Narrative:

We were inbound to xyz airport after receiving the ATIS information. We reported to tower approximately 10 mi northeast. Their instructions were to report at the dam. We acknowledged. At the dam, I reported at the dam. 'Cleared to enter left downwind.' I then acknowledged and repeated their instructions. (I was never advised of any other aircraft, nor was there any radio calls made to or from another aircraft.) as we approached the field on a modified 45 degree to a left downwind, a twin aircraft appeared at our 12 O'clock position, same altitude, and approximately 200 ft. I made an evasive climbing right turn and cringed, hollering. After recovering from this maneuver, I asked the tower 'where did he come from?' (or something like that!) their response was, 'what aircraft or what?' I then asked them to just look above us. They responded with, 'what's your elevation?' I reported I was at 2700 ft. They then explained to me that the pattern elevation was 2500 ft and that must have been the problem with the separation. At this point I was now cleared to land as aircraft #2 behind the twin. After landing, I proceeded to go to the control tower with the hopes of a debrief about this occurrence. Upon contacting ATC by phone at the base of the tower, I said my name and that I wished to come up and visit with them. I was asked if I had ever been up in the tower before. I said no. I was asked what the nature of my visit was. I replied to discuss an incident with them. I was asked to hold on, and he handed the phone to someone else. I responded by saying, 'hello, this is aircraft X and I would like to come up and talk to you about an incident.' I was told that there was no incident and that I could not come up! (No questions asked.) I then invited the gentleman to come downstairs and discuss the incident with me. Again he said, 'there is no incident!' at that point I said something like, 'how about I rip this blankety-blank door off and come up and make my visit?' he made some off the wall remark and hung up on me. At this point in total dismay, I returned to my aircraft in the hangar and watched 2 city of phoenix employees pull up in a city truck with their lights flashing, looking for the unhappy pilot. I quickly idented myself as the pilot. They informed me that the airport manager had requested them to look into this situation for him. (News travels fast for a non incident!) after a short discussion with the city people, all seemed well. I told them I wasn't trying to get anyone fired from their job, but I was interested in safety only. Sometime later, I decided to walk over and talk to the airport manager myself. At my arrival at the window downstairs, one of the city people I had talked to previously in the hangar came to the window. I asked if it would be possible to speak to the airport manager. I was informed that he was tied up in meetings all day and into the evening. I turned to say hello to a friend that had walked up and when I turned back to the window, he was on the phone. (I don't know who called who.) he then walked back to the window and asked me to pick up line #3 and talk to the tower. Now ATC wanted to talk to me on the phone. I said hello, and the man on the phone idented himself as the ATC 'acting manager,' and that the FAA requires that only he give his initials. I was informed that there was no supervisor on staff today and that he would be in tomorrow. I should call and talk to him about this incident. I explained I would be in surgery tomorrow and could not call until thursday or friday. On monday, I made a call to the office and set up a meeting with him. We met for 1 hour 15 mins and the outcome was (after much discussion of how I should have handled this incident after landing) to file an 'near midair collision report.' this report was filed today. The fact that I was not informed by ATC that any other aircraft was operating in the pattern doing touch-and-goes I feel was negligent on their part even though I know they are not required to do so. There were no radio xmissions to the other aircraft after I checked in. This information was confirmed to me during our meeting. The fact that they asked for my elevation after I made an evasive movement that was not monitored by them leads me to believe that no one was looking out of the tower windows. I feel that ATC should at least visually know what is going on in their area when there are only 2 aircraft in and around the class D airspace. This may not be an FAA regulation, but morally and ethically they should have had better control of their airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE33 PLT UPSET AT DIFFICULTY IN RPTING AND DISCUSSING NMAC WITH DVT TWR.

Narrative: WE WERE INBOUND TO XYZ ARPT AFTER RECEIVING THE ATIS INFO. WE RPTED TO TWR APPROX 10 MI NE. THEIR INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO RPT AT THE DAM. WE ACKNOWLEDGED. AT THE DAM, I RPTED AT THE DAM. 'CLRED TO ENTER L DOWNWIND.' I THEN ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPEATED THEIR INSTRUCTIONS. (I WAS NEVER ADVISED OF ANY OTHER ACFT, NOR WAS THERE ANY RADIO CALLS MADE TO OR FROM ANOTHER ACFT.) AS WE APCHED THE FIELD ON A MODIFIED 45 DEG TO A L DOWNWIND, A TWIN ACFT APPEARED AT OUR 12 O'CLOCK POS, SAME ALT, AND APPROX 200 FT. I MADE AN EVASIVE CLBING R TURN AND CRINGED, HOLLERING. AFTER RECOVERING FROM THIS MANEUVER, I ASKED THE TWR 'WHERE DID HE COME FROM?' (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!) THEIR RESPONSE WAS, 'WHAT ACFT OR WHAT?' I THEN ASKED THEM TO JUST LOOK ABOVE US. THEY RESPONDED WITH, 'WHAT'S YOUR ELEVATION?' I RPTED I WAS AT 2700 FT. THEY THEN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE PATTERN ELEVATION WAS 2500 FT AND THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE PROB WITH THE SEPARATION. AT THIS POINT I WAS NOW CLRED TO LAND AS ACFT #2 BEHIND THE TWIN. AFTER LNDG, I PROCEEDED TO GO TO THE CTL TWR WITH THE HOPES OF A DEBRIEF ABOUT THIS OCCURRENCE. UPON CONTACTING ATC BY PHONE AT THE BASE OF THE TWR, I SAID MY NAME AND THAT I WISHED TO COME UP AND VISIT WITH THEM. I WAS ASKED IF I HAD EVER BEEN UP IN THE TWR BEFORE. I SAID NO. I WAS ASKED WHAT THE NATURE OF MY VISIT WAS. I REPLIED TO DISCUSS AN INCIDENT WITH THEM. I WAS ASKED TO HOLD ON, AND HE HANDED THE PHONE TO SOMEONE ELSE. I RESPONDED BY SAYING, 'HELLO, THIS IS ACFT X AND I WOULD LIKE TO COME UP AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT AN INCIDENT.' I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO INCIDENT AND THAT I COULD NOT COME UP! (NO QUESTIONS ASKED.) I THEN INVITED THE GENTLEMAN TO COME DOWNSTAIRS AND DISCUSS THE INCIDENT WITH ME. AGAIN HE SAID, 'THERE IS NO INCIDENT!' AT THAT POINT I SAID SOMETHING LIKE, 'HOW ABOUT I RIP THIS BLANKETY-BLANK DOOR OFF AND COME UP AND MAKE MY VISIT?' HE MADE SOME OFF THE WALL REMARK AND HUNG UP ON ME. AT THIS POINT IN TOTAL DISMAY, I RETURNED TO MY ACFT IN THE HANGAR AND WATCHED 2 CITY OF PHOENIX EMPLOYEES PULL UP IN A CITY TRUCK WITH THEIR LIGHTS FLASHING, LOOKING FOR THE UNHAPPY PLT. I QUICKLY IDENTED MYSELF AS THE PLT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ARPT MGR HAD REQUESTED THEM TO LOOK INTO THIS SIT FOR HIM. (NEWS TRAVELS FAST FOR A NON INCIDENT!) AFTER A SHORT DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY PEOPLE, ALL SEEMED WELL. I TOLD THEM I WASN'T TRYING TO GET ANYONE FIRED FROM THEIR JOB, BUT I WAS INTERESTED IN SAFETY ONLY. SOMETIME LATER, I DECIDED TO WALK OVER AND TALK TO THE ARPT MGR MYSELF. AT MY ARR AT THE WINDOW DOWNSTAIRS, ONE OF THE CITY PEOPLE I HAD TALKED TO PREVIOUSLY IN THE HANGAR CAME TO THE WINDOW. I ASKED IF IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO SPEAK TO THE ARPT MGR. I WAS INFORMED THAT HE WAS TIED UP IN MEETINGS ALL DAY AND INTO THE EVENING. I TURNED TO SAY HELLO TO A FRIEND THAT HAD WALKED UP AND WHEN I TURNED BACK TO THE WINDOW, HE WAS ON THE PHONE. (I DON'T KNOW WHO CALLED WHO.) HE THEN WALKED BACK TO THE WINDOW AND ASKED ME TO PICK UP LINE #3 AND TALK TO THE TWR. NOW ATC WANTED TO TALK TO ME ON THE PHONE. I SAID HELLO, AND THE MAN ON THE PHONE IDENTED HIMSELF AS THE ATC 'ACTING MGR,' AND THAT THE FAA REQUIRES THAT ONLY HE GIVE HIS INITIALS. I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO SUPVR ON STAFF TODAY AND THAT HE WOULD BE IN TOMORROW. I SHOULD CALL AND TALK TO HIM ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. I EXPLAINED I WOULD BE IN SURGERY TOMORROW AND COULD NOT CALL UNTIL THURSDAY OR FRIDAY. ON MONDAY, I MADE A CALL TO THE OFFICE AND SET UP A MEETING WITH HIM. WE MET FOR 1 HR 15 MINS AND THE OUTCOME WAS (AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION OF HOW I SHOULD HAVE HANDLED THIS INCIDENT AFTER LNDG) TO FILE AN 'NMAC RPT.' THIS RPT WAS FILED TODAY. THE FACT THAT I WAS NOT INFORMED BY ATC THAT ANY OTHER ACFT WAS OPERATING IN THE PATTERN DOING TOUCH-AND-GOES I FEEL WAS NEGLIGENT ON THEIR PART EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO SO. THERE WERE NO RADIO XMISSIONS TO THE OTHER ACFT AFTER I CHKED IN. THIS INFO WAS CONFIRMED TO ME DURING OUR MEETING. THE FACT THAT THEY ASKED FOR MY ELEVATION AFTER I MADE AN EVASIVE MOVEMENT THAT WAS NOT MONITORED BY THEM LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT NO ONE WAS LOOKING OUT OF THE TWR WINDOWS. I FEEL THAT ATC SHOULD AT LEAST VISUALLY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR AREA WHEN THERE ARE ONLY 2 ACFT IN AND AROUND THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THIS MAY NOT BE AN FAA REG, BUT MORALLY AND ETHICALLY THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD BETTER CTL OF THEIR AIRSPACE.

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.