWY 15; I SAW THE ARPT AT 9 O'CLOCK. KNOWING THAT THE RPTED CEILING AND VIS WERE TOO LOW FOR A VISUAL APCH; I REQUESTED (AND WAS GRANTED) A CONTACT APCH. BY THE TIME THAT WAS DONE I WAS ABOUT 4 MI N OF THE FIELD. I TURNED BACK TO THE ARPT AND DESCENDED TO 2000'. I HAD ABOUT 2 MI OF FLT VIS. WHEN I SPOTTED THE RWY I WAS TOO HIGH TO LAND STRAIGHT IN; SO I CAME OVERHEAD THE ARPT AND ADVISED THE TWR OF MY LOCATION; AND THAT I WOULD TURN DOWNWIND FOR 15. THE LCL CTLR BECAME EXCITED AND DIRECTED ME TO RECONTACT APCH. I ASKED IF HE WAS DIRECTING ME TO MISS THE APCH AND HE REPLIED THAT HE WAS. I RECONTACTED APCH AND WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL. IN TALKING TO THE LCL CTLR BY PHONE; I DISCOVERED THAT HE HAD A LETTER OF AGREEMENT WITH APCH WHICH EFFECTIVELY PROHIBITED CIRCLE-TO-LAND UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES. THERE WAS; SO FAR AS I COULD TELL; NO TFC CONFLICT. THE PLT/CTLR GLOSSARY DOES NOT PROHIBIT (OR EVEN MENTION) CIRCLING ON A CONTACT APCH. THE MISS WAS UNEXPECTED AND THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS CONFUSING. IF A STRAIGHT-IN IS REQUIRED; THE CTLR MUST TELL THE PLT.