P46 pilot became disoriented by the high intensity operation while arriving at night at teb.

Attributes
ACN	530998
Time
Date	200111
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : teb.airport
State Reference	NJ
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : teb.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	PA-46 Malibu
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : commercial
ASRS Report	530998
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : ground
Events
Anomaly	incursion : taxiway incursion : runway non adherence : clearance other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other controllerb
Resolutory Action	controller : issued alert controller : issued new clearance none taken : anomaly accepted none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was 3-4 mi out on the VOR DME a, when new york approach failed to hand me off to teterboro tower. I had previously asked approach, which runway teb was landing on because the ATIS said both runways 19 and 26 and was told tower would tell me. I had the airport in sight, but didn't know which runway I was landing on. I was 3 mi from the airport and was failed to be notified to contact tower. I inquired and was instructed to contact tower. When I called tower frequency, I had a hard time checking in because it was so busy. Tower instructed me to enter a downwind. I was confused, because I think they gave me specific instructions when I was on approach. I didn't know which runway, so I asked. In a negative tone I was told to enter a midfield crosswind to a left downwind to runway 19. Meanwhile, I lost the airport, and dipped my right wing down to look for the runway. Tower then jumped on the frequency and told me not to turn to the south due to departing traffic on runway 19. Then I saw the runway and entered the pattern and landed. After that point I felt flustered by the whole incident. After landing, I turned right on a taxiway and called ground. Where I was stopped at I was on intersecting txwys. I was told to turn right and taxi straight ahead and cross the taxiway I was already on and do a 180 degrees and hold short of that taxiway. Not realizing I was on that taxiway I was told to cross and do a 180 degrees, I kept taxiing straight ahead looking for the taxiway I was told to cross and do a 180 degrees. I was approaching runway 24 and felt something was wrong. By the time ground replied to me questioning if I was cleared to cross runway, I had just crossed the hold short line but was not on the actual runway. I then asked if I should do a 180 degrees. They told me yes, and I asked for a progressive. I do not believe there was departing traffic on runway 24, I never saw a plane. I feel that I was flustered from tower's previous landing instructions, and loosing sight of the airport, played a major role in this incident. It broke my concentration and was not thinking straight. I should have asked for a progressive after being flustered previously, and slowed down and stopped to re-orientate myself where I was with the airport diagram, especially being that this took place at night on an unfamiliar field during busy operations.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: P46 PLT BECAME DISORIENTED BY THE HIGH INTENSITY OP WHILE ARRIVING AT NIGHT AT TEB.

Narrative: I WAS 3-4 MI OUT ON THE VOR DME A, WHEN NEW YORK APCH FAILED TO HAND ME OFF TO TETERBORO TWR. I HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED APCH, WHICH RWY TEB WAS LNDG ON BECAUSE THE ATIS SAID BOTH RWYS 19 AND 26 AND WAS TOLD TWR WOULD TELL ME. I HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT, BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHICH RWY I WAS LNDG ON. I WAS 3 MI FROM THE ARPT AND WAS FAILED TO BE NOTIFIED TO CONTACT TWR. I INQUIRED AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT TWR. WHEN I CALLED TWR FREQ, I HAD A HARD TIME CHKING IN BECAUSE IT WAS SO BUSY. TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO ENTER A DOWNWIND. I WAS CONFUSED, BECAUSE I THINK THEY GAVE ME SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS WHEN I WAS ON APCH. I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH RWY, SO I ASKED. IN A NEGATIVE TONE I WAS TOLD TO ENTER A MIDFIELD XWIND TO A L DOWNWIND TO RWY 19. MEANWHILE, I LOST THE ARPT, AND DIPPED MY R WING DOWN TO LOOK FOR THE RWY. TWR THEN JUMPED ON THE FREQ AND TOLD ME NOT TO TURN TO THE S DUE TO DEPARTING TFC ON RWY 19. THEN I SAW THE RWY AND ENTERED THE PATTERN AND LANDED. AFTER THAT POINT I FELT FLUSTERED BY THE WHOLE INCIDENT. AFTER LNDG, I TURNED R ON A TXWY AND CALLED GND. WHERE I WAS STOPPED AT I WAS ON INTERSECTING TXWYS. I WAS TOLD TO TURN R AND TAXI STRAIGHT AHEAD AND CROSS THE TXWY I WAS ALREADY ON AND DO A 180 DEGS AND HOLD SHORT OF THAT TXWY. NOT REALIZING I WAS ON THAT TXWY I WAS TOLD TO CROSS AND DO A 180 DEGS, I KEPT TAXIING STRAIGHT AHEAD LOOKING FOR THE TXWY I WAS TOLD TO CROSS AND DO A 180 DEGS. I WAS APCHING RWY 24 AND FELT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. BY THE TIME GND REPLIED TO ME QUESTIONING IF I WAS CLRED TO CROSS RWY, I HAD JUST CROSSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE BUT WAS NOT ON THE ACTUAL RWY. I THEN ASKED IF I SHOULD DO A 180 DEGS. THEY TOLD ME YES, AND I ASKED FOR A PROGRESSIVE. I DO NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS DEPARTING TFC ON RWY 24, I NEVER SAW A PLANE. I FEEL THAT I WAS FLUSTERED FROM TWR'S PREVIOUS LNDG INSTRUCTIONS, AND LOOSING SIGHT OF THE ARPT, PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS INCIDENT. IT BROKE MY CONCENTRATION AND WAS NOT THINKING STRAIGHT. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR A PROGRESSIVE AFTER BEING FLUSTERED PREVIOUSLY, AND SLOWED DOWN AND STOPPED TO RE-ORIENTATE MYSELF WHERE I WAS WITH THE ARPT DIAGRAM, ESPECIALLY BEING THAT THIS TOOK PLACE AT NIGHT ON AN UNFAMILIAR FIELD DURING BUSY OPS.

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.