Narrative:

I landed at sjc on 12L and wished to get to the west side of the field which meant I would have to cross runway 12R, which is the airline runway. According to the commercial chart, taxiway east would, with a small sidestep, connect with txwys F and 3. After landing I paused on the runway and asked ground controller if I could turn right on east to get to parking on the west side. Ground did not respond and I started to call again, but then noticed a plane on final close behind, so I turned right and called ground again. This time ground told me to contact the tower on 124.0 (the 12R frequency). By this time I had stopped at the 12R hold bars. Tower, plainly angry, told me to reverse direction and call the tower on the runway 12L frequency. At this time a landing jet was about to turn on off 12R onto taxiway east and then had to continue down to the end of 12R. After crossing 12L I was then directed to taxiway H to get to the west side of the field. Taxiway H does not show connecting with the west side of the field. By this time everybody was unhappy and ground did not acknowledge my request for clarification. I was sufficiently intimidated that I did not ask again. When I again reached the hold bars for runway 12R I was given clearance to cross by tower west/O further incident. I did a number of things wrong and ground complicated matters. I should not have stopped on the runway and switched to ground until I was clear of the runway. Tower could have been quicker giving me exit directions. I made an assumption about which way to turn and it is possible tower was giving me instructions after I had stopped and was trying to talk to ground. Although I fly out of sjc, I am unfamiliar with the area northwest of the tower. That the current commercial chart for sjc does not reflect the closing of runway 11/29, the construction of new txwys and my assumption that my taxi instructions would correspond to the chart's also contributed to this problem. Ground and tower coordination seemed to be lacking since ground told me to contact the 12R tower frequency and tower wanted me out of the way sooner than possible. If ground had told me to do a 180 on the taxiway immediately, the jet could have taxied behind me west/O being blocked.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA UNAUTH TAXI AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: I LANDED AT SJC ON 12L AND WISHED TO GET TO THE W SIDE OF THE FIELD WHICH MEANT I WOULD HAVE TO CROSS RWY 12R, WHICH IS THE AIRLINE RWY. ACCORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL CHART, TXWY E WOULD, WITH A SMALL SIDESTEP, CONNECT WITH TXWYS F AND 3. AFTER LNDG I PAUSED ON THE RWY AND ASKED GND CTLR IF I COULD TURN RIGHT ON E TO GET TO PARKING ON THE W SIDE. GND DID NOT RESPOND AND I STARTED TO CALL AGAIN, BUT THEN NOTICED A PLANE ON FINAL CLOSE BEHIND, SO I TURNED RIGHT AND CALLED GND AGAIN. THIS TIME GND TOLD ME TO CONTACT THE TWR ON 124.0 (THE 12R FREQ). BY THIS TIME I HAD STOPPED AT THE 12R HOLD BARS. TWR, PLAINLY ANGRY, TOLD ME TO REVERSE DIRECTION AND CALL THE TWR ON THE RWY 12L FREQ. AT THIS TIME A LNDG JET WAS ABOUT TO TURN ON OFF 12R ONTO TXWY E AND THEN HAD TO CONTINUE DOWN TO THE END OF 12R. AFTER XING 12L I WAS THEN DIRECTED TO TXWY H TO GET TO THE W SIDE OF THE FIELD. TXWY H DOES NOT SHOW CONNECTING WITH THE W SIDE OF THE FIELD. BY THIS TIME EVERYBODY WAS UNHAPPY AND GND DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE MY REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION. I WAS SUFFICIENTLY INTIMIDATED THAT I DID NOT ASK AGAIN. WHEN I AGAIN REACHED THE HOLD BARS FOR RWY 12R I WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO CROSS BY TWR W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. I DID A NUMBER OF THINGS WRONG AND GND COMPLICATED MATTERS. I SHOULD NOT HAVE STOPPED ON THE RWY AND SWITCHED TO GND UNTIL I WAS CLR OF THE RWY. TWR COULD HAVE BEEN QUICKER GIVING ME EXIT DIRECTIONS. I MADE AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT WHICH WAY TO TURN AND IT IS POSSIBLE TWR WAS GIVING ME INSTRUCTIONS AFTER I HAD STOPPED AND WAS TRYING TO TALK TO GND. ALTHOUGH I FLY OUT OF SJC, I AM UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA NW OF THE TWR. THAT THE CURRENT COMMERCIAL CHART FOR SJC DOES NOT REFLECT THE CLOSING OF RWY 11/29, THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW TXWYS AND MY ASSUMPTION THAT MY TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WOULD CORRESPOND TO THE CHART'S ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROB. GND AND TWR COORD SEEMED TO BE LACKING SINCE GND TOLD ME TO CONTACT THE 12R TWR FREQ AND TWR WANTED ME OUT OF THE WAY SOONER THAN POSSIBLE. IF GND HAD TOLD ME TO DO A 180 ON THE TXWY IMMEDIATELY, THE JET COULD HAVE TAXIED BEHIND ME W/O BEING BLOCKED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.