Narrative:

On oct/xa/99 at approximately XA45, I contacted lgb tower 12 mi west of the field for landing my beech sierra C24R. At the time, I was descending out of 3500 ft MSL after having just exited the los angeles special flight rules area. I requested runway 25R and was instructed to report on the '45' for a right downwind. Approaching about 1 mi from the airport, the tower controller instructed me to stop my descent and stay 'east along the 91 freeway' in order to clear jet traffic departing runway 30. What I heard and read back in the cockpit was 'remain east of the 91 freeway.' before I could get clarification from the tower concerning these instructions, I acquired the departing jet traffic visually and executed a right 360 degree turn to avoid a conflict. This act on my part was construed by the tower operator as non compliance with ATC tower instructions. 2 issues that impact safety were as follows: 1) the tower operator's failure to correct my readback of his instructions, and 2) the use of landmarks and surface roads for issuing flight clrncs and instructions. The 91 freeway is not annotated on the los angeles class B VFR terminal area chart. I met with the tower supervisor the morning of this incident, and was informed, much to my surprise, that they do not issue heading instructions to VFR aircraft. A simple instruction to continue 'eastbound' would have avoided this whole situation. In addition, there should have been time after I called the tower from 12 mi out to issue instructions early, which would have allowed me time to seek clarification if necessary. There seems to be an assumption on the part of many tower operators that every aircraft entering their class airspace is intimately familiar with local landmarks and surface roads. If these are going to be used in order to maintain arrival and departure aircraft separation, they should be shown on all available VFR charts! Better yet, local towers with potentially high density traffic should make available to VFR aircraft some printed material and/or airport diagrams of what to expect when entering and departing their class D airspace.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BEECH SIERRA PLT, R DOWNWIND FOR LNDG AT LGB, WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THE FREEWAY IN ORDER TO CLEAR DEPARTING MD80 TFC. UPON VISUALLY ACQUIRING THE TFC, THE RPTR EXECUTED A R 360 DEG TURN WITHOUT TWR'S PERMISSION.

Narrative: ON OCT/XA/99 AT APPROX XA45, I CONTACTED LGB TWR 12 MI W OF THE FIELD FOR LNDG MY BEECH SIERRA C24R. AT THE TIME, I WAS DSNDING OUT OF 3500 FT MSL AFTER HAVING JUST EXITED THE LOS ANGELES SPECIAL FLT RULES AREA. I REQUESTED RWY 25R AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO RPT ON THE '45' FOR A R DOWNWIND. APCHING ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE ARPT, THE TWR CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO STOP MY DSCNT AND STAY 'E ALONG THE 91 FREEWAY' IN ORDER TO CLEAR JET TFC DEPARTING RWY 30. WHAT I HEARD AND READ BACK IN THE COCKPIT WAS 'REMAIN E OF THE 91 FREEWAY.' BEFORE I COULD GET CLARIFICATION FROM THE TWR CONCERNING THESE INSTRUCTIONS, I ACQUIRED THE DEPARTING JET TFC VISUALLY AND EXECUTED A R 360 DEG TURN TO AVOID A CONFLICT. THIS ACT ON MY PART WAS CONSTRUED BY THE TWR OPERATOR AS NON COMPLIANCE WITH ATC TWR INSTRUCTIONS. 2 ISSUES THAT IMPACT SAFETY WERE AS FOLLOWS: 1) THE TWR OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO CORRECT MY READBACK OF HIS INSTRUCTIONS, AND 2) THE USE OF LANDMARKS AND SURFACE ROADS FOR ISSUING FLT CLRNCS AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE 91 FREEWAY IS NOT ANNOTATED ON THE LOS ANGELES CLASS B VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART. I MET WITH THE TWR SUPVR THE MORNING OF THIS INCIDENT, AND WAS INFORMED, MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, THAT THEY DO NOT ISSUE HDG INSTRUCTIONS TO VFR ACFT. A SIMPLE INSTRUCTION TO CONTINUE 'EBOUND' WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS WHOLE SIT. IN ADDITION, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TIME AFTER I CALLED THE TWR FROM 12 MI OUT TO ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS EARLY, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED ME TIME TO SEEK CLARIFICATION IF NECESSARY. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ASSUMPTION ON THE PART OF MANY TWR OPERATORS THAT EVERY ACFT ENTERING THEIR CLASS AIRSPACE IS INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH LCL LANDMARKS AND SURFACE ROADS. IF THESE ARE GOING TO BE USED IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN ARR AND DEP ACFT SEPARATION, THEY SHOULD BE SHOWN ON ALL AVAILABLE VFR CHARTS! BETTER YET, LCL TWRS WITH POTENTIALLY HIGH DENSITY TFC SHOULD MAKE AVAILABLE TO VFR ACFT SOME PRINTED MATERIAL AND/OR ARPT DIAGRAMS OF WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN ENTERING AND DEPARTING THEIR CLASS D AIRSPACE.

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.