Narrative:

I took off from bfi at approximately XA30 local for a return flight to ors (80 mi north), having had some upholstery work done on my mooney mite. This very small (gross weight 850 pounds) plane has a manual gear retraction lever that must engage into a slot in the cabin in order to keep the gear locked in the 'up' or in the 'down' position. On takeoff while just a few hundred ft up, I realized that the gear lever did not want to fully retract. I informed the control tower that I wanted to stay in the pattern and land. There was no emergency because the gear handle would stay in the down and locked position. On final I asked to land 'long' on runway 31L, a 10000 ft long runway, because the hangar I needed to go to was 3/4 of the way down the runway on the r-hand side. I believe I mentioned that I was going to the hangar as an explanation for landing so far down the runway. This was approved because there was minimum traffic at that moment. When I landed I was instructed to exit at taxiway A2, which is immediately adjacent to the FBO hangar. There are 2 parallel runways, runway 31L and runway 31R. Runway 31R is a 3700 ft runway, and extends from a point between taxiway A7 and taxiway A8 on the south end to perhaps 100 ft short of taxiway A2 on the north end. Taxiway A2 goes from runway 31L to taxiway a, the north/south main taxiway, and is part of a runup area to the north of runway 31R. In a phone call I have received from the FAA it is alleged that I violated tower instructions because I had not been 'cleared to 'cross runway 31R' and, further, because I did not get ground control permission to taxi across taxiway a to the FBO hangar. Crossing runway 31R: I do not recall receiving instructions to exit at taxiway A2 and hold short of runway 31R, as the FAA is now alleging. Since the airport diagram clearly shows the runway as not extending as far north as taxiway A2, there is nothing that would have alerted me to the need to stop immediately after exiting runway 31L. Having been flying for 43 yrs I am extremely conscious of runway incursion problems. To the extent that the tower wanted me to immediately stop after exiting runway 31L on taxiway A2, I believe my failure to do so is the result of a tower communications failure. It would not have been normal or expected that I would be so instructed. And, since there was no runway to cross, the instructions should have been something other than 'hold short of runway 31R.' since I have not heard the tapes of the actual conversation, I do not know what the tower said or didn't say. It is possible that the FAA phone call of this alleged incident is in error, and the FAA inspector has not looked at the airport diagram to see that I could not have crossed runway 31R. Taxiing across taxiway a without a clearance: at the point taxiway A2 meets taxiway a, my destination hangar is immediately across and on the other side of taxiway a. I apparently did not call ground control for clearance across taxiway a, and, if so, this is clearly a failure on my part. Contributing to this alleged oversight are 3 factors: 1) I was somewhat distraction by the landing gear problem. While not an emergency, I was obviously concerned. 2) the proximity of my destination hangar, perhaps 100 ft away from where I should have called, and the fact that it was mid day with little or no ground traffic at that moment probably caused me to forget to get clearance across the taxiway. Finally, contributing to this situation is the awkwardness of changing frequencys on my communication radio. To change frequencys, the pilot has to change each of the digits on the radio by repetitively pushing a button beside each digit that needs to be changed. There is no FLIP/flop feature. None of these factors, of course, are a valid excuse for not calling ground control.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A MOONEY MITE FAILED TO CONTACT GND CTL LEAVING THE RWY AFTER LNDG RESULTING IN TAXIING ON TXWYS, AND XING A PARALLEL RWY APCH OVERRUN AREA WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: I TOOK OFF FROM BFI AT APPROX XA30 LCL FOR A RETURN FLT TO ORS (80 MI N), HAVING HAD SOME UPHOLSTERY WORK DONE ON MY MOONEY MITE. THIS VERY SMALL (GROSS WT 850 LBS) PLANE HAS A MANUAL GEAR RETRACTION LEVER THAT MUST ENGAGE INTO A SLOT IN THE CABIN IN ORDER TO KEEP THE GEAR LOCKED IN THE 'UP' OR IN THE 'DOWN' POS. ON TKOF WHILE JUST A FEW HUNDRED FT UP, I REALIZED THAT THE GEAR LEVER DID NOT WANT TO FULLY RETRACT. I INFORMED THE CTL TWR THAT I WANTED TO STAY IN THE PATTERN AND LAND. THERE WAS NO EMER BECAUSE THE GEAR HANDLE WOULD STAY IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POS. ON FINAL I ASKED TO LAND 'LONG' ON RWY 31L, A 10000 FT LONG RWY, BECAUSE THE HANGAR I NEEDED TO GO TO WAS 3/4 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY ON THE R-HAND SIDE. I BELIEVE I MENTIONED THAT I WAS GOING TO THE HANGAR AS AN EXPLANATION FOR LNDG SO FAR DOWN THE RWY. THIS WAS APPROVED BECAUSE THERE WAS MINIMUM TFC AT THAT MOMENT. WHEN I LANDED I WAS INSTRUCTED TO EXIT AT TXWY A2, WHICH IS IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE FBO HANGAR. THERE ARE 2 PARALLEL RWYS, RWY 31L AND RWY 31R. RWY 31R IS A 3700 FT RWY, AND EXTENDS FROM A POINT BTWN TXWY A7 AND TXWY A8 ON THE S END TO PERHAPS 100 FT SHORT OF TXWY A2 ON THE N END. TXWY A2 GOES FROM RWY 31L TO TXWY A, THE N/S MAIN TXWY, AND IS PART OF A RUNUP AREA TO THE N OF RWY 31R. IN A PHONE CALL I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE FAA IT IS ALLEGED THAT I VIOLATED TWR INSTRUCTIONS BECAUSE I HAD NOT BEEN 'CLRED TO 'CROSS RWY 31R' AND, FURTHER, BECAUSE I DID NOT GET GND CTL PERMISSION TO TAXI ACROSS TXWY A TO THE FBO HANGAR. XING RWY 31R: I DO NOT RECALL RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO EXIT AT TXWY A2 AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 31R, AS THE FAA IS NOW ALLEGING. SINCE THE ARPT DIAGRAM CLRLY SHOWS THE RWY AS NOT EXTENDING AS FAR N AS TXWY A2, THERE IS NOTHING THAT WOULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE NEED TO STOP IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXITING RWY 31L. HAVING BEEN FLYING FOR 43 YRS I AM EXTREMELY CONSCIOUS OF RWY INCURSION PROBS. TO THE EXTENT THAT THE TWR WANTED ME TO IMMEDIATELY STOP AFTER EXITING RWY 31L ON TXWY A2, I BELIEVE MY FAILURE TO DO SO IS THE RESULT OF A TWR COMS FAILURE. IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN NORMAL OR EXPECTED THAT I WOULD BE SO INSTRUCTED. AND, SINCE THERE WAS NO RWY TO CROSS, THE INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING OTHER THAN 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 31R.' SINCE I HAVE NOT HEARD THE TAPES OF THE ACTUAL CONVERSATION, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE TWR SAID OR DIDN'T SAY. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FAA PHONE CALL OF THIS ALLEGED INCIDENT IS IN ERROR, AND THE FAA INSPECTOR HAS NOT LOOKED AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM TO SEE THAT I COULD NOT HAVE CROSSED RWY 31R. TAXIING ACROSS TXWY A WITHOUT A CLRNC: AT THE POINT TXWY A2 MEETS TXWY A, MY DEST HANGAR IS IMMEDIATELY ACROSS AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TXWY A. I APPARENTLY DID NOT CALL GND CTL FOR CLRNC ACROSS TXWY A, AND, IF SO, THIS IS CLRLY A FAILURE ON MY PART. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ALLEGED OVERSIGHT ARE 3 FACTORS: 1) I WAS SOMEWHAT DISTR BY THE LNDG GEAR PROB. WHILE NOT AN EMER, I WAS OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED. 2) THE PROX OF MY DEST HANGAR, PERHAPS 100 FT AWAY FROM WHERE I SHOULD HAVE CALLED, AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS MID DAY WITH LITTLE OR NO GND TFC AT THAT MOMENT PROBABLY CAUSED ME TO FORGET TO GET CLRNC ACROSS THE TXWY. FINALLY, CONTRIBUTING TO THIS SIT IS THE AWKWARDNESS OF CHANGING FREQS ON MY COM RADIO. TO CHANGE FREQS, THE PLT HAS TO CHANGE EACH OF THE DIGITS ON THE RADIO BY REPETITIVELY PUSHING A BUTTON BESIDE EACH DIGIT THAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED. THERE IS NO FLIP/FLOP FEATURE. NONE OF THESE FACTORS, OF COURSE, ARE A VALID EXCUSE FOR NOT CALLING GND CTL.

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.