Narrative:

We had taken off from whitman headed toward bur 4MI south of whitman in radio contact with bur tower. I had received clearance to land on a straight-in approach to runway 15. The tower called me approximately 15-20 seconds after my initial landing clearance, told me to turn right for a left base for long on runway 7, because there was traffic behind me that the tower was not in radio contact with. As I flew toward runway 7 on my left base, got a call from the tower asking for base of overcast and if broken. I replied I did not know. Still maintaining my left base I was in good position for final, this is where things got confusing. I thought I had been given a landing clearance from a previous call, but the tower called and instructed me to make left downwind entry for runway 7. Since I was sure I was already on a base entry, these instructions confused me. This would be my fourth time landing at bur and first on runway 7. Also I had studied my book and knew that runway 8 is right traffic, hence part of my confusion. Then the tower instructed me to make right turn for downwind, which the controller repeated twice. Immediately after this, the controller then called a traffic alert for me and another plane on a final for runway 7 that I was unaware of. I made a sharp turn to the right of more than 90 degrees and went to an extended downwind. With the other plane passing off to my left approximately 1/4 mi away, I then proceeded with a normal landing. I feel my confusion with the first downwind instructions hampered and slowed my abilities to deal with the next instructions. I thus did not deal with instructions given to me in a timely matter, then forcing the controller to issue a traffic alert.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOW TIME PLT OF SMA MISINTERPRETS CLRNC AMENDMENTS REGARDING PATTERN ENTRY AND CONFLICTS WITH ANOTHER ACFT.

Narrative: WE HAD TAKEN OFF FROM WHITMAN HEADED TOWARD BUR 4MI S OF WHITMAN IN RADIO CONTACT WITH BUR TWR. I HAD RECEIVED CLRNC TO LAND ON A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 15. THE TWR CALLED ME APPROX 15-20 SECS AFTER MY INITIAL LNDG CLRNC, TOLD ME TO TURN RIGHT FOR A LEFT BASE FOR LONG ON RWY 7, BECAUSE THERE WAS TFC BEHIND ME THAT THE TWR WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH. AS I FLEW TOWARD RWY 7 ON MY LEFT BASE, GOT A CALL FROM THE TWR ASKING FOR BASE OF OVCST AND IF BROKEN. I REPLIED I DID NOT KNOW. STILL MAINTAINING MY LEFT BASE I WAS IN GOOD POS FOR FINAL, THIS IS WHERE THINGS GOT CONFUSING. I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN GIVEN A LNDG CLRNC FROM A PREVIOUS CALL, BUT THE TWR CALLED AND INSTRUCTED ME TO MAKE LEFT DOWNWIND ENTRY FOR RWY 7. SINCE I WAS SURE I WAS ALREADY ON A BASE ENTRY, THESE INSTRUCTIONS CONFUSED ME. THIS WOULD BE MY FOURTH TIME LNDG AT BUR AND FIRST ON RWY 7. ALSO I HAD STUDIED MY BOOK AND KNEW THAT RWY 8 IS RIGHT TFC, HENCE PART OF MY CONFUSION. THEN THE TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO MAKE RIGHT TURN FOR DOWNWIND, WHICH THE CTLR REPEATED TWICE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS, THE CTLR THEN CALLED A TFC ALERT FOR ME AND ANOTHER PLANE ON A FINAL FOR RWY 7 THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF. I MADE A SHARP TURN TO THE RIGHT OF MORE THAN 90 DEGS AND WENT TO AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND. WITH THE OTHER PLANE PASSING OFF TO MY LEFT APPROX 1/4 MI AWAY, I THEN PROCEEDED WITH A NORMAL LNDG. I FEEL MY CONFUSION WITH THE FIRST DOWNWIND INSTRUCTIONS HAMPERED AND SLOWED MY ABILITIES TO DEAL WITH THE NEXT INSTRUCTIONS. I THUS DID NOT DEAL WITH INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO ME IN A TIMELY MATTER, THEN FORCING THE CTLR TO ISSUE A TFC ALERT.

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.