Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 54; Flight Crew Total 38000; Flight Crew Type 150
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert
Airport; Human Factors; Procedure
On our arrival; we were cleared by Approach for a visual approach to runway 15; to turn left short of the VOR and contact Tower Controller. On contact with Tower we were cleared to land and informed of a King Air on the runway that would be taking off and making a left turn. We were in a left descending turn; 160 kts; gear down; flaps 20 about 8nm from the runway passing about 13;000 ft through a heading of about 220 degrees magnetic when the Control Tower told to cancel our landing clearance. (no explanation).We informed the Tower that we would extend slightly to the southwest and received a conformation from the Tower. Being that the airport is Class D the Tower controller did not inform us that he had radar or visual contact. During this time there was a lot of voice confusion on the tower frequency and we could not figure out whether the King Air was departing or was still on the runway. We asked for landing clearance on at least two occasions; we were denied and told to continue inbound. I had by this time turned to a heading of 070 degrees to join the inbound course at about 6nm from airport. We stayed above and out of Class D airspace during this maneuvering to the final. My reason for delaying outside Class D airspace was because I did not want to meet a King Air nose to nose on short final. While the voice confusion on the tower frequency was going on; the Tower Controller never informed us of the runway status; his only transmissions; 'continue inbound.' What the Tower Controller did not seem to realize is that while he was chattering on the radio and failing to give us pertinent information on the runway status we were moving over the ground at 2 1/2 nm per minute. When we were almost ninety degrees to the inbound course the Tower Controller gave us clearance to land. The aircraft heading was 070 degrees; there was high terrain to the east side of the approach course at 6nm so I turned left 270 degrees to the final approach course.  From this point the approach and landing was without problems except when we were about 100 ft airborne over the landing threshold the tower informed us of a 'possible pilot deviation' and gave us a phone number for the tower supervisor. The Tower Supervisor explained to me that the 'pilot deviation' had already been submitted because of my 270 degree to final at 6nm from the airport. He also stated that was the first visual contact the tower controller had with our aircraft. I tried to discuss with [the supervisor] some of the problems we had encountered on our approach into Aspen; [the supervisor] was not interested. It appeared to me the filing of the 'pilot deviation' was the answer. End of discussion!After a thorough debrief as a crew; we believe the Tower Controller was more concerned with his problem on the airport surface than with our arriving airborne aircraft. It was obvious that the tower controller never had visual or radar contact until our aircraft was in the 270 degree left turn. We believe the Tower Controller was in error when issuing a landing clearance with an aircraft on the runway. The Tower Controller never informed us of the whereabouts of the King Air; just 'cleared to land.' All of our maneuvering was accomplished outside and above Class D airspace. The Tower Controller should never had told us of a 'possible pilot deviation;' while airborne over the landing threshold.
During a visual approach to an airport with high terrain; a Lear 35 Captain is cleared to land and told a King air is on the runway and about to depart. The landing clearance is then canceled without explanation and the reporter is told to continue inbound. At the point the reporter is cleared to land he is too close and high so a 270 degree turn is accomplished to line up. The Tower Controller expressed dismay.