The pilot of an small aircraft reports that he misunderstood the tower controller's instructions for...

Narrative:

I was flying closed traffic for touch and goes and reported I would be full stop. The controller cleared me to land on runway 21, which I acknowledged. He then cleared another plane to land following me. The plane following me acknowledge, then voluntarily performed a 360 degree turn to open more space. I turned a normal approach, and on final, the controller said, 'thank you for the short final...' I hadn't heard being instructed to perform a short final, but I had been. I was then instructed to taxi to alpha 6 and watch for an air carrier to my right. The next moment, the controller yelled at me to get off the runway now. I couldn't, I hadn't reached alpha 6. I gave it power, cut off early for alpha 6, and saw the air carrier still taxiing to the hold line. I slowed and stopped as the air carrier stopped. The controller again yelled, this time telling me to continue taxiing to the ramp, which I did. When I shut down, I voluntarily called the control tower to help me understand what had transpired. The controller said I had been given instructions for a short approach. I didn't understand the directions, and when I asked him further, he laughed at me and said my final definitely was not short, then laughed at me again when I questioned how far out I was. I then asked what I should do differently, and he said tell them if I can't do the approach. The comment 'thank you for the short final...you really helped things out' was made very sarcastically causing me confusion and diverting my attention in the middle of the final. His yelling during ground maneuvers further confused me, and some of his directions, such as continuing to taxi, I felt jeopardized safety. At any rate, I know now what I did wrong, missing the short approach, but his derogatory sarcasm and screaming and yelling at me only exacerbated the problem rather than improving it. Rather than yelling and being abusive, the controller could have requested I call him and discussed my performance. He could have suggested some additional ground school, (which I did pursue on my own) or offered other remediation. His choice of handling the situation, aggressively and loudly, wasn't a good deal.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PLT OF AN SMA RPTS THAT HE MISUNDERSTOOD THE TWR CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SHORT APCH AND THE CTLR STARTED TO BERATE HIM DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE LNDG, TAXI-IN AND ALSO DURING A REVIEW OVER THE PHONE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING CLOSED TFC FOR TOUCH AND GOES AND RPTED I WOULD BE FULL STOP. THE CTLR CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 21, WHICH I ACKNOWLEDGED. HE THEN CLRED ANOTHER PLANE TO LAND FOLLOWING ME. THE PLANE FOLLOWING ME ACKNOWLEDGE, THEN VOLUNTARILY PERFORMED A 360 DEG TURN TO OPEN MORE SPACE. I TURNED A NORMAL APCH, AND ON FINAL, THE CTLR SAID, 'THANK YOU FOR THE SHORT FINAL...' I HADN'T HEARD BEING INSTRUCTED TO PERFORM A SHORT FINAL, BUT I HAD BEEN. I WAS THEN INSTRUCTED TO TAXI TO ALPHA 6 AND WATCH FOR AN ACR TO MY R. THE NEXT MOMENT, THE CTLR YELLED AT ME TO GET OFF THE RWY NOW. I COULDN'T, I HADN'T REACHED ALPHA 6. I GAVE IT PWR, CUT OFF EARLY FOR ALPHA 6, AND SAW THE ACR STILL TAXIING TO THE HOLD LINE. I SLOWED AND STOPPED AS THE ACR STOPPED. THE CTLR AGAIN YELLED, THIS TIME TELLING ME TO CONTINUE TAXIING TO THE RAMP, WHICH I DID. WHEN I SHUT DOWN, I VOLUNTARILY CALLED THE CTL TWR TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED. THE CTLR SAID I HAD BEEN GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR A SHORT APCH. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTIONS, AND WHEN I ASKED HIM FURTHER, HE LAUGHED AT ME AND SAID MY FINAL DEFINITELY WAS NOT SHORT, THEN LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN WHEN I QUESTIONED HOW FAR OUT I WAS. I THEN ASKED WHAT I SHOULD DO DIFFERENTLY, AND HE SAID TELL THEM IF I CAN'T DO THE APCH. THE COMMENT 'THANK YOU FOR THE SHORT FINAL...YOU REALLY HELPED THINGS OUT' WAS MADE VERY SARCASTICALLY CAUSING ME CONFUSION AND DIVERTING MY ATTN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FINAL. HIS YELLING DURING GND MANEUVERS FURTHER CONFUSED ME, AND SOME OF HIS DIRECTIONS, SUCH AS CONTINUING TO TAXI, I FELT JEOPARDIZED SAFETY. AT ANY RATE, I KNOW NOW WHAT I DID WRONG, MISSING THE SHORT APCH, BUT HIS DEROGATORY SARCASM AND SCREAMING AND YELLING AT ME ONLY EXACERBATED THE PROB RATHER THAN IMPROVING IT. RATHER THAN YELLING AND BEING ABUSIVE, THE CTLR COULD HAVE REQUESTED I CALL HIM AND DISCUSSED MY PERFORMANCE. HE COULD HAVE SUGGESTED SOME ADDITIONAL GND SCHOOL, (WHICH I DID PURSUE ON MY OWN) OR OFFERED OTHER REMEDIATION. HIS CHOICE OF HANDLING THE SIT, AGGRESSIVELY AND LOUDLY, WASN'T A GOOD DEAL.

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	377180
Time
Date	199708
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : cpr
State Reference	WY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : cpr
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground other : taxi landing other other
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
ASRS Report	377180
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	controller : issued new clearance other
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

The pilot of an small aircraft reports that he misunderstood the tower controller's instructions for a short approach and the controller started to berate him during the remainder of the landing, taxi-in and also during a review over the phone.