Narrative:

Small aircraft X turning from downwind to base at approximately 650 ft AGL (pattern altitude is 1000 ft). Tower reclred us to turn back to downwind, cancelling our landing clearance. We were the only traffic in the pattern. While turning back to the downwind, we started to level off and climb back to pattern altitude. 10 seconds after our turn back to downwind, we were given a traffic call for an air carrier medium large transport on final to the parallel runway. We spotted the traffic and was issued a landing clearance. We turned base and angled our final for wake turbulence reasons and because we were low. The tower then told us we needed to make a standard rectangular pattern. We responded we want to stay well clear for courtesy to medium large transport. Our intentions were to stay clear as a courtesy as well as stay out of wake turbulence. The controller then responded that medium large transport was for runway 30L and we are for runway 30R and we should be on centerline. The runways at sjc are less than 2500 ft apart. I wasn't going to move closer. The controller then said 'I cannot let you overfly the widebody transport taxiing out.' we saw the widebody transport on a parallel taxiway and even with our angle (base) we would not have overflown him on the parallel taxiway. The controller then issued us a go around. These events caused us to be confused about the entire situation. Our attention was diverted to aircraft taxiing out during our critical phase of flight. Subsequent telephone conversations with tower personnel revealed that our turn back to downwind was to give the widebody transport taxiing out more time to make his turn onto a taxiway that went under our flight path. It was supposed to get widebody transport out of our flight path and on to its runway. All this confusion was caused by the controller's priority of airlines taxiing out over aircraft in the air trying to land.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA X ISSUED GAR FOR ACFT ON TXWY.

Narrative: SMA X TURNING FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE AT APPROX 650 FT AGL (PATTERN ALT IS 1000 FT). TWR RECLRED US TO TURN BACK TO DOWNWIND, CANCELLING OUR LNDG CLRNC. WE WERE THE ONLY TFC IN THE PATTERN. WHILE TURNING BACK TO THE DOWNWIND, WE STARTED TO LEVEL OFF AND CLB BACK TO PATTERN ALT. 10 SECONDS AFTER OUR TURN BACK TO DOWNWIND, WE WERE GIVEN A TFC CALL FOR AN ACR MLG ON FINAL TO THE PARALLEL RWY. WE SPOTTED THE TFC AND WAS ISSUED A LNDG CLRNC. WE TURNED BASE AND ANGLED OUR FINAL FOR WAKE TURB REASONS AND BECAUSE WE WERE LOW. THE TWR THEN TOLD US WE NEEDED TO MAKE A STANDARD RECTANGULAR PATTERN. WE RESPONDED WE WANT TO STAY WELL CLR FOR COURTESY TO MLG. OUR INTENTIONS WERE TO STAY CLR AS A COURTESY AS WELL AS STAY OUT OF WAKE TURB. THE CTLR THEN RESPONDED THAT MLG WAS FOR RWY 30L AND WE ARE FOR RWY 30R AND WE SHOULD BE ON CTRLINE. THE RWYS AT SJC ARE LESS THAN 2500 FT APART. I WASN'T GOING TO MOVE CLOSER. THE CTLR THEN SAID 'I CANNOT LET YOU OVERFLY THE WDB TAXIING OUT.' WE SAW THE WDB ON A PARALLEL TXWY AND EVEN WITH OUR ANGLE (BASE) WE WOULD NOT HAVE OVERFLOWN HIM ON THE PARALLEL TXWY. THE CTLR THEN ISSUED US A GAR. THESE EVENTS CAUSED US TO BE CONFUSED ABOUT THE ENTIRE SIT. OUR ATTN WAS DIVERTED TO ACFT TAXIING OUT DURING OUR CRITICAL PHASE OF FLT. SUBSEQUENT TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS WITH TWR PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT OUR TURN BACK TO DOWNWIND WAS TO GIVE THE WDB TAXIING OUT MORE TIME TO MAKE HIS TURN ONTO A TXWY THAT WENT UNDER OUR FLT PATH. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GET WDB OUT OF OUR FLT PATH AND ON TO ITS RWY. ALL THIS CONFUSION WAS CAUSED BY THE CTLR'S PRIORITY OF AIRLINES TAXIING OUT OVER ACFT IN THE AIR TRYING TO LAND.

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.