EMS helicopter pilot receives confusing clearance to land. Controller clears him to a different area...

Narrative:

I departed the hospital helipad with the intention of flying to the xyz airport to get fuel for my return trip to ZZZ. The helipad is about 4 mi south of the xyz airport. I was intending to land on the south side of the airport at the FBO. I radioed the tower before liftoff to get permission for the flight into his class D airspace. Upon takeoff he instructed me to climb to 1900 ft MSL and cross over the airport to land on the north side of the field. The airport altitude is 906 ft MSL. Then he gave me 2400 ft MSL. I told him I wanted to land on the south side of the field. He seemed to be confused by my request and gave me 1900 ft MSL again. He asked if I was familiar with taxiway a. I told him I was not. He told me taxiway a was on the south side of the field and to land there south of runway 9R, east of the tower. There were 2 towers on the field, the old one and the new one. I believed him to mean land south of 'runway 9R' where taxiway a came off of runway 9R on the far west side of the field. I began my approach from 1500 ft AGL about 1/2 mi south of the field. He finally got a visual on me and instructed me to land east of the tower. I was in such a position, already west of the tower going to taxiway a at the approach end of runway 9R and descending about 1500 FPM that the best I could do without putting my aircraft in an unusual bank and descent was to land about 75 yards west of the tower on taxiway a where it intersects taxiway C. There was no danger to my aircraft, other aircraft or on the ground. Once on the ground I taxied to the west on taxiway a and into the FBO. Later I was told by telephone that he thought I was one of the local EMS helicopters going to the FBO on the north side of the field where they normally get fuel. I believe I only used my call sign of helicopter abc as opposed to company helicopter abc. That was why he gave me the climb to 2400 ft MSL to overfly the airport. I believe it was an honest mistake made by the tower. I should have known where taxiway a was also. There was no other problems.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMS HELI PLT RECEIVES CONFUSING CLRNC TO LAND. CTLR CLRS HIM TO A DIFFERENT AREA THAN REQUESTED FOR REFUELING BELIEVING HIM TO BE A LCL HELI PLT WHO REFUELS ELSEWHERE ON THE ARPT.

Narrative: I DEPARTED THE HOSPITAL HELIPAD WITH THE INTENTION OF FLYING TO THE XYZ ARPT TO GET FUEL FOR MY RETURN TRIP TO ZZZ. THE HELIPAD IS ABOUT 4 MI S OF THE XYZ ARPT. I WAS INTENDING TO LAND ON THE S SIDE OF THE ARPT AT THE FBO. I RADIOED THE TWR BEFORE LIFTOFF TO GET PERMISSION FOR THE FLT INTO HIS CLASS D AIRSPACE. UPON TKOF HE INSTRUCTED ME TO CLB TO 1900 FT MSL AND CROSS OVER THE ARPT TO LAND ON THE N SIDE OF THE FIELD. THE ARPT ALT IS 906 FT MSL. THEN HE GAVE ME 2400 FT MSL. I TOLD HIM I WANTED TO LAND ON THE S SIDE OF THE FIELD. HE SEEMED TO BE CONFUSED BY MY REQUEST AND GAVE ME 1900 FT MSL AGAIN. HE ASKED IF I WAS FAMILIAR WITH TXWY A. I TOLD HIM I WAS NOT. HE TOLD ME TXWY A WAS ON THE S SIDE OF THE FIELD AND TO LAND THERE S OF RWY 9R, E OF THE TWR. THERE WERE 2 TWRS ON THE FIELD, THE OLD ONE AND THE NEW ONE. I BELIEVED HIM TO MEAN LAND S OF 'RWY 9R' WHERE TXWY A CAME OFF OF RWY 9R ON THE FAR W SIDE OF THE FIELD. I BEGAN MY APCH FROM 1500 FT AGL ABOUT 1/2 MI S OF THE FIELD. HE FINALLY GOT A VISUAL ON ME AND INSTRUCTED ME TO LAND E OF THE TWR. I WAS IN SUCH A POS, ALREADY W OF THE TWR GOING TO TXWY A AT THE APCH END OF RWY 9R AND DSNDING ABOUT 1500 FPM THAT THE BEST I COULD DO WITHOUT PUTTING MY ACFT IN AN UNUSUAL BANK AND DSCNT WAS TO LAND ABOUT 75 YARDS W OF THE TWR ON TXWY A WHERE IT INTERSECTS TXWY C. THERE WAS NO DANGER TO MY ACFT, OTHER ACFT OR ON THE GND. ONCE ON THE GND I TAXIED TO THE W ON TXWY A AND INTO THE FBO. LATER I WAS TOLD BY TELEPHONE THAT HE THOUGHT I WAS ONE OF THE LCL EMS HELIS GOING TO THE FBO ON THE N SIDE OF THE FIELD WHERE THEY NORMALLY GET FUEL. I BELIEVE I ONLY USED MY CALL SIGN OF HELI ABC AS OPPOSED TO COMPANY HELI ABC. THAT WAS WHY HE GAVE ME THE CLB TO 2400 FT MSL TO OVERFLY THE ARPT. I BELIEVE IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE MADE BY THE TWR. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHERE TXWY A WAS ALSO. THERE WAS NO OTHER PROBS.

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.

Attributes
ACN	339674
Time
Date	199606
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zzz
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 1500
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : zzz
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : commercial
ASRS Report	339674
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Ambiguous
Air Traffic Incident	other

EMS helicopter pilot receives confusing clearance to land. Controller clears him to a different area than requested for refueling believing him to be a local helicopter pilot who refuels elsewhere on the airport.