Narrative:

Upon entering southern ca I called and received flight following from ZLA into the la basin somewhere around 50 NM east of hector. My VFR route was planned as needles-hector-paradise-seal beach-long beach. I was handed off several times en route and finally was handed off from socal to los alamitos tower. I told socal that I was not going to los alamitos but to long beach. He told me that that was the procedure and would have to hand me off to them. Before handing me off; he asked me what runway I wanted at long beach. That told me that long beach would be expecting me as there is only a few mi between los alamitos and long beach. I told him I had planned for runway 25L. With that I went over to los alamitos tower thinking they would hand me off to long beach tower. About 3-4 NM east of long beach airport los alamitos tells me frequency changed approved; squawk VFR. That was it; no handoff; no tower frequency; no nothing. I was at 2500 ft and descending for the runway as it was coming up fast. I could not break in on the frequency for runway 25L so I went to the frequency for runway 25R and finally got the tower. He asked what I was doing there and what was going on. I was amazed they had no idea that I was there. I tried to tell him in a hurried manner how I got there and he told me to go around and enter a left downwind for runway 25L and change frequency to the runway 25L frequency. I did exactly that; I was told to start my base at a freeway about a mi ahead of me. I started the timer and started my base at what I thought was the freeway he was talking about. There are plenty of freeways in that area and I must have picked the wrong one because he was not happy when I turned final from base. I must have turned before he was ready for me. I landed and taxied off of the runway and contacted ground as I was told. Ground wanted to know my full tail number before any instructions were given. I was never asked to call the tower for explanation or response from me.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR BE24 ENROUTE TO LGB ENTERED CLASS D WITHOUT CLRNC ALLEGEDLY BECAUSE OF CONFUSING ATC HANDLING.

Narrative: UPON ENTERING SOUTHERN CA I CALLED AND RECEIVED FLT FOLLOWING FROM ZLA INTO THE LA BASIN SOMEWHERE AROUND 50 NM E OF HECTOR. MY VFR RTE WAS PLANNED AS NEEDLES-HECTOR-PARADISE-SEAL BEACH-LONG BEACH. I WAS HANDED OFF SEVERAL TIMES ENRTE AND FINALLY WAS HANDED OFF FROM SOCAL TO LOS ALAMITOS TWR. I TOLD SOCAL THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO LOS ALAMITOS BUT TO LONG BEACH. HE TOLD ME THAT THAT WAS THE PROC AND WOULD HAVE TO HAND ME OFF TO THEM. BEFORE HANDING ME OFF; HE ASKED ME WHAT RWY I WANTED AT LONG BEACH. THAT TOLD ME THAT LONG BEACH WOULD BE EXPECTING ME AS THERE IS ONLY A FEW MI BTWN LOS ALAMITOS AND LONG BEACH. I TOLD HIM I HAD PLANNED FOR RWY 25L. WITH THAT I WENT OVER TO LOS ALAMITOS TWR THINKING THEY WOULD HAND ME OFF TO LONG BEACH TWR. ABOUT 3-4 NM E OF LONG BEACH ARPT LOS ALAMITOS TELLS ME FREQ CHANGED APPROVED; SQUAWK VFR. THAT WAS IT; NO HDOF; NO TWR FREQ; NO NOTHING. I WAS AT 2500 FT AND DSNDING FOR THE RWY AS IT WAS COMING UP FAST. I COULD NOT BREAK IN ON THE FREQ FOR RWY 25L SO I WENT TO THE FREQ FOR RWY 25R AND FINALLY GOT THE TWR. HE ASKED WHAT I WAS DOING THERE AND WHAT WAS GOING ON. I WAS AMAZED THEY HAD NO IDEA THAT I WAS THERE. I TRIED TO TELL HIM IN A HURRIED MANNER HOW I GOT THERE AND HE TOLD ME TO GO AROUND AND ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 25L AND CHANGE FREQ TO THE RWY 25L FREQ. I DID EXACTLY THAT; I WAS TOLD TO START MY BASE AT A FREEWAY ABOUT A MI AHEAD OF ME. I STARTED THE TIMER AND STARTED MY BASE AT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE FREEWAY HE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THERE ARE PLENTY OF FREEWAYS IN THAT AREA AND I MUST HAVE PICKED THE WRONG ONE BECAUSE HE WAS NOT HAPPY WHEN I TURNED FINAL FROM BASE. I MUST HAVE TURNED BEFORE HE WAS READY FOR ME. I LANDED AND TAXIED OFF OF THE RWY AND CONTACTED GND AS I WAS TOLD. GND WANTED TO KNOW MY FULL TAIL NUMBER BEFORE ANY INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN. I WAS NEVER ASKED TO CALL THE TWR FOR EXPLANATION OR RESPONSE FROM ME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.