Narrative:

In order to get together with my wife on july holiday, I took off my airplane, an small aircraft, in the middle of the afternoon from santa barbara airport to oceano airport even though I was having a light headache and a pain in my right arm due to tendenitis. My pains have worsened as I flew towards my destination. Possibly caused by 90 degree F temperature. I was terribly dehydrated also. Due to deep coastal fog at oceano airport, I had to choose an alternate airport, san luis obispo. As I approached san luis obispo air traffic area, I felt a desperate need to land the airplane at the shortest time. This may have caused my misunderstanding of the tower operator's initial instruction of left 45 degree entry. Instead, I made a wide left base entry since his was the closest entry from the position I contacted the tower. When I did not obtain the clearance to land at the turning point from the base to the final, I proceeded with right base entry, while the tower operator was trying to put me on the left upwind position. Finally I was cleared to land from the right base. Since there were several airplanes in the traffic pattern which included one aircraft with no radio in operation, it caused interference to those planes as well as the tower operator.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT CONFUSES OTHER ACFT IN TRAFFIC PATTERN PROC AND THE TWR CTLR IN A NON ADHERENCE TO ATC INSTRUCTION.

Narrative: IN ORDER TO GET TOGETHER WITH MY WIFE ON JULY HOLIDAY, I TOOK OFF MY AIRPLANE, AN SMA, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON FROM SANTA BARBARA ARPT TO OCEANO ARPT EVEN THOUGH I WAS HAVING A LIGHT HEADACHE AND A PAIN IN MY RIGHT ARM DUE TO TENDENITIS. MY PAINS HAVE WORSENED AS I FLEW TOWARDS MY DEST. POSSIBLY CAUSED BY 90 DEG F TEMPERATURE. I WAS TERRIBLY DEHYDRATED ALSO. DUE TO DEEP COASTAL FOG AT OCEANO ARPT, I HAD TO CHOOSE AN ALTERNATE ARPT, SAN LUIS OBISPO. AS I APCHED SAN LUIS OBISPO ATA, I FELT A DESPERATE NEED TO LAND THE AIRPLANE AT THE SHORTEST TIME. THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED MY MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE TWR OPERATOR'S INITIAL INSTRUCTION OF L 45 DEG ENTRY. INSTEAD, I MADE A WIDE L BASE ENTRY SINCE HIS WAS THE CLOSEST ENTRY FROM THE POS I CONTACTED THE TWR. WHEN I DID NOT OBTAIN THE CLRNC TO LAND AT THE TURNING POINT FROM THE BASE TO THE FINAL, I PROCEEDED WITH R BASE ENTRY, WHILE THE TWR OPERATOR WAS TRYING TO PUT ME ON THE L UPWIND POS. FINALLY I WAS CLRED TO LAND FROM THE R BASE. SINCE THERE WERE SEVERAL AIRPLANES IN THE TFC PATTERN WHICH INCLUDED ONE ACFT WITH NO RADIO IN OPERATION, IT CAUSED INTERFERENCE TO THOSE PLANES AS WELL AS THE TWR OPERATOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.