Narrative:

Upon completing 20 mins of an introductory flight with a new student, we headed back to apa, and contacted the tower about 10 mi southwest of the field stating our desire to land. The tower told us to obtain ATIS information. Although it was difficult to manage this task on this occasion with this new student, we obtained this information over a period of 5 mins. It was necessary to maneuver to avoid getting too close to the airport, and I had the new student fly the necessary turns. Upon reporting 5 mi west with ATIS information, tower told us to report mid-field downwind west of I-25 for runway 17L. Upon reporting downwind, tower asked 'can you hear me?' as I was adjusting the volume on the radio. Apparently the volume had been turned down after the initial call, although I do not remember doing this. I said, 'I can hear you now.' tower said, with significant irritation, that he had tried to contact me several times. Other traffic at this busy time also appeared to be having communications difficulty with the tower. My situation may have aggravated this. Received what I thought was a clearance to follow a cherokee and land on runway 17L. I saw an aircraft on short final for runway 17L. Although it did not look like a cherokee, it was too far away to tell. I assumed that was the traffic, and turned base for runway 17L. I made a few comments to my student on how power is reduced when descending for landing. A small jet, apparently on final, appeared to be on a path crossing ours. I watched this airplane, and wondered if the tower was aware of the conflict. I expedited my descent and the jet appeared to level off. I delayed my turn to final until the jet flew over us. At that time tower asked if I was following cherokee to land on runway 17R. I thought I was cleared to land on runway 17L. Tower again said 'can you hear me' and said my clearance was to land on runway 17R. I offered some excuse for misunderstanding and not following his clearance. A waste of precious airtime at this busy time. I told tower I was continuing east (not turning final) and asked what he wanted me to do. By this time tower appeared to have his frustration under control and was speaking slowly, deliberately, and effectively to me and other pilots. Tower agreed for me to continue east and then called for left 270 degree turn and cleared me to land on runway 17L. Aside from my error with the radio, other factors hurt communication. Certain centennial controllers often scold pilots whom they think do not follow their clrncs or procedures. In some cases, I have heard pilots scolded when they did nothing wrong. ATIS broadcasts are unbearably long at this airfield, and that makes it difficult to get information expeditiously and attend to duties at hand. With the distractions here, and a change in the landing runway from what I was initially told to expect, a controller clarification of my landing clearance would have been helpful if a conflict were observed with the jet traffic on final for runway 17L (the tower does have radar). I should have asked the tower about the jet, but it was hard to break into the steady stream of communications. Many controllers promptly handle inadvertent deviations with revised clrncs. The controller's need to express his frustration over the radio reduced his effectiveness at working with me and other pilots to fix an unfavorable situation. As for me, I will serve my students and other pilots best by suspending instruction during the times when things are too busy to talk to both the student and tower, and concentrate exclusively on pilot responsibilities.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT IN A C172 HAS NMAC WITH A CPR JET IN THE TFC PATTERN. INSTRUCTOR IS MAKING APCH TO WRONG RWY.

Narrative: UPON COMPLETING 20 MINS OF AN INTRODUCTORY FLT WITH A NEW STUDENT, WE HEADED BACK TO APA, AND CONTACTED THE TWR ABOUT 10 MI SW OF THE FIELD STATING OUR DESIRE TO LAND. THE TWR TOLD US TO OBTAIN ATIS INFO. ALTHOUGH IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE THIS TASK ON THIS OCCASION WITH THIS NEW STUDENT, WE OBTAINED THIS INFO OVER A PERIOD OF 5 MINS. IT WAS NECESSARY TO MANEUVER TO AVOID GETTING TOO CLOSE TO THE ARPT, AND I HAD THE NEW STUDENT FLY THE NECESSARY TURNS. UPON RPTING 5 MI W WITH ATIS INFO, TWR TOLD US TO RPT MID-FIELD DOWNWIND W OF I-25 FOR RWY 17L. UPON RPTING DOWNWIND, TWR ASKED 'CAN YOU HEAR ME?' AS I WAS ADJUSTING THE VOLUME ON THE RADIO. APPARENTLY THE VOLUME HAD BEEN TURNED DOWN AFTER THE INITIAL CALL, ALTHOUGH I DO NOT REMEMBER DOING THIS. I SAID, 'I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.' TWR SAID, WITH SIGNIFICANT IRRITATION, THAT HE HAD TRIED TO CONTACT ME SEVERAL TIMES. OTHER TFC AT THIS BUSY TIME ALSO APPEARED TO BE HAVING COMS DIFFICULTY WITH THE TWR. MY SIT MAY HAVE AGGRAVATED THIS. RECEIVED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A CLRNC TO FOLLOW A CHEROKEE AND LAND ON RWY 17L. I SAW AN ACFT ON SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 17L. ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE A CHEROKEE, IT WAS TOO FAR AWAY TO TELL. I ASSUMED THAT WAS THE TFC, AND TURNED BASE FOR RWY 17L. I MADE A FEW COMMENTS TO MY STUDENT ON HOW PWR IS REDUCED WHEN DSNDING FOR LNDG. A SMALL JET, APPARENTLY ON FINAL, APPEARED TO BE ON A PATH XING OURS. I WATCHED THIS AIRPLANE, AND WONDERED IF THE TWR WAS AWARE OF THE CONFLICT. I EXPEDITED MY DSCNT AND THE JET APPEARED TO LEVEL OFF. I DELAYED MY TURN TO FINAL UNTIL THE JET FLEW OVER US. AT THAT TIME TWR ASKED IF I WAS FOLLOWING CHEROKEE TO LAND ON RWY 17R. I THOUGHT I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 17L. TWR AGAIN SAID 'CAN YOU HEAR ME' AND SAID MY CLRNC WAS TO LAND ON RWY 17R. I OFFERED SOME EXCUSE FOR MISUNDERSTANDING AND NOT FOLLOWING HIS CLRNC. A WASTE OF PRECIOUS AIRTIME AT THIS BUSY TIME. I TOLD TWR I WAS CONTINUING E (NOT TURNING FINAL) AND ASKED WHAT HE WANTED ME TO DO. BY THIS TIME TWR APPEARED TO HAVE HIS FRUSTRATION UNDER CTL AND WAS SPEAKING SLOWLY, DELIBERATELY, AND EFFECTIVELY TO ME AND OTHER PLTS. TWR AGREED FOR ME TO CONTINUE E AND THEN CALLED FOR L 270 DEG TURN AND CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 17L. ASIDE FROM MY ERROR WITH THE RADIO, OTHER FACTORS HURT COM. CERTAIN CENTENNIAL CTLRS OFTEN SCOLD PLTS WHOM THEY THINK DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR CLRNCS OR PROCS. IN SOME CASES, I HAVE HEARD PLTS SCOLDED WHEN THEY DID NOTHING WRONG. ATIS BROADCASTS ARE UNBEARABLY LONG AT THIS AIRFIELD, AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO GET INFO EXPEDITIOUSLY AND ATTEND TO DUTIES AT HAND. WITH THE DISTRACTIONS HERE, AND A CHANGE IN THE LNDG RWY FROM WHAT I WAS INITIALLY TOLD TO EXPECT, A CTLR CLARIFICATION OF MY LNDG CLRNC WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL IF A CONFLICT WERE OBSERVED WITH THE JET TFC ON FINAL FOR RWY 17L (THE TWR DOES HAVE RADAR). I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THE TWR ABOUT THE JET, BUT IT WAS HARD TO BREAK INTO THE STEADY STREAM OF COMS. MANY CTLRS PROMPTLY HANDLE INADVERTENT DEVS WITH REVISED CLRNCS. THE CTLR'S NEED TO EXPRESS HIS FRUSTRATION OVER THE RADIO REDUCED HIS EFFECTIVENESS AT WORKING WITH ME AND OTHER PLTS TO FIX AN UNFAVORABLE SIT. AS FOR ME, I WILL SERVE MY STUDENTS AND OTHER PLTS BEST BY SUSPENDING INSTRUCTION DURING THE TIMES WHEN THINGS ARE TOO BUSY TO TALK TO BOTH THE STUDENT AND TWR, AND CONCENTRATE EXCLUSIVELY ON PLT RESPONSIBILITIES.

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.