Narrative:

At XA40 on may/fri/03, I had landed my airplane at the montgomery airport (myf) in san diego, ca. I taxied off runway 28R and was holding at taxiway F between runways 10L and 10R. The tower had told me to hold short of runway 10R. After being told to hold short of runway 10R, I waited for the tower to give me permission to cross runway 10R. After waiting for approximately 1 min, I radioed the tower asking him if I was to still hold short of runway 10R. I was told in a terse voice to hold short as there was landing traffic on runways 28L/10R. I therefore continued to hold short of runway 10R. While I continued to hold short, I changed frequencys and contacted unicom. I came back to the tower frequency in approximately 1 min, at which time I heard the tower calling my north number. I responded. The controller then told me in a condescending tone of voice that he had tried to contact me 3 times. I told him I had been off-line. He then advised me to 'cross runway 10R and taxi.' I then crossed runway 10R and proceeded to taxi to transient parking via taxiway H. As I approached runway 5, I pondered about the instructions the tower had given me. However, since he told me to taxi, I crossed runway 5 and continued my taxi. As I approached taxiway D while still on taxiway H, an airplane that was in front of me by approximately 40 yards, who was taxiing wbound, abruptly stopped his taxi. I then changed to ground control and heard the controller advise that airplane that my airplane was taxiing without a taxi clearance. I then contacted ground control and advised him of who I was and where I was. He then told me that I had taxied without a ground clearance and had crossed an active runway without permission. I told him that the tower had told me to taxi. The ground controller then told me that tower controllers handle the airplanes in the pattern and the ground controllers handle the airplanes on the ground. I acknowledged his comment. He then asked me my intentions to which I answered. He then cleared me to taxi to transient parking. I believe the tower controller created an intimidating environment, as follows: 1) he used a terse tone of voice when I asked him if I was to continue to hold short of runway 10R. (As a side note, I have experienced being forgotten by controllers while holding short at the end of a runway.) I felt that waiting for over a min was adequate time to check in with the tower controller to see if he still wanted me to hold short or if he had just forgotten about me. 2) the tower's voice became condescending the second time when I came back on line after being offline for about a min. 3) the above 2 communications from the tower controller created an intimidating environment. When I taxied up to active runway 5, I rethought what the controller had told me (ie, 'cross runway 10R and taxi') and that I did not want to incur my third 'tongue-lashing' from the controller. I therefore chose to not confirm permission to cross runway 5 and then proceeded to cross runway 5. In hindsight, I should have stopped the airplane before crossing runway 5 and confirmed with the tower that I had permission to cross it. However, it would be most helpful if controllers could exercise a little more restraint in their communications with pilots. I felt the tower controller overreacted to my communications, thereby creating an intimidating environment.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA32 LNDG MYF CROSSED RWY WITHOUT ATC APPROVAL.

Narrative: AT XA40 ON MAY/FRI/03, I HAD LANDED MY AIRPLANE AT THE MONTGOMERY ARPT (MYF) IN SAN DIEGO, CA. I TAXIED OFF RWY 28R AND WAS HOLDING AT TXWY F BTWN RWYS 10L AND 10R. THE TWR HAD TOLD ME TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10R. AFTER BEING TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10R, I WAITED FOR THE TWR TO GIVE ME PERMISSION TO CROSS RWY 10R. AFTER WAITING FOR APPROX 1 MIN, I RADIOED THE TWR ASKING HIM IF I WAS TO STILL HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10R. I WAS TOLD IN A TERSE VOICE TO HOLD SHORT AS THERE WAS LNDG TFC ON RWYS 28L/10R. I THEREFORE CONTINUED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10R. WHILE I CONTINUED TO HOLD SHORT, I CHANGED FREQS AND CONTACTED UNICOM. I CAME BACK TO THE TWR FREQ IN APPROX 1 MIN, AT WHICH TIME I HEARD THE TWR CALLING MY N NUMBER. I RESPONDED. THE CTLR THEN TOLD ME IN A CONDESCENDING TONE OF VOICE THAT HE HAD TRIED TO CONTACT ME 3 TIMES. I TOLD HIM I HAD BEEN OFF-LINE. HE THEN ADVISED ME TO 'CROSS RWY 10R AND TAXI.' I THEN CROSSED RWY 10R AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI TO TRANSIENT PARKING VIA TXWY H. AS I APCHED RWY 5, I PONDERED ABOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS THE TWR HAD GIVEN ME. HOWEVER, SINCE HE TOLD ME TO TAXI, I CROSSED RWY 5 AND CONTINUED MY TAXI. AS I APCHED TXWY D WHILE STILL ON TXWY H, AN AIRPLANE THAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME BY APPROX 40 YARDS, WHO WAS TAXIING WBOUND, ABRUPTLY STOPPED HIS TAXI. I THEN CHANGED TO GND CTL AND HEARD THE CTLR ADVISE THAT AIRPLANE THAT MY AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING WITHOUT A TAXI CLRNC. I THEN CONTACTED GND CTL AND ADVISED HIM OF WHO I WAS AND WHERE I WAS. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT I HAD TAXIED WITHOUT A GND CLRNC AND HAD CROSSED AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT PERMISSION. I TOLD HIM THAT THE TWR HAD TOLD ME TO TAXI. THE GND CTLR THEN TOLD ME THAT TWR CTLRS HANDLE THE AIRPLANES IN THE PATTERN AND THE GND CTLRS HANDLE THE AIRPLANES ON THE GND. I ACKNOWLEDGED HIS COMMENT. HE THEN ASKED ME MY INTENTIONS TO WHICH I ANSWERED. HE THEN CLRED ME TO TAXI TO TRANSIENT PARKING. I BELIEVE THE TWR CTLR CREATED AN INTIMIDATING ENVIRONMENT, AS FOLLOWS: 1) HE USED A TERSE TONE OF VOICE WHEN I ASKED HIM IF I WAS TO CONTINUE TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 10R. (AS A SIDE NOTE, I HAVE EXPERIENCED BEING FORGOTTEN BY CTLRS WHILE HOLDING SHORT AT THE END OF A RWY.) I FELT THAT WAITING FOR OVER A MIN WAS ADEQUATE TIME TO CHK IN WITH THE TWR CTLR TO SEE IF HE STILL WANTED ME TO HOLD SHORT OR IF HE HAD JUST FORGOTTEN ABOUT ME. 2) THE TWR'S VOICE BECAME CONDESCENDING THE SECOND TIME WHEN I CAME BACK ON LINE AFTER BEING OFFLINE FOR ABOUT A MIN. 3) THE ABOVE 2 COMS FROM THE TWR CTLR CREATED AN INTIMIDATING ENVIRONMENT. WHEN I TAXIED UP TO ACTIVE RWY 5, I RETHOUGHT WHAT THE CTLR HAD TOLD ME (IE, 'CROSS RWY 10R AND TAXI') AND THAT I DID NOT WANT TO INCUR MY THIRD 'TONGUE-LASHING' FROM THE CTLR. I THEREFORE CHOSE TO NOT CONFIRM PERMISSION TO CROSS RWY 5 AND THEN PROCEEDED TO CROSS RWY 5. IN HINDSIGHT, I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED THE AIRPLANE BEFORE XING RWY 5 AND CONFIRMED WITH THE TWR THAT I HAD PERMISSION TO CROSS IT. HOWEVER, IT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL IF CTLRS COULD EXERCISE A LITTLE MORE RESTRAINT IN THEIR COMS WITH PLTS. I FELT THE TWR CTLR OVERREACTED TO MY COMS, THEREBY CREATING AN INTIMIDATING ENVIRONMENT.

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.