Narrative:

I am a flight instructor. I am also employed full time as an ATC controller at ZAU where I am a full performance level controller with over 20 yrs experience. While over the olson airport (12 NM northwest of dpa), I checked in on the dpa tower frequency. I was told to enter the traffic pattern for runway 1L. According to the ATIS, runway 33 was also an active runway. Runway 33 was much closer to my airport destination, so I asked if runway 33 was available and the controller instructed me to 'enter a wide left base for runway 33' and to report over the fox river. I later reported over the river and the controller rogered the transmission. A couple of mins later the controller asked my position and I replied that if runway 10 was open (runway 10 is closed for construction) I would be on about a 2 mi final to runway 10. The controller then 'chewed me out' because he said he had instructed me to enter a wide left base to runway 33 and I was not on a wide left base, but was on a downwind to runway 33. Since I was approximately 2 mi west of the approach end of runway 10, still flying southeast, and diverging even further from runway 33, I felt that I was making a wide entry to a base leg. After I landed, the controller said 'in the future, if you cannot comply with an ATC clearance you should advise me' and in the same breath told me to contact ground control. As I taxied to my destination, I asked ground control for the local controller's operating initials. After completing the logbook entries and other paperwork for the flight, I called dupage tower. I wanted clarification of what the controller meant by his clearance. (He had never told me to fly a specific distance from the runway or to fly over a specific point.) he told me that I was too close to the departure end of runway 1. I said that apparently he and I had different ideas of the definition of wide. I tried to make a suggestion that in the future it would be helpful if the controller could be more specific as to just where he wanted me to fly. I never got that far. I was then cut off by the controller and never had a chance to say another word. The controller stated in an angry tone of voice that, 'no, no it wasn't my bad, it was your bad! You asked me for a favor and I helped you out, but you didn't do me any favors.' he then went on talking faster and faster and louder and louder saying things like 'I can go home in the evening, but you're gonna be dead,' 'this is a busy airport and you pilots better listen or somebody is gonna die,' 'do you want to die?' at one point he told me to have my chief pilot call the tower, that he wanted to talk to the 'senior pilot.' at times the controller was unintelligible. Finally he said 'you know what? I don't need this, that's it! I'm writing you up!' and he slammed the phone down in my ear. About 2 hours later, I again called dupage tower and spoke with the same controller who had calmed down by this time. I told him that I did not want to argue or fight with anybody. I apologized if I had interfered with his plans or caused him any trouble. He told me that it was just that I was the third or fourth pilot that had messed up in 1/2 hour and not to worry about it. I said that I too was a controller and I understood. I told him that it was the chief pilot's day off and that I had been unable to get in touch with her, but that I had left her messages to return my call. The controller told me that would not be necessary, that she did not call the tower. He told me to forget about it and we ended the conversation. I did not try to put forth any more suggestions or continue the earlier conversation for fear that it would set him off again. I feel that the cause of this confrontation was a poorly worded, vague clearance. If the controller had given specific distances or specific fixes to fly over this would never have occurred. Sometimes in the past, other controllers have done just that when there was conflicting traffic. At other times, I have been left to fly a 'wide' pattern exactly as I did on the morning of apr/sat/01. This controller's voice is known to the instructors at the school. He has a reputation as a poor controller and we are careful when he is working because he is excitable and will chew out a pilot at the drop of a hat. Dupage is a busy airport and frequently when he is working the traffic pattern is chaos due to his frequent tongue lashings that sometimes tie up the frequency.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 PLT CHALLENGED BY DPA LCL CTLR FOR NOT 'COMPLYING' WITH POS RPT CLRNC.

Narrative: I AM A FLT INSTRUCTOR. I AM ALSO EMPLOYED FULL TIME AS AN ATC CTLR AT ZAU WHERE I AM A FULL PERFORMANCE LEVEL CTLR WITH OVER 20 YRS EXPERIENCE. WHILE OVER THE OLSON ARPT (12 NM NW OF DPA), I CHKED IN ON THE DPA TWR FREQ. I WAS TOLD TO ENTER THE TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 1L. ACCORDING TO THE ATIS, RWY 33 WAS ALSO AN ACTIVE RWY. RWY 33 WAS MUCH CLOSER TO MY ARPT DEST, SO I ASKED IF RWY 33 WAS AVAILABLE AND THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO 'ENTER A WIDE L BASE FOR RWY 33' AND TO RPT OVER THE FOX RIVER. I LATER RPTED OVER THE RIVER AND THE CTLR ROGERED THE XMISSION. A COUPLE OF MINS LATER THE CTLR ASKED MY POS AND I REPLIED THAT IF RWY 10 WAS OPEN (RWY 10 IS CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION) I WOULD BE ON ABOUT A 2 MI FINAL TO RWY 10. THE CTLR THEN 'CHEWED ME OUT' BECAUSE HE SAID HE HAD INSTRUCTED ME TO ENTER A WIDE L BASE TO RWY 33 AND I WAS NOT ON A WIDE L BASE, BUT WAS ON A DOWNWIND TO RWY 33. SINCE I WAS APPROX 2 MI W OF THE APCH END OF RWY 10, STILL FLYING SE, AND DIVERGING EVEN FURTHER FROM RWY 33, I FELT THAT I WAS MAKING A WIDE ENTRY TO A BASE LEG. AFTER I LANDED, THE CTLR SAID 'IN THE FUTURE, IF YOU CANNOT COMPLY WITH AN ATC CLRNC YOU SHOULD ADVISE ME' AND IN THE SAME BREATH TOLD ME TO CONTACT GND CTL. AS I TAXIED TO MY DEST, I ASKED GND CTL FOR THE LCL CTLR'S OPERATING INITIALS. AFTER COMPLETING THE LOGBOOK ENTRIES AND OTHER PAPERWORK FOR THE FLT, I CALLED DUPAGE TWR. I WANTED CLARIFICATION OF WHAT THE CTLR MEANT BY HIS CLRNC. (HE HAD NEVER TOLD ME TO FLY A SPECIFIC DISTANCE FROM THE RWY OR TO FLY OVER A SPECIFIC POINT.) HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE DEP END OF RWY 1. I SAID THAT APPARENTLY HE AND I HAD DIFFERENT IDEAS OF THE DEFINITION OF WIDE. I TRIED TO MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT IN THE FUTURE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE CTLR COULD BE MORE SPECIFIC AS TO JUST WHERE HE WANTED ME TO FLY. I NEVER GOT THAT FAR. I WAS THEN CUT OFF BY THE CTLR AND NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO SAY ANOTHER WORD. THE CTLR STATED IN AN ANGRY TONE OF VOICE THAT, 'NO, NO IT WASN'T MY BAD, IT WAS YOUR BAD! YOU ASKED ME FOR A FAVOR AND I HELPED YOU OUT, BUT YOU DIDN'T DO ME ANY FAVORS.' HE THEN WENT ON TALKING FASTER AND FASTER AND LOUDER AND LOUDER SAYING THINGS LIKE 'I CAN GO HOME IN THE EVENING, BUT YOU'RE GONNA BE DEAD,' 'THIS IS A BUSY ARPT AND YOU PLTS BETTER LISTEN OR SOMEBODY IS GONNA DIE,' 'DO YOU WANT TO DIE?' AT ONE POINT HE TOLD ME TO HAVE MY CHIEF PLT CALL THE TWR, THAT HE WANTED TO TALK TO THE 'SENIOR PLT.' AT TIMES THE CTLR WAS UNINTELLIGIBLE. FINALLY HE SAID 'YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T NEED THIS, THAT'S IT! I'M WRITING YOU UP!' AND HE SLAMMED THE PHONE DOWN IN MY EAR. ABOUT 2 HRS LATER, I AGAIN CALLED DUPAGE TWR AND SPOKE WITH THE SAME CTLR WHO HAD CALMED DOWN BY THIS TIME. I TOLD HIM THAT I DID NOT WANT TO ARGUE OR FIGHT WITH ANYBODY. I APOLOGIZED IF I HAD INTERFERED WITH HIS PLANS OR CAUSED HIM ANY TROUBLE. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS JUST THAT I WAS THE THIRD OR FOURTH PLT THAT HAD MESSED UP IN 1/2 HR AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. I SAID THAT I TOO WAS A CTLR AND I UNDERSTOOD. I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS THE CHIEF PLT'S DAY OFF AND THAT I HAD BEEN UNABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HER, BUT THAT I HAD LEFT HER MESSAGES TO RETURN MY CALL. THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT WOULD NOT BE NECESSARY, THAT SHE DID NOT CALL THE TWR. HE TOLD ME TO FORGET ABOUT IT AND WE ENDED THE CONVERSATION. I DID NOT TRY TO PUT FORTH ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR CONTINUE THE EARLIER CONVERSATION FOR FEAR THAT IT WOULD SET HIM OFF AGAIN. I FEEL THAT THE CAUSE OF THIS CONFRONTATION WAS A POORLY WORDED, VAGUE CLRNC. IF THE CTLR HAD GIVEN SPECIFIC DISTANCES OR SPECIFIC FIXES TO FLY OVER THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE OCCURRED. SOMETIMES IN THE PAST, OTHER CTLRS HAVE DONE JUST THAT WHEN THERE WAS CONFLICTING TFC. AT OTHER TIMES, I HAVE BEEN LEFT TO FLY A 'WIDE' PATTERN EXACTLY AS I DID ON THE MORNING OF APR/SAT/01. THIS CTLR'S VOICE IS KNOWN TO THE INSTRUCTORS AT THE SCHOOL. HE HAS A REPUTATION AS A POOR CTLR AND WE ARE CAREFUL WHEN HE IS WORKING BECAUSE HE IS EXCITABLE AND WILL CHEW OUT A PLT AT THE DROP OF A HAT. DUPAGE IS A BUSY ARPT AND FREQUENTLY WHEN HE IS WORKING THE TFC PATTERN IS CHAOS DUE TO HIS FREQUENT TONGUE LASHINGS THAT SOMETIMES TIE UP THE FREQ.

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.