AC114 private pilot did not follow arrival tower controller instructions when approaching the airpor...

Narrative:

On this sunday afternoon, I was almost 7 mi directly east of the aurora airport in illinois when my passenger felt ill. The closest airport was aurora, so I decided to contact aurora tower. I contacted the tower and told them my intentions to land and that I did not have ATIS. They told me to contact them 2 mi southeast of the field. While making my turns and heading to the airport, I tuned in the ATIS on the other radio and it was stated that they were using runways 36 and 27 and that there were aerobatic operations within a 2 mi radius of the airport. As I approached the airport from the southeast, I called them from 2 mi out expecting runway 27. Due to the fact that the controller did not tell me when I first contacted him of which runway to expect, I figured he was going to give me the one closest to me for my initial contact location. Instead he told me to make a right base for runway 36 and cleared to land, then very hastily he warned me of a pitts aircraft that departed runway 27 and was making a climbing turn in my direction. This made it impossible for me to make the right base and impossible for me to make a left turn because I would have lost sight of the aircraft climbing reported to the tower that I was unable to make the base and that I was making a crosswind to avoid traffic. The controller stumbled and then said 'ok clear to land from a left downwind.' during my whole evasion of the other traffic, I always stayed south of runway 27/9 in fear of any other traffic that I may not be able to see. When I was on short final, I heard the tower clear someone else for departure on runway 27. I called the tower and warned them that I was still on short final and they responded in a very agitated voice 'that's ok, you are clear to land on runway 36.' I was very nervous due to the intersecting runways closest to the south end of the north runway. I landed with no further incident but was told to call the tower when able. When I called the tower, a man asked me why I didn't follow his instructions and I told him he had me on a collision course with the pitts so I deviated to a safe area. He then told me that they were concerned that I 'clipped the aerobatic box.' I told them that first of all nobody told me there was an aerobatic box or restr airspace and the ATIS only warned of acrobatic activity within a 2 mi radius of the airport. Besides that, even if there was an aerobatic box over the east/west runway, I never entered that airspace. I was always south of the east/west runway and I had visual contact with the numerous other aircraft to the north and northeast of me and the pitts to the south and finally east of me. The controller could have done many things to have avoided this situation. First of all, he could have told me to enter from the south if he wanted me to land on runway 36 to keep me clear of the aerobatic planes. Or, he could have told me that he intended me to enter a right base for runway 36 when he first told me to contact them from 2 mi when I was talking with them well over 6 mi out. Then, I would have set myself up for that. Maybe they should have just closed the airport for the event they were having or maybe the ATIS should have given directions for approach and that all other aircraft will be arriving and departing on runway 36. The communications from the tower were marginal at best. Then they tried to push it off on me as not following directions when they had me in a collision course with another aircraft. Later in the afternoon, I was at a fly-in elsewhere and met some other people who fly into aurora regularly and been there earlier that day, they said they thought the controller must have been a trainee because of the way he was handling things and that they did not recognize his voice. In conclusion, if their tower is too busy to give out more directions or warnings during a special event at the airport, then more information should be on the ATIS or in NOTAMS, not just that there is aerobatic activity within a 2 mi radius of the airport.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AC114 PVT PLT DID NOT FOLLOW ARR TWR CTLR INSTRUCTIONS WHEN APCHING THE ARPT TO LAND DUE TO POSSIBLE TFC CONFLICTION OF RPTED TFC.

Narrative: ON THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON, I WAS ALMOST 7 MI DIRECTLY E OF THE AURORA ARPT IN ILLINOIS WHEN MY PAX FELT ILL. THE CLOSEST ARPT WAS AURORA, SO I DECIDED TO CONTACT AURORA TWR. I CONTACTED THE TWR AND TOLD THEM MY INTENTIONS TO LAND AND THAT I DID NOT HAVE ATIS. THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT THEM 2 MI SE OF THE FIELD. WHILE MAKING MY TURNS AND HDG TO THE ARPT, I TUNED IN THE ATIS ON THE OTHER RADIO AND IT WAS STATED THAT THEY WERE USING RWYS 36 AND 27 AND THAT THERE WERE AEROBATIC OPS WITHIN A 2 MI RADIUS OF THE ARPT. AS I APCHED THE ARPT FROM THE SE, I CALLED THEM FROM 2 MI OUT EXPECTING RWY 27. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CTLR DID NOT TELL ME WHEN I FIRST CONTACTED HIM OF WHICH RWY TO EXPECT, I FIGURED HE WAS GOING TO GIVE ME THE ONE CLOSEST TO ME FOR MY INITIAL CONTACT LOCATION. INSTEAD HE TOLD ME TO MAKE A R BASE FOR RWY 36 AND CLRED TO LAND, THEN VERY HASTILY HE WARNED ME OF A PITTS ACFT THAT DEPARTED RWY 27 AND WAS MAKING A CLBING TURN IN MY DIRECTION. THIS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO MAKE THE R BASE AND IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO MAKE A L TURN BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE LOST SIGHT OF THE ACFT CLBING RPTED TO THE TWR THAT I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE BASE AND THAT I WAS MAKING A XWIND TO AVOID TFC. THE CTLR STUMBLED AND THEN SAID 'OK CLR TO LAND FROM A L DOWNWIND.' DURING MY WHOLE EVASION OF THE OTHER TFC, I ALWAYS STAYED S OF RWY 27/9 IN FEAR OF ANY OTHER TFC THAT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE. WHEN I WAS ON SHORT FINAL, I HEARD THE TWR CLR SOMEONE ELSE FOR DEP ON RWY 27. I CALLED THE TWR AND WARNED THEM THAT I WAS STILL ON SHORT FINAL AND THEY RESPONDED IN A VERY AGITATED VOICE 'THAT'S OK, YOU ARE CLR TO LAND ON RWY 36.' I WAS VERY NERVOUS DUE TO THE INTERSECTING RWYS CLOSEST TO THE S END OF THE N RWY. I LANDED WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT BUT WAS TOLD TO CALL THE TWR WHEN ABLE. WHEN I CALLED THE TWR, A MAN ASKED ME WHY I DIDN'T FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS AND I TOLD HIM HE HAD ME ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE PITTS SO I DEVIATED TO A SAFE AREA. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED THAT I 'CLIPPED THE AEROBATIC BOX.' I TOLD THEM THAT FIRST OF ALL NOBODY TOLD ME THERE WAS AN AEROBATIC BOX OR RESTR AIRSPACE AND THE ATIS ONLY WARNED OF ACROBATIC ACTIVITY WITHIN A 2 MI RADIUS OF THE ARPT. BESIDES THAT, EVEN IF THERE WAS AN AEROBATIC BOX OVER THE E/W RWY, I NEVER ENTERED THAT AIRSPACE. I WAS ALWAYS S OF THE E/W RWY AND I HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE NUMEROUS OTHER ACFT TO THE N AND NE OF ME AND THE PITTS TO THE S AND FINALLY E OF ME. THE CTLR COULD HAVE DONE MANY THINGS TO HAVE AVOIDED THIS SIT. FIRST OF ALL, HE COULD HAVE TOLD ME TO ENTER FROM THE S IF HE WANTED ME TO LAND ON RWY 36 TO KEEP ME CLR OF THE AEROBATIC PLANES. OR, HE COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT HE INTENDED ME TO ENTER A R BASE FOR RWY 36 WHEN HE FIRST TOLD ME TO CONTACT THEM FROM 2 MI WHEN I WAS TALKING WITH THEM WELL OVER 6 MI OUT. THEN, I WOULD HAVE SET MYSELF UP FOR THAT. MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE JUST CLOSED THE ARPT FOR THE EVENT THEY WERE HAVING OR MAYBE THE ATIS SHOULD HAVE GIVEN DIRECTIONS FOR APCH AND THAT ALL OTHER ACFT WILL BE ARRIVING AND DEPARTING ON RWY 36. THE COMS FROM THE TWR WERE MARGINAL AT BEST. THEN THEY TRIED TO PUSH IT OFF ON ME AS NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS WHEN THEY HAD ME IN A COLLISION COURSE WITH ANOTHER ACFT. LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, I WAS AT A FLY-IN ELSEWHERE AND MET SOME OTHER PEOPLE WHO FLY INTO AURORA REGULARLY AND BEEN THERE EARLIER THAT DAY, THEY SAID THEY THOUGHT THE CTLR MUST HAVE BEEN A TRAINEE BECAUSE OF THE WAY HE WAS HANDLING THINGS AND THAT THEY DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE. IN CONCLUSION, IF THEIR TWR IS TOO BUSY TO GIVE OUT MORE DIRECTIONS OR WARNINGS DURING A SPECIAL EVENT AT THE ARPT, THEN MORE INFO SHOULD BE ON THE ATIS OR IN NOTAMS, NOT JUST THAT THERE IS AEROBATIC ACTIVITY WITHIN A 2 MI RADIUS OF THE ARPT.

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.

Attributes
ACN	558400
Time
Date	200208
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : arr.airport
State Reference	IL
Altitude	msl single value : 1250
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : arr.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Commander 114
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual approach : traffic pattern
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tower : arr.tower
Make Model Name	Christen (& Pitts) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 12 flight time total : 800 flight time type : 600
ASRS Report	558400
Person 2
Function	observation : passenger
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Miss Distance	vertical : 300
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other

AC114 private pilot did not follow arrival tower controller instructions when approaching the airport to land due to possible traffic confliction of reported traffic.