Narrative:

I departed my home airport late afternoon in a C172. The purpose of this flight was to increase my total cross country flight time and night currency as the flight was planned from my home airport to an airport under class D airspace to another airport under class D airspace and back to home with more takeoffs and lndgs at my home airport. I departed my home airport's airspace after 1 touch-and-go; climbed to 4500 ft MSL and tuned to the approach frequency to receive flight following. The flight to the first airport under class D airspace was uneventful. I reported when I had the airport well into sight and was immediately xferred to tower. From the tower; I heard and confirmed to have permission to enter a right downwind for runway 25. Once I was visually 45 degrees from the approach end of runway 25 on downwind leg; I contacted tower. Me: 'this is cessna n-number. Have I been cleared to land?' tower: 'north-number cleared to land runway 25' is what I recall hearing over the radio. I immediately turned left base; began my descent; and shortly thereafter turned final for runway 25. I noticed I had to crab the aircraft nearly 10 degrees to the right as the wind was reported to be 310 degrees at 17 KTS. By now the sun was only a few degrees above the horizon and to my right by only a few degrees; placing the sun directly in my field of vision. I was glad I wore my sunglasses. The wind and the scratches and bugs on the windshield added to the complexity. From an estimated 25 degrees left of center vision to an estimated 150 degrees right of center vision I was almost totally blinded. Never before have I had such trouble with the sun. My body wanted to panic; but I contained myself. I tried locating the control tower structure; but I couldn't. I decreased my descent rate as I got lower to the runway because as I got closer to the ground the sun and glare got worse almost exponentially. Mentally; I judged between an aborted landing or a high descent rate landing because I now had trouble gauging altitude. I flared a little too high; so I added a touch of power and glided a little ways down the runway. Eventually; I felt the wheels grab as I passed a taxiway entrance; not knowing how many I had already passed. I bounced I think twice before I fully gained control. Tower; 'north-number; which FBO are you using?' I paused for a few seconds not sure as to what he meant by 'which FBO' as I didn't need fuel or any other service. At this point I recall expecting the tower to tell me which taxiway to take to clear the runway. Me: 'this is n-number; I just want to taxi back; change my flight plans and depart.' I recall a pause or communication to other aircraft from the tower as I was moving very slowly down the runway now just passing another taxiway entrance. I was still expecting to hear a taxiway to exit to but the tower never told me to exit yet. Tower: 'north-number; which FBO are you using?' he called again in a frustrated tone. I recall thinking there might be an FBO towards the end of the airfield. Since my entire r-hand vision was blocked; even though I had completed my flight planning; I had totally forgot there was another FBO to my right. Mentally; to me; it was like only what I could barely make out from my l-hand side was all that existed. Me: 'this is n-number; I just need to taxi back. Swap my flight plans and taxi back for departure.' I think I recall stuttering a little. I began to panic a little because I was confused and the tower controller had gotten angry. Somewhere around this time I just gave up and I requested progressive taxi at which point I was about 20 ft ahead of the taxiway I had slowly passed. During this time period there were other communications between aircraft and the tower. Finally the tower yelled over the intercom. Tower: 'north-number; I need you to expedite off the runway right now! Expedite off the runway!' I repeated 'north-number expedite off the runway' in a shaky voice. I jammed the throttle; turned completely around and exited runway 25. I recall the wheels skidding and screeching as I did expedite from the runway. It was at this point I finally located the control tower. Simultaneously the controller had me change my frequency to; I think; ground control. It took me; I think; approximately 45 seconds to change frequencys because I was busy controling the aircraft and frustrated and scared too. When I did get to the frequency I think I recall the tower already talking saying 'have you got your frequency changed yet?' or 'are you on ground yet?' or something like that. I don't even know if he was talking to me or not. I reported that I was on the new frequency. Tower; 'how new are you to this?' I had acquired my private license at my home airport and that was where most of my training was conducted. I had only a few hours of towered airport experience compared to my total number of flight hours. So I gave an honest reply. Me: 'I'm fairly new.' I don't remember the tower controller's exact words. I recall the tower very angry and I understood his reply to the following effect. Tower: 'when you land you get on and off the runway! We can't have you stopped in the middle of the runway with other aircraft landing behind you. We cannot have that! You land and get off the runway! Do you understand?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT EXPERIENCES DIFFICULTIES IN COM WITH THE TWR AT A CTLED ARPT.

Narrative: I DEPARTED MY HOME ARPT LATE AFTERNOON IN A C172. THE PURPOSE OF THIS FLT WAS TO INCREASE MY TOTAL XCOUNTRY FLT TIME AND NIGHT CURRENCY AS THE FLT WAS PLANNED FROM MY HOME ARPT TO AN ARPT UNDER CLASS D AIRSPACE TO ANOTHER ARPT UNDER CLASS D AIRSPACE AND BACK TO HOME WITH MORE TKOFS AND LNDGS AT MY HOME ARPT. I DEPARTED MY HOME ARPT'S AIRSPACE AFTER 1 TOUCH-AND-GO; CLBED TO 4500 FT MSL AND TUNED TO THE APCH FREQ TO RECEIVE FLT FOLLOWING. THE FLT TO THE FIRST ARPT UNDER CLASS D AIRSPACE WAS UNEVENTFUL. I RPTED WHEN I HAD THE ARPT WELL INTO SIGHT AND WAS IMMEDIATELY XFERRED TO TWR. FROM THE TWR; I HEARD AND CONFIRMED TO HAVE PERMISSION TO ENTER A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 25. ONCE I WAS VISUALLY 45 DEGS FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 25 ON DOWNWIND LEG; I CONTACTED TWR. ME: 'THIS IS CESSNA N-NUMBER. HAVE I BEEN CLRED TO LAND?' TWR: 'N-NUMBER CLRED TO LAND RWY 25' IS WHAT I RECALL HEARING OVER THE RADIO. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED L BASE; BEGAN MY DSCNT; AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER TURNED FINAL FOR RWY 25. I NOTICED I HAD TO CRAB THE ACFT NEARLY 10 DEGS TO THE R AS THE WIND WAS RPTED TO BE 310 DEGS AT 17 KTS. BY NOW THE SUN WAS ONLY A FEW DEGS ABOVE THE HORIZON AND TO MY R BY ONLY A FEW DEGS; PLACING THE SUN DIRECTLY IN MY FIELD OF VISION. I WAS GLAD I WORE MY SUNGLASSES. THE WIND AND THE SCRATCHES AND BUGS ON THE WINDSHIELD ADDED TO THE COMPLEXITY. FROM AN ESTIMATED 25 DEGS L OF CTR VISION TO AN ESTIMATED 150 DEGS R OF CTR VISION I WAS ALMOST TOTALLY BLINDED. NEVER BEFORE HAVE I HAD SUCH TROUBLE WITH THE SUN. MY BODY WANTED TO PANIC; BUT I CONTAINED MYSELF. I TRIED LOCATING THE CTL TWR STRUCTURE; BUT I COULDN'T. I DECREASED MY DSCNT RATE AS I GOT LOWER TO THE RWY BECAUSE AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE GND THE SUN AND GLARE GOT WORSE ALMOST EXPONENTIALLY. MENTALLY; I JUDGED BTWN AN ABORTED LNDG OR A HIGH DSCNT RATE LNDG BECAUSE I NOW HAD TROUBLE GAUGING ALT. I FLARED A LITTLE TOO HIGH; SO I ADDED A TOUCH OF PWR AND GLIDED A LITTLE WAYS DOWN THE RWY. EVENTUALLY; I FELT THE WHEELS GRAB AS I PASSED A TXWY ENTRANCE; NOT KNOWING HOW MANY I HAD ALREADY PASSED. I BOUNCED I THINK TWICE BEFORE I FULLY GAINED CTL. TWR; 'N-NUMBER; WHICH FBO ARE YOU USING?' I PAUSED FOR A FEW SECONDS NOT SURE AS TO WHAT HE MEANT BY 'WHICH FBO' AS I DIDN'T NEED FUEL OR ANY OTHER SVC. AT THIS POINT I RECALL EXPECTING THE TWR TO TELL ME WHICH TXWY TO TAKE TO CLR THE RWY. ME: 'THIS IS N-NUMBER; I JUST WANT TO TAXI BACK; CHANGE MY FLT PLANS AND DEPART.' I RECALL A PAUSE OR COM TO OTHER ACFT FROM THE TWR AS I WAS MOVING VERY SLOWLY DOWN THE RWY NOW JUST PASSING ANOTHER TXWY ENTRANCE. I WAS STILL EXPECTING TO HEAR A TXWY TO EXIT TO BUT THE TWR NEVER TOLD ME TO EXIT YET. TWR: 'N-NUMBER; WHICH FBO ARE YOU USING?' HE CALLED AGAIN IN A FRUSTRATED TONE. I RECALL THINKING THERE MIGHT BE AN FBO TOWARDS THE END OF THE AIRFIELD. SINCE MY ENTIRE R-HAND VISION WAS BLOCKED; EVEN THOUGH I HAD COMPLETED MY FLT PLANNING; I HAD TOTALLY FORGOT THERE WAS ANOTHER FBO TO MY R. MENTALLY; TO ME; IT WAS LIKE ONLY WHAT I COULD BARELY MAKE OUT FROM MY L-HAND SIDE WAS ALL THAT EXISTED. ME: 'THIS IS N-NUMBER; I JUST NEED TO TAXI BACK. SWAP MY FLT PLANS AND TAXI BACK FOR DEP.' I THINK I RECALL STUTTERING A LITTLE. I BEGAN TO PANIC A LITTLE BECAUSE I WAS CONFUSED AND THE TWR CTLR HAD GOTTEN ANGRY. SOMEWHERE AROUND THIS TIME I JUST GAVE UP AND I REQUESTED PROGRESSIVE TAXI AT WHICH POINT I WAS ABOUT 20 FT AHEAD OF THE TXWY I HAD SLOWLY PASSED. DURING THIS TIME PERIOD THERE WERE OTHER COMS BTWN ACFT AND THE TWR. FINALLY THE TWR YELLED OVER THE INTERCOM. TWR: 'N-NUMBER; I NEED YOU TO EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY RIGHT NOW! EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY!' I REPEATED 'N-NUMBER EXPEDITE OFF THE RWY' IN A SHAKY VOICE. I JAMMED THE THROTTLE; TURNED COMPLETELY AROUND AND EXITED RWY 25. I RECALL THE WHEELS SKIDDING AND SCREECHING AS I DID EXPEDITE FROM THE RWY. IT WAS AT THIS POINT I FINALLY LOCATED THE CTL TWR. SIMULTANEOUSLY THE CTLR HAD ME CHANGE MY FREQ TO; I THINK; GND CTL. IT TOOK ME; I THINK; APPROX 45 SECONDS TO CHANGE FREQS BECAUSE I WAS BUSY CTLING THE ACFT AND FRUSTRATED AND SCARED TOO. WHEN I DID GET TO THE FREQ I THINK I RECALL THE TWR ALREADY TALKING SAYING 'HAVE YOU GOT YOUR FREQ CHANGED YET?' OR 'ARE YOU ON GND YET?' OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF HE WAS TALKING TO ME OR NOT. I RPTED THAT I WAS ON THE NEW FREQ. TWR; 'HOW NEW ARE YOU TO THIS?' I HAD ACQUIRED MY PVT LICENSE AT MY HOME ARPT AND THAT WAS WHERE MOST OF MY TRAINING WAS CONDUCTED. I HAD ONLY A FEW HRS OF TOWERED ARPT EXPERIENCE COMPARED TO MY TOTAL NUMBER OF FLT HRS. SO I GAVE AN HONEST REPLY. ME: 'I'M FAIRLY NEW.' I DON'T REMEMBER THE TWR CTLR'S EXACT WORDS. I RECALL THE TWR VERY ANGRY AND I UNDERSTOOD HIS REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING EFFECT. TWR: 'WHEN YOU LAND YOU GET ON AND OFF THE RWY! WE CAN'T HAVE YOU STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY WITH OTHER ACFT LNDG BEHIND YOU. WE CANNOT HAVE THAT! YOU LAND AND GET OFF THE RWY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

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.