Narrative:

As I approached the tompkins county airport, ithaca, ny (ith) on an IFR flight plan, in good VMC, I was given a handoff from elmira approach control to ith tower. I checked in with the tower and reported my location as 10 mi nne of the field and was instructed to report a right base for landing runway 32. Another C172 was also approaching the field, but from the northwest. I overheard a transmission from this aircraft stating his location as 5 mi northwest (at this time, I was 7 mi nne of the airport). A few moments later, ith tower queried my position, which I reported as being 5 mi north of the field. Approximately 1 min later, I called my right base entry for runway 32 (as instructed). Approximately 10 seconds later, I was informed of another cessna on right base and, after a pause of about 3 seconds, told to execute a left 360 degree turn. 90 degrees into this turn, I was told to extend outbound for a straight-in approach runway 32. I complied and a normal landing was made. After I landed, ground control gave me a few words regarding the importance of position reports and chided me for reporting my position as northeast when I was northwest and south of the field. I requested a phone number to discuss the matter further, and was told to use the FBO's intercom. I talked the matter over with one of the personnel in the tower who was unable to shed any light on the situation. He kept insisting that I was northwest and then south of the field. I know that I was at no time west in the slightest degree of the field because my IFR routing put me on a direct tract from the massena VOR (mss) to the ith VOR, which results in a heading of approximately 210 des, a heading that I flew with minor adjustments right into the right base entry from runway 32. What I took away from my conversation with the controller in the ith tower was a deep sense that the controller in question had lost situational awareness, due primarily to the lack of any form of radar surveillance (all they have is binoculars and a window). These controllers need a radar display, even if it is just a repeater off of another radar site. Ith is an airport with fairly high traffic volume where commercial air carrier aircraft regularly mix with light GA planes. In the future, I will try to give more accurate position reports. I should have consistently reported my position as being nne and not made the simple north transmission (although, I was mostly north of the field).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWR LCL CTLR RESOLVES POTENTIAL AIRBORNE CONFLICT BY INSTRUCTING THE PLT TO CIRCLE AND EXTEND DOWNWIND BEHIND ANOTHER ACFT. THE RPTR WAS NOT COMING FROM THE POS THE CTLR BELIEVED HIM TO BE.

Narrative: AS I APCHED THE TOMPKINS COUNTY ARPT, ITHACA, NY (ITH) ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, IN GOOD VMC, I WAS GIVEN A HDOF FROM ELMIRA APCH CTL TO ITH TWR. I CHKED IN WITH THE TWR AND RPTED MY LOCATION AS 10 MI NNE OF THE FIELD AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO RPT A R BASE FOR LNDG RWY 32. ANOTHER C172 WAS ALSO APCHING THE FIELD, BUT FROM THE NW. I OVERHEARD A TRANSMISSION FROM THIS ACFT STATING HIS LOCATION AS 5 MI NW (AT THIS TIME, I WAS 7 MI NNE OF THE ARPT). A FEW MOMENTS LATER, ITH TWR QUERIED MY POS, WHICH I RPTED AS BEING 5 MI N OF THE FIELD. APPROX 1 MIN LATER, I CALLED MY R BASE ENTRY FOR RWY 32 (AS INSTRUCTED). APPROX 10 SECONDS LATER, I WAS INFORMED OF ANOTHER CESSNA ON R BASE AND, AFTER A PAUSE OF ABOUT 3 SECONDS, TOLD TO EXECUTE A L 360 DEG TURN. 90 DEGS INTO THIS TURN, I WAS TOLD TO EXTEND OUTBOUND FOR A STRAIGHT-IN APCH RWY 32. I COMPLIED AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. AFTER I LANDED, GND CTL GAVE ME A FEW WORDS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF POS RPTS AND CHIDED ME FOR RPTING MY POS AS NE WHEN I WAS NW AND S OF THE FIELD. I REQUESTED A PHONE NUMBER TO DISCUSS THE MATTER FURTHER, AND WAS TOLD TO USE THE FBO'S INTERCOM. I TALKED THE MATTER OVER WITH ONE OF THE PERSONNEL IN THE TWR WHO WAS UNABLE TO SHED ANY LIGHT ON THE SIT. HE KEPT INSISTING THAT I WAS NW AND THEN S OF THE FIELD. I KNOW THAT I WAS AT NO TIME W IN THE SLIGHTEST DEG OF THE FIELD BECAUSE MY IFR ROUTING PUT ME ON A DIRECT TRACT FROM THE MASSENA VOR (MSS) TO THE ITH VOR, WHICH RESULTS IN A HDG OF APPROX 210 DES, A HDG THAT I FLEW WITH MINOR ADJUSTMENTS RIGHT INTO THE R BASE ENTRY FROM RWY 32. WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM MY CONVERSATION WITH THE CTLR IN THE ITH TWR WAS A DEEP SENSE THAT THE CTLR IN QUESTION HAD LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, DUE PRIMARILY TO THE LACK OF ANY FORM OF RADAR SURVEILLANCE (ALL THEY HAVE IS BINOCULARS AND A WINDOW). THESE CTLRS NEED A RADAR DISPLAY, EVEN IF IT IS JUST A REPEATER OFF OF ANOTHER RADAR SITE. ITH IS AN ARPT WITH FAIRLY HIGH TFC VOLUME WHERE COMMERCIAL ACR ACFT REGULARLY MIX WITH LIGHT GA PLANES. IN THE FUTURE, I WILL TRY TO GIVE MORE ACCURATE POS RPTS. I SHOULD HAVE CONSISTENTLY RPTED MY POS AS BEING NNE AND NOT MADE THE SIMPLE N XMISSION (ALTHOUGH, I WAS MOSTLY N OF THE FIELD).

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.