Narrative:

I was told by tpa center to contact orl approach, which I did. After orl verified that they had radar contact, I attempted to monitor orl executive ATIS on the #1 radio but it was still not working. I considered leaving the orl approach frequency to listen to ATIS on the #2 radio but decided that due to the marginal WX I should stay in contact with orl approach. The tower told me the winds were from the southeast, and that I should expect a right base to runway 13. I confirmed the instructions but something did not seem right. Runway 13 is not normally used at orlando executive and runway 31 usually has right traffic. I called the tower and asked if that was runway 13 or 31. The tower confirmed runway 13, but that I should proceed to make a left turn for a downwind approach to runway 13, and that I was cleared to land. As we taxied back to the tie-down area, I was thinking that even though the flight had been more intense than normal, due ot the WX and malfunctioning radio, it had gone well. I had maintained VFR the entire trip in marginal WX and had been in constant radio contact with only 1 radio. With the help of orl approach and tower, I had gotten us safely home on time. My passenger complimented me on a good flight. What happened next has me confused and uncertain. As we turned onto the grass tie-down area, I noticed a car right behind us on the taxiway. The car stopped and waited for me to shut down the engine. After the engine was shut down, the car pulled up in front of the aircraft. As my passenger got out, 3 men got out of the car and approached the aircraft. 1 of the men idented himself and the others as representing the FAA. They asked who the pilot was, and I replied that I was the pilot. He then asked for my license and medical certificate, which I gave him. One of the other men asked for the aircraft registration and inspection papers, which I gave him. The first man asked if I was an IFR rated pilot. I replied that I was not. The second man asked, 'how did you get in?' I replied, somewhat puzzled, 'VFR.' he made some comment to the effect that the WX was marginal, and I replied that the controllers had helped me around the rain showers and we had maintained VFR the whole flight. They seemed satisfied, but proceeded to ask a second series of questions relating to who was paying for the flight. At this point the 3 men separated my passenger and I. One man proceeded to question my client re: who was paying for the flight. Since my partner and I were working as design professionals, my client explained that he was paying for the expenses of the flight and our time as architects. He was not paying for my time as a pilot. My client asked one of the men if there was anything wrong with that arrangement and he replied no. Meanwhile the other 2 men returned the papers on the aircraft, my license and medical certificate. They then proceeded to inspect the exterior of the aircraft, asking me questions as they went. One asked about my relationship with the owner of the aircraft. I replied that the owner was my uncle. The other questioned a loose engine cowling clip, which had come unfastened during flight. As I fastened the clip, I began to suspect that this was something other than a routine inspection. They asked about a cover on the automatic landing gear static and ram air mast which I had failed to remove. One of the men made a statement that we must have had an accident as he pointed out the cover. I explained that the automatic gear extension system of the piper arrow had been disarmed as ordered by the manufacturer and the gear worked conventionally west/O the aid of the air pressure mast and automatic system. They asked other questions re: who maintained the aircraft, the yr of its manufacture, etc. I realized that the questioning had degenerated into a nit-picking search for anything possibly wrong that they could find. Meanwhile, the other man continued to question my passenger. The FAA reps never stated that they suspected a violation of regulations or law. The questions they asked were vague and unrelated. Their manner was grim, and many of the questions smacked of entrapment. I felt thenas I feel now--personally violated. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter has not heard from the FAA and still does not know if they have found him in violation of any regulation. Reporter has since been informed by airport personnel that the FAA team that interrogated him and his passenger were spot checking approximately every tenth or twelfth GA aircraft that landed during that week.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA LANDED ORL BELIEVING HE HAD REMAINED LEGAL ON HIS APCH IN ALL RESPECTS, BUT WAS CLOSELY INTERROGATED UPON PARKING BY 3 MEN IDENTIFIED AS FAA INSPECTORS. THEY ALSO INTERROGATED HIS 2 PASSENGERS.

Narrative: I WAS TOLD BY TPA CENTER TO CONTACT ORL APCH, WHICH I DID. AFTER ORL VERIFIED THAT THEY HAD RADAR CONTACT, I ATTEMPTED TO MONITOR ORL EXECUTIVE ATIS ON THE #1 RADIO BUT IT WAS STILL NOT WORKING. I CONSIDERED LEAVING THE ORL APCH FREQ TO LISTEN TO ATIS ON THE #2 RADIO BUT DECIDED THAT DUE TO THE MARGINAL WX I SHOULD STAY IN CONTACT WITH ORL APCH. THE TWR TOLD ME THE WINDS WERE FROM THE SE, AND THAT I SHOULD EXPECT A RIGHT BASE TO RWY 13. I CONFIRMED THE INSTRUCTIONS BUT SOMETHING DID NOT SEEM RIGHT. RWY 13 IS NOT NORMALLY USED AT ORLANDO EXECUTIVE AND RWY 31 USUALLY HAS RIGHT TFC. I CALLED THE TWR AND ASKED IF THAT WAS RWY 13 OR 31. THE TWR CONFIRMED RWY 13, BUT THAT I SHOULD PROCEED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN FOR A DOWNWIND APCH TO RWY 13, AND THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND. AS WE TAXIED BACK TO THE TIE-DOWN AREA, I WAS THINKING THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FLT HAD BEEN MORE INTENSE THAN NORMAL, DUE OT THE WX AND MALFUNCTIONING RADIO, IT HAD GONE WELL. I HAD MAINTAINED VFR THE ENTIRE TRIP IN MARGINAL WX AND HAD BEEN IN CONSTANT RADIO CONTACT WITH ONLY 1 RADIO. WITH THE HELP OF ORL APCH AND TWR, I HAD GOTTEN US SAFELY HOME ON TIME. MY PAX COMPLIMENTED ME ON A GOOD FLT. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT HAS ME CONFUSED AND UNCERTAIN. AS WE TURNED ONTO THE GRASS TIE-DOWN AREA, I NOTICED A CAR RIGHT BEHIND US ON THE TXWY. THE CAR STOPPED AND WAITED FOR ME TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG. AFTER THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN, THE CAR PULLED UP IN FRONT OF THE ACFT. AS MY PAX GOT OUT, 3 MEN GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND APCHED THE ACFT. 1 OF THE MEN IDENTED HIMSELF AND THE OTHERS AS REPRESENTING THE FAA. THEY ASKED WHO THE PLT WAS, AND I REPLIED THAT I WAS THE PLT. HE THEN ASKED FOR MY LICENSE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, WHICH I GAVE HIM. ONE OF THE OTHER MEN ASKED FOR THE ACFT REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION PAPERS, WHICH I GAVE HIM. THE FIRST MAN ASKED IF I WAS AN IFR RATED PLT. I REPLIED THAT I WAS NOT. THE SECOND MAN ASKED, 'HOW DID YOU GET IN?' I REPLIED, SOMEWHAT PUZZLED, 'VFR.' HE MADE SOME COMMENT TO THE EFFECT THAT THE WX WAS MARGINAL, AND I REPLIED THAT THE CTLRS HAD HELPED ME AROUND THE RAIN SHOWERS AND WE HAD MAINTAINED VFR THE WHOLE FLT. THEY SEEMED SATISFIED, BUT PROCEEDED TO ASK A SECOND SERIES OF QUESTIONS RELATING TO WHO WAS PAYING FOR THE FLT. AT THIS POINT THE 3 MEN SEPARATED MY PAX AND I. ONE MAN PROCEEDED TO QUESTION MY CLIENT RE: WHO WAS PAYING FOR THE FLT. SINCE MY PARTNER AND I WERE WORKING AS DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, MY CLIENT EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS PAYING FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE FLT AND OUR TIME AS ARCHITECTS. HE WAS NOT PAYING FOR MY TIME AS A PLT. MY CLIENT ASKED ONE OF THE MEN IF THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT ARRANGEMENT AND HE REPLIED NO. MEANWHILE THE OTHER 2 MEN RETURNED THE PAPERS ON THE ACFT, MY LICENSE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. THEY THEN PROCEEDED TO INSPECT THE EXTERIOR OF THE ACFT, ASKING ME QUESTIONS AS THEY WENT. ONE ASKED ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OWNER OF THE ACFT. I REPLIED THAT THE OWNER WAS MY UNCLE. THE OTHER QUESTIONED A LOOSE ENG COWLING CLIP, WHICH HAD COME UNFASTENED DURING FLT. AS I FASTENED THE CLIP, I BEGAN TO SUSPECT THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING OTHER THAN A ROUTINE INSPECTION. THEY ASKED ABOUT A COVER ON THE AUTOMATIC LNDG GEAR STATIC AND RAM AIR MAST WHICH I HAD FAILED TO REMOVE. ONE OF THE MEN MADE A STATEMENT THAT WE MUST HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT AS HE POINTED OUT THE COVER. I EXPLAINED THAT THE AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM OF THE PIPER ARROW HAD BEEN DISARMED AS ORDERED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND THE GEAR WORKED CONVENTIONALLY W/O THE AID OF THE AIR PRESSURE MAST AND AUTOMATIC SYS. THEY ASKED OTHER QUESTIONS RE: WHO MAINTAINED THE ACFT, THE YR OF ITS MANUFACTURE, ETC. I REALIZED THAT THE QUESTIONING HAD DEGENERATED INTO A NIT-PICKING SEARCH FOR ANYTHING POSSIBLY WRONG THAT THEY COULD FIND. MEANWHILE, THE OTHER MAN CONTINUED TO QUESTION MY PAX. THE FAA REPS NEVER STATED THAT THEY SUSPECTED A VIOLATION OF REGS OR LAW. THE QUESTIONS THEY ASKED WERE VAGUE AND UNRELATED. THEIR MANNER WAS GRIM, AND MANY OF THE QUESTIONS SMACKED OF ENTRAPMENT. I FELT THENAS I FEEL NOW--PERSONALLY VIOLATED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA AND STILL DOES NOT KNOW IF THEY HAVE FOUND HIM IN VIOLATION OF ANY REG. RPTR HAS SINCE BEEN INFORMED BY ARPT PERSONNEL THAT THE FAA TEAM THAT INTERROGATED HIM AND HIS PAX WERE SPOT CHKING APPROX EVERY TENTH OR TWELFTH GA ACFT THAT LANDED DURING THAT WK.

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.