Narrative:

I had just landed at salt lake international airport on my regularly assigned route from slc to st. George, ut, and return. I arrived at approximately XA20 hours, unloaded my aircraft, and then proceeded to the operations office to fill out my duty log and other miscellaneous pilot duties. Another pilot agreed to exchange aircraft. He would take and make a reposition flight to provo, ut, for maintenance, and I would taxi to the east side of slc international in order to hangar the aircraft. I commenced taxiing at approximately XA35. Behind me was aircraft bound for provo. We were instructed to taxi to intersection H-4 and hold short of runway 16. As we taxied up to the hold short line we were instructed by ground control to 'expedite across, aircraft on a 3/4 mi final.' as I recall we were told to hold short of runway 14 but as we approached the hold short line I was instructed to taxi to and hold short of runway 17. Other aircraft proceeded on to provo. As I approached runway 17 to hold short the time was approximately XA38. As I recall there was very little air traffic in the pattern for runway 17. Radio traffic on 'ground' was minimal. As I rolled to a stop, holding short of runway 17, I called ground control to inform them of my position (this is a habit I have that I've found helps to refresh ATC's memory in order to help in reducing delays). I was instructed to hold short. Anticipating landing or departing traffic I held my position, looked around for the aircraft, but don't recall (now) and traffic in close enough to justify a delay. A few mins later I remember one aircraft landing after which I expected to be cleared to the ramp. As I waited no instruction came so again I announced that I (call sign) was 'holding short of runway 17 at taxiway quebec' as a courtesy reminder that I was still waiting. Again, I was told to continue holding. I could now see a landing light in the far off distance and as I held I monitored the control tower frequency of 118.3 to get an idea of the volume of air traffic inbound. I recall the pilot of the inbound aircraft checking in with the tower on the visual for runway 17. I recognized the pilot's voice and knew that he would be inbound in a cessna caravan which would take several mins due to the slow airspeed of the aircraft. It was around XA48 hours when the caravan landed, taxied clear of the runway and still I was not cleared to taxi! I waited several more mins (after another call to ATC following the caravan I was told to wait even if I was hungry). A hawker jet then landed and after no clearance to taxi I queried ATC as to the length of the delay I could expect. It was then that I was told to maintain radio silence! It was now around XA52 hours, nearly 20 mins since I initially started to taxi. My only thoughts were 'this guy can keep me here all night (indefinitely) and there's nothing I can do.' I was very upset at this point and the thought occurred to me that the only thing that would convince him that I should taxi clear was an emergency situation. With no thought I blurted out on the radio that I had smoke in the cockpit. I was asked if a was declaring an emergency but I simply responded as before with 'smoke in the cockpit.' a min later I was cleared to taxi to the ramp where fire engines were dispatched. I spoke with the fire command and told them I didn't call for them nor did I declare the emergency. They took my name and phone number, address, etc. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he became so flustered that he made the false statement of smoke in the cockpit causing the fire department to respond. He further stated that his supervisor reviewed the tower tapes with the tower supervisor which resulted in a reprimand of the controller. He further said that he was very sorry for 'loosing his cool' by making a false declaration.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF AN SMA ATX ACFT MADE A FALSE STATEMENT TO THE TWR REGARDING 'SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT' WHILE WAITING FOR TAXI CLRNC.

Narrative: I HAD JUST LANDED AT SALT LAKE INTL ARPT ON MY REGULARLY ASSIGNED RTE FROM SLC TO ST. GEORGE, UT, AND RETURN. I ARRIVED AT APPROX XA20 HRS, UNLOADED MY ACFT, AND THEN PROCEEDED TO THE OPS OFFICE TO FILL OUT MY DUTY LOG AND OTHER MISC PLT DUTIES. ANOTHER PLT AGREED TO EXCHANGE ACFT. HE WOULD TAKE AND MAKE A REPOSITION FLT TO PROVO, UT, FOR MAINT, AND I WOULD TAXI TO THE E SIDE OF SLC INTL IN ORDER TO HANGAR THE ACFT. I COMMENCED TAXIING AT APPROX XA35. BEHIND ME WAS ACFT BOUND FOR PROVO. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO INTXN H-4 AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 16. AS WE TAXIED UP TO THE HOLD SHORT LINE WE WERE INSTRUCTED BY GND CTL TO 'EXPEDITE ACROSS, ACFT ON A 3/4 MI FINAL.' AS I RECALL WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14 BUT AS WE APCHED THE HOLD SHORT LINE I WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 17. OTHER ACFT PROCEEDED ON TO PROVO. AS I APCHED RWY 17 TO HOLD SHORT THE TIME WAS APPROX XA38. AS I RECALL THERE WAS VERY LITTLE AIR TFC IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 17. RADIO TFC ON 'GND' WAS MINIMAL. AS I ROLLED TO A STOP, HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 17, I CALLED GND CTL TO INFORM THEM OF MY POS (THIS IS A HABIT I HAVE THAT I'VE FOUND HELPS TO REFRESH ATC'S MEMORY IN ORDER TO HELP IN REDUCING DELAYS). I WAS INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT. ANTICIPATING LNDG OR DEPARTING TFC I HELD MY POS, LOOKED AROUND FOR THE ACFT, BUT DON'T RECALL (NOW) AND TFC IN CLOSE ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY A DELAY. A FEW MINS LATER I REMEMBER ONE ACFT LNDG AFTER WHICH I EXPECTED TO BE CLRED TO THE RAMP. AS I WAITED NO INSTRUCTION CAME SO AGAIN I ANNOUNCED THAT I (CALL SIGN) WAS 'HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 17 AT TXWY QUEBEC' AS A COURTESY REMINDER THAT I WAS STILL WAITING. AGAIN, I WAS TOLD TO CONTINUE HOLDING. I COULD NOW SEE A LNDG LIGHT IN THE FAR OFF DISTANCE AND AS I HELD I MONITORED THE CTL TWR FREQ OF 118.3 TO GET AN IDEA OF THE VOLUME OF AIR TFC INBOUND. I RECALL THE PLT OF THE INBOUND ACFT CHKING IN WITH THE TWR ON THE VISUAL FOR RWY 17. I RECOGNIZED THE PLT'S VOICE AND KNEW THAT HE WOULD BE INBOUND IN A CESSNA CARAVAN WHICH WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MINS DUE TO THE SLOW AIRSPD OF THE ACFT. IT WAS AROUND XA48 HRS WHEN THE CARAVAN LANDED, TAXIED CLR OF THE RWY AND STILL I WAS NOT CLRED TO TAXI! I WAITED SEVERAL MORE MINS (AFTER ANOTHER CALL TO ATC FOLLOWING THE CARAVAN I WAS TOLD TO WAIT EVEN IF I WAS HUNGRY). A HAWKER JET THEN LANDED AND AFTER NO CLRNC TO TAXI I QUERIED ATC AS TO THE LENGTH OF THE DELAY I COULD EXPECT. IT WAS THEN THAT I WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN RADIO SILENCE! IT WAS NOW AROUND XA52 HRS, NEARLY 20 MINS SINCE I INITIALLY STARTED TO TAXI. MY ONLY THOUGHTS WERE 'THIS GUY CAN KEEP ME HERE ALL NIGHT (INDEFINITELY) AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO.' I WAS VERY UPSET AT THIS POINT AND THE THOUGHT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD CONVINCE HIM THAT I SHOULD TAXI CLR WAS AN EMER SIT. WITH NO THOUGHT I BLURTED OUT ON THE RADIO THAT I HAD SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. I WAS ASKED IF A WAS DECLARING AN EMER BUT I SIMPLY RESPONDED AS BEFORE WITH 'SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.' A MIN LATER I WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO THE RAMP WHERE FIRE ENGS WERE DISPATCHED. I SPOKE WITH THE FIRE COMMAND AND TOLD THEM I DIDN'T CALL FOR THEM NOR DID I DECLARE THE EMER. THEY TOOK MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS, ETC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE BECAME SO FLUSTERED THAT HE MADE THE FALSE STATEMENT OF SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT CAUSING THE FIRE DEPT TO RESPOND. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HIS SUPVR REVIEWED THE TWR TAPES WITH THE TWR SUPVR WHICH RESULTED IN A REPRIMAND OF THE CTLR. HE FURTHER SAID THAT HE WAS VERY SORRY FOR 'LOOSING HIS COOL' BY MAKING A FALSE DECLARATION.

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.