Narrative:

Training flight at reid hillview airport (rhv) san jose, ca, jun/xa/02, times from XA45 local to XC00 local PST. Flight was a training flight with myself as flight instructor in right. The entire flight was pattern work runway 31R, right hand traffic. Aircraft traffic ranged from light to us being only aircraft in class D airspace -- rhv. Frequency congestion was minimal to none. Flight started normally, ATC professional and courteous, about 4 aircraft in airspace, shift change occurred with new controller on frequency. Immediately a piper J3 cub doing pattern work had to ask tower for clearance while he was on final. Tower was not providing him with clrncs until pilot asked or them during critical final approach phase, that aircraft terminated and the rest of the aircraft in the airspace had left the pattern. After landing we taxied back for takeoff runway 31R and awaited takeoff clearance after about a min and a half and with nobody else on frequency, we asked the tower if he was 'all right.' he gruffly cleared us for takeoff to make right traffic runway 31R. We flew around the pattern without receiving any landing clearance or other instructions. On short final I instructed the student to do a go around since we had not received a clearance to land. I then told the tower that we were doing a go around since we had not received landing clearance. His only response was 'roger.' this happened 2 more times in a row with us going around and stating that we were going around because we had not received landing clearance. His response being the same 'roger.' just before the third go around, another aircraft called inbound to rhv and had received instructions. After the third go around and same response 'roger,' I asked him why I was not receiving any landing clrncs. Now no response at all. I then tried to contact the other aircraft about possible radio problems. Immediately the frequency was jammed with a stuck microphone for about 1 min and a half. Not aircraft noise, but office noises (or tower noises) were heard in the back ground. The rhv controller then came on frequency stating that some aircraft had a stuck microphone, then cleared us to land. We then terminated our flight. The controller appears to have some mental or physical problem that restricts his ability to control safely. If another aircraft had an emergency during his stuck microphone, an accident or injury could have resulted. This type of problem with this controller has been going on for over 1 1/2 yrs with numerous complaints to the chief and ASRS reports filed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said a particular controller at rhv has been harassing pilots for almost 2 yrs. He does a lot of flight instruction at rhv and usually lets the students work the radios from takeoff to landing, but steps in when the controller starts yelling at the student. He said he has discussed the problem with the tower chief on several occasions without any change in the controller's behavior. Supplemental information from acn 550941: we had performed several patterns and lndgs without incident, a shift change in the tower occurred. We then did not receive landing clearance from the tower though we were the only traffic in the pattern. We then asked for a radio check from another aircraft, and immediately after the end of our transmission a stuck microphone was heard on frequency. After about 1 min the controller returned and gave us a landing clearance. We terminated then. I believe the controller stuck the microphone to prevent us from communicating. Callback conversation with reporter on acn 550941 revealed the following information: the reporter states that it was perceived that the 3 gars were due to the voice recognition by the controller of the pilot's voice, that the pilot and controller had 'previous altercations, both on and off frequency,' that the controller recognized the pilot's voice and 'willfully' caused the 'stuck microphone' incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN RHV LCL CTLR IS DISPLAYING UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR WHILE CTLING TFC.

Narrative: TRAINING FLT AT REID HILLVIEW ARPT (RHV) SAN JOSE, CA, JUN/XA/02, TIMES FROM XA45 LCL TO XC00 LCL PST. FLT WAS A TRAINING FLT WITH MYSELF AS FLT INSTRUCTOR IN R. THE ENTIRE FLT WAS PATTERN WORK RWY 31R, R HAND TFC. ACFT TFC RANGED FROM LIGHT TO US BEING ONLY ACFT IN CLASS D AIRSPACE -- RHV. FREQ CONGESTION WAS MINIMAL TO NONE. FLT STARTED NORMALLY, ATC PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS, ABOUT 4 ACFT IN AIRSPACE, SHIFT CHANGE OCCURRED WITH NEW CTLR ON FREQ. IMMEDIATELY A PIPER J3 CUB DOING PATTERN WORK HAD TO ASK TWR FOR CLRNC WHILE HE WAS ON FINAL. TWR WAS NOT PROVIDING HIM WITH CLRNCS UNTIL PLT ASKED OR THEM DURING CRITICAL FINAL APCH PHASE, THAT ACFT TERMINATED AND THE REST OF THE ACFT IN THE AIRSPACE HAD LEFT THE PATTERN. AFTER LNDG WE TAXIED BACK FOR TKOF RWY 31R AND AWAITED TKOF CLRNC AFTER ABOUT A MIN AND A HALF AND WITH NOBODY ELSE ON FREQ, WE ASKED THE TWR IF HE WAS 'ALL RIGHT.' HE GRUFFLY CLRED US FOR TKOF TO MAKE R TFC RWY 31R. WE FLEW AROUND THE PATTERN WITHOUT RECEIVING ANY LNDG CLRNC OR OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. ON SHORT FINAL I INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO DO A GAR SINCE WE HAD NOT RECEIVED A CLRNC TO LAND. I THEN TOLD THE TWR THAT WE WERE DOING A GAR SINCE WE HAD NOT RECEIVED LNDG CLRNC. HIS ONLY RESPONSE WAS 'ROGER.' THIS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES IN A ROW WITH US GOING AROUND AND STATING THAT WE WERE GOING AROUND BECAUSE WE HAD NOT RECEIVED LNDG CLRNC. HIS RESPONSE BEING THE SAME 'ROGER.' JUST BEFORE THE THIRD GAR, ANOTHER ACFT CALLED INBOUND TO RHV AND HAD RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER THE THIRD GAR AND SAME RESPONSE 'ROGER,' I ASKED HIM WHY I WAS NOT RECEIVING ANY LNDG CLRNCS. NOW NO RESPONSE AT ALL. I THEN TRIED TO CONTACT THE OTHER ACFT ABOUT POSSIBLE RADIO PROBS. IMMEDIATELY THE FREQ WAS JAMMED WITH A STUCK MIKE FOR ABOUT 1 MIN AND A HALF. NOT ACFT NOISE, BUT OFFICE NOISES (OR TWR NOISES) WERE HEARD IN THE BACK GND. THE RHV CTLR THEN CAME ON FREQ STATING THAT SOME ACFT HAD A STUCK MIKE, THEN CLRED US TO LAND. WE THEN TERMINATED OUR FLT. THE CTLR APPEARS TO HAVE SOME MENTAL OR PHYSICAL PROB THAT RESTRICTS HIS ABILITY TO CTL SAFELY. IF ANOTHER ACFT HAD AN EMER DURING HIS STUCK MIKE, AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY COULD HAVE RESULTED. THIS TYPE OF PROB WITH THIS CTLR HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 1 1/2 YRS WITH NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS TO THE CHIEF AND ASRS RPTS FILED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID A PARTICULAR CTLR AT RHV HAS BEEN HARASSING PLTS FOR ALMOST 2 YRS. HE DOES A LOT OF FLT INSTRUCTION AT RHV AND USUALLY LETS THE STUDENTS WORK THE RADIOS FROM TKOF TO LNDG, BUT STEPS IN WHEN THE CTLR STARTS YELLING AT THE STUDENT. HE SAID HE HAS DISCUSSED THE PROB WITH THE TWR CHIEF ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN THE CTLR'S BEHAVIOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 550941: WE HAD PERFORMED SEVERAL PATTERNS AND LNDGS WITHOUT INCIDENT, A SHIFT CHANGE IN THE TWR OCCURRED. WE THEN DID NOT RECEIVE LNDG CLRNC FROM THE TWR THOUGH WE WERE THE ONLY TFC IN THE PATTERN. WE THEN ASKED FOR A RADIO CHK FROM ANOTHER ACFT, AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF OUR XMISSION A STUCK MIKE WAS HEARD ON FREQ. AFTER ABOUT 1 MIN THE CTLR RETURNED AND GAVE US A LNDG CLRNC. WE TERMINATED THEN. I BELIEVE THE CTLR STUCK THE MIKE TO PREVENT US FROM COMMUNICATING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 550941 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATES THAT IT WAS PERCEIVED THAT THE 3 GARS WERE DUE TO THE VOICE RECOGNITION BY THE CTLR OF THE PLT'S VOICE, THAT THE PLT AND CTLR HAD 'PREVIOUS ALTERCATIONS, BOTH ON AND OFF FREQ,' THAT THE CTLR RECOGNIZED THE PLT'S VOICE AND 'WILLFULLY' CAUSED THE 'STUCK MIKE' INCIDENT.

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.