Narrative:

I landed at about XA00 at public use airport, no night curfew, no NOTAMS, had ATC flight following until about 10 NM out with no abnormalities. Earlier in the day I discussed my planned arrival time with the FBO. They saw no problem. As I taxied to the ramp, a city police car drove to the plane, with yellow police lights on. Lack of complaint from ATC and careful navigation and planning suggested that I made no 'airspace' errors. Knowing the bad reputation of ZZZ officials with respect to GA and bad reputation of ZZZ police, I suspected that this was just local police having fun harassing a pilot or deluded into thinking that I could be a terrorist. Another possibility is that their actions are a deliberate attempt to impose an illegal night curfew on operations to reduce noise. The NTSB has ruled that only the FAA has the authority/authorized to grant night curfews or similar restrs on night flight operations. ZZZ may be using their police to achieve the same illegal goals. This has been tested in court in bedford, ma, and in norwood, ma. I considered taxiing back to the runway and flying to a different airport that was my alternate. I worried that that might be treated as resisting arrest, etc. In any case, 2 more ZZZ police cars pulled up to surround me and block my exit. I got scared. With the propeller still turning, I used my cell phone to call my girlfriend, who didn't answer, assuming the call to be a wrong number. I left a message on the answering machine (which is being preserved). A second call reached her and I repeated what I said above and asked her to stay on the line and listen to the proceedings and take appropriate action. I then shut down the engine and electrics but did not leave the plane nor open the door. A policeman approached the pilot's side of the aircraft and I opened the air vent. I don't recall all of the dialog but he basically asked me why I was here, where I was from, why I landed so late. I was extremely polite and cooperative with the police with just a twinge of righteous indignation. It is important to note that while I was retrieving my phone (done very slowly and only after I explained what I was going to do), the officer shined his flashlight into my cockpit -- clearly to make sure I did not draw a weapon. It is my belief that all of the officers were on a 'hair-trigger' to draw their weapons and kill me if I gave them the slightest cause. It appeared that during this time the officer's other hand was on his gun. He said that my being on the phone made him nervous and that my nervousness raised his concern. I explained that in my 24 yrs of flying I had never been surrounded by police and that this abnormal event rightly made me nervous. I told him that I was keeping an 'open' line for my safety. I suspect that this 'ear witness' may have prevented them from being even more aggressive against me. I provided my driver's license, which he took to 'phone in for a check.' this check took 10 mins or more. I clearly was detained during this time. While I never was told that I was under arrest, I was surrounded by police and their cars and they had my driver's license. While waiting for the check to come back, they asked me some aviation questions. It may have been 'small talk.' it may have been an attempt to ascertain my aviation knowledge to help determine if I was a terrorist (or drug runner) with minimal knowledge or a real pilot. They told me that they made frequent checks of the airport and if anyone happened to be there conducting flight operations, that they received the same treatment that I did. They then told me I was free to go and left.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PLT LANDS IN THE VERY EARLY MORNING HRS TO A POLICE RECEPTION WHICH HE CONSIDERED TO BE IMPROPER AND FRIGHTENING.

Narrative: I LANDED AT ABOUT XA00 AT PUBLIC USE ARPT, NO NIGHT CURFEW, NO NOTAMS, HAD ATC FLT FOLLOWING UNTIL ABOUT 10 NM OUT WITH NO ABNORMALITIES. EARLIER IN THE DAY I DISCUSSED MY PLANNED ARR TIME WITH THE FBO. THEY SAW NO PROB. AS I TAXIED TO THE RAMP, A CITY POLICE CAR DROVE TO THE PLANE, WITH YELLOW POLICE LIGHTS ON. LACK OF COMPLAINT FROM ATC AND CAREFUL NAV AND PLANNING SUGGESTED THAT I MADE NO 'AIRSPACE' ERRORS. KNOWING THE BAD REPUTATION OF ZZZ OFFICIALS WITH RESPECT TO GA AND BAD REPUTATION OF ZZZ POLICE, I SUSPECTED THAT THIS WAS JUST LCL POLICE HAVING FUN HARASSING A PLT OR DELUDED INTO THINKING THAT I COULD BE A TERRORIST. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT THEIR ACTIONS ARE A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO IMPOSE AN ILLEGAL NIGHT CURFEW ON OPS TO REDUCE NOISE. THE NTSB HAS RULED THAT ONLY THE FAA HAS THE AUTH TO GRANT NIGHT CURFEWS OR SIMILAR RESTRS ON NIGHT FLT OPS. ZZZ MAY BE USING THEIR POLICE TO ACHIEVE THE SAME ILLEGAL GOALS. THIS HAS BEEN TESTED IN COURT IN BEDFORD, MA, AND IN NORWOOD, MA. I CONSIDERED TAXIING BACK TO THE RWY AND FLYING TO A DIFFERENT ARPT THAT WAS MY ALTERNATE. I WORRIED THAT THAT MIGHT BE TREATED AS RESISTING ARREST, ETC. IN ANY CASE, 2 MORE ZZZ POLICE CARS PULLED UP TO SURROUND ME AND BLOCK MY EXIT. I GOT SCARED. WITH THE PROP STILL TURNING, I USED MY CELL PHONE TO CALL MY GIRLFRIEND, WHO DIDN'T ANSWER, ASSUMING THE CALL TO BE A WRONG NUMBER. I LEFT A MESSAGE ON THE ANSWERING MACHINE (WHICH IS BEING PRESERVED). A SECOND CALL REACHED HER AND I REPEATED WHAT I SAID ABOVE AND ASKED HER TO STAY ON THE LINE AND LISTEN TO THE PROCEEDINGS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. I THEN SHUT DOWN THE ENG AND ELECTRICS BUT DID NOT LEAVE THE PLANE NOR OPEN THE DOOR. A POLICEMAN APCHED THE PLT'S SIDE OF THE ACFT AND I OPENED THE AIR VENT. I DON'T RECALL ALL OF THE DIALOG BUT HE BASICALLY ASKED ME WHY I WAS HERE, WHERE I WAS FROM, WHY I LANDED SO LATE. I WAS EXTREMELY POLITE AND COOPERATIVE WITH THE POLICE WITH JUST A TWINGE OF RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHILE I WAS RETRIEVING MY PHONE (DONE VERY SLOWLY AND ONLY AFTER I EXPLAINED WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO), THE OFFICER SHINED HIS FLASHLIGHT INTO MY COCKPIT -- CLRLY TO MAKE SURE I DID NOT DRAW A WEAPON. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT ALL OF THE OFFICERS WERE ON A 'HAIR-TRIGGER' TO DRAW THEIR WEAPONS AND KILL ME IF I GAVE THEM THE SLIGHTEST CAUSE. IT APPEARED THAT DURING THIS TIME THE OFFICER'S OTHER HAND WAS ON HIS GUN. HE SAID THAT MY BEING ON THE PHONE MADE HIM NERVOUS AND THAT MY NERVOUSNESS RAISED HIS CONCERN. I EXPLAINED THAT IN MY 24 YRS OF FLYING I HAD NEVER BEEN SURROUNDED BY POLICE AND THAT THIS ABNORMAL EVENT RIGHTLY MADE ME NERVOUS. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS KEEPING AN 'OPEN' LINE FOR MY SAFETY. I SUSPECT THAT THIS 'EAR WITNESS' MAY HAVE PREVENTED THEM FROM BEING EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE AGAINST ME. I PROVIDED MY DRIVER'S LICENSE, WHICH HE TOOK TO 'PHONE IN FOR A CHK.' THIS CHK TOOK 10 MINS OR MORE. I CLRLY WAS DETAINED DURING THIS TIME. WHILE I NEVER WAS TOLD THAT I WAS UNDER ARREST, I WAS SURROUNDED BY POLICE AND THEIR CARS AND THEY HAD MY DRIVER'S LICENSE. WHILE WAITING FOR THE CHK TO COME BACK, THEY ASKED ME SOME AVIATION QUESTIONS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN 'SMALL TALK.' IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO ASCERTAIN MY AVIATION KNOWLEDGE TO HELP DETERMINE IF I WAS A TERRORIST (OR DRUG RUNNER) WITH MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE OR A REAL PLT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY MADE FREQUENT CHKS OF THE ARPT AND IF ANYONE HAPPENED TO BE THERE CONDUCTING FLT OPS, THAT THEY RECEIVED THE SAME TREATMENT THAT I DID. THEY THEN TOLD ME I WAS FREE TO GO AND LEFT.

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.