Narrative:

On dec/tue/93 at about XB40 I received a call from mr. A of my FBO at van nuys airport. He said that the tower had called him asking about who the pilot of nx was. Mr. A then told me that the tower had received a complaint that a white airplane with a red stripe had been observed flying low over warner center. I called vny tower at XB45 and spoke with mr. B. He asked me about my flight and I told him that I left vny on a right crosswind departure, climbed to 4500 ft MSL at 500 FPM to avoid the burbank class C airspace and, when I was receiving fim, proceeded direct fim, fim 053 to the vny localizer and shot the ILS to runway 16R in VFR conditions. I asked for and received a tower squawk of Y. Mr. B said that I landed at about XB30 to XB40, he wasn't exactly sure. He also stated that the complainant did not have an n- number that matched FBO's twin small transport, but instead described the plane as white with a red stripe. Mr. B provided the complaint with our n-number based on that description. At no time did the vny local controller or ground controller request that I call the tower. I parked the aircraft at FBO. I had 0.7 hours of use on the meter-estimating 0.2 for taxi out, runup and taxi back leaves a flight time of 0.5 hours. I then called mr. C of the FAA at XB50. I related all the details previously stated regarding the flight. He asked for my name, phone number and pilot certificate number. I gave him all of that, and also a work phone number where I could be reached during the day next week. I expressed my misgiving that he had to expend his time running down unfounded complaints. Mr. A then called mr. B back. Mr. B corroborated the information that he had given me in my conversation with him. Mr. B also restated to mr. A that he provided the n-number of our twin small transport in response to a complaint about a 'low-flying red and white airplane.' also worth mentioning, the reported visibility given on the ATIS said 'visibility 4 in haze.' I did not have visual contact with the runway until abeam the veteran's hospital, which is about 2 mi out on final. This seems to be typical at van nuys airport, with the tower misrpting the visibility in order to open the field to its high density VFR flight training operations. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the reporter believes that it was not he that caused the noise complaint. He was flying a white with red trim aircraft into vny near the time of the incident. Someone in the vny tower gave his n-number to the complainant over the phone. The reporter has not yet heard anything further from the FAA. The reporter believes that vny tower often calls visibility much better than it actually is.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN SMT PLT FEELS THAT HE IS FALSELY ACCUSED OF LOW FLT AND A NOISE VIOLATION.

Narrative: ON DEC/TUE/93 AT ABOUT XB40 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MR. A OF MY FBO AT VAN NUYS ARPT. HE SAID THAT THE TWR HAD CALLED HIM ASKING ABOUT WHO THE PLT OF NX WAS. MR. A THEN TOLD ME THAT THE TWR HAD RECEIVED A COMPLAINT THAT A WHITE AIRPLANE WITH A RED STRIPE HAD BEEN OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER WARNER CTR. I CALLED VNY TWR AT XB45 AND SPOKE WITH MR. B. HE ASKED ME ABOUT MY FLT AND I TOLD HIM THAT I LEFT VNY ON A R XWIND DEP, CLBED TO 4500 FT MSL AT 500 FPM TO AVOID THE BURBANK CLASS C AIRSPACE AND, WHEN I WAS RECEIVING FIM, PROCEEDED DIRECT FIM, FIM 053 TO THE VNY LOC AND SHOT THE ILS TO RWY 16R IN VFR CONDITIONS. I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED A TWR SQUAWK OF Y. MR. B SAID THAT I LANDED AT ABOUT XB30 TO XB40, HE WASN'T EXACTLY SURE. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE COMPLAINANT DID NOT HAVE AN N- NUMBER THAT MATCHED FBO'S TWIN SMT, BUT INSTEAD DESCRIBED THE PLANE AS WHITE WITH A RED STRIPE. MR. B PROVIDED THE COMPLAINT WITH OUR N-NUMBER BASED ON THAT DESCRIPTION. AT NO TIME DID THE VNY LCL CTLR OR GND CTLR REQUEST THAT I CALL THE TWR. I PARKED THE ACFT AT FBO. I HAD 0.7 HRS OF USE ON THE METER-ESTIMATING 0.2 FOR TAXI OUT, RUNUP AND TAXI BACK LEAVES A FLT TIME OF 0.5 HRS. I THEN CALLED MR. C OF THE FAA AT XB50. I RELATED ALL THE DETAILS PREVIOUSLY STATED REGARDING THE FLT. HE ASKED FOR MY NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND PLT CERTIFICATE NUMBER. I GAVE HIM ALL OF THAT, AND ALSO A WORK PHONE NUMBER WHERE I COULD BE REACHED DURING THE DAY NEXT WK. I EXPRESSED MY MISGIVING THAT HE HAD TO EXPEND HIS TIME RUNNING DOWN UNFOUNDED COMPLAINTS. MR. A THEN CALLED MR. B BACK. MR. B CORROBORATED THE INFO THAT HE HAD GIVEN ME IN MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM. MR. B ALSO RESTATED TO MR. A THAT HE PROVIDED THE N-NUMBER OF OUR TWIN SMT IN RESPONSE TO A COMPLAINT ABOUT A 'LOW-FLYING RED AND WHITE AIRPLANE.' ALSO WORTH MENTIONING, THE RPTED VISIBILITY GIVEN ON THE ATIS SAID 'VISIBILITY 4 IN HAZE.' I DID NOT HAVE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RWY UNTIL ABEAM THE VETERAN'S HOSPITAL, WHICH IS ABOUT 2 MI OUT ON FINAL. THIS SEEMS TO BE TYPICAL AT VAN NUYS ARPT, WITH THE TWR MISRPTING THE VISIBILITY IN ORDER TO OPEN THE FIELD TO ITS HIGH DENSITY VFR FLT TRAINING OPS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT IT WAS NOT HE THAT CAUSED THE NOISE COMPLAINT. HE WAS FLYING A WHITE WITH RED TRIM ACFT INTO VNY NEAR THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. SOMEONE IN THE VNY TWR GAVE HIS N-NUMBER TO THE COMPLAINANT OVER THE PHONE. THE RPTR HAS NOT YET HEARD ANYTHING FURTHER FROM THE FAA. THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT VNY TWR OFTEN CALLS VISIBILITY MUCH BETTER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.

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.