Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private; Flight Crew Student
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 29; Flight Crew Total 210; Flight Crew Type 194
Workload; Distraction; Training / Qualification; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Human Factors; Procedure
I was practicing landings at ZZZ. It was a night flight where I was planning to do five total stop and goes. ZZZ does what they call either a 'racetrack' pattern or a 'figure 8' pattern for their runways. That night; with the winds considered; led for Runways XX and XY to be in use. After accepting their pattern; I executed my stop and goes alternating between both Runway XY and XX. All was going well until I was on right downwind (right traffic) for Runway XX. (This would have been around my 3rd landing). I had traffic behind me essentially following me (doing the same thing) and I had a CRJ off to the northeast inbound for Runway XY. I was cleared to land for Runway XX by the time I was on right base. As I was entering final; ATC had told the CRJ to slow down obviously because I was cleared to land for XX. (XY and XX are intersecting runways). As I was on final; ATC called up and instructed me to make 'little delay' on Runway XX of which I was cleared for. They had then called up again and instructed me to do a low approach instead a little bit after. I was confused what they meant by this call so I questioned them that they wanted me do something in relation to XY and XX; however; their call up again was still confusing. They had instructed the traffic that was behind me who was on right downwind at the time to also do a low approach where they gave them more instructions in terms of altitude etc.This confused me more. As I was on short final; I had interpreted a low approach to mean 'to steepen your approach' 'land...ASAP' ~ low approach. There was much happening in the background: ATC talking to everyone; me trying to configure my aircraft to land and trying to interpret what they meant. On short final though; they had told me to do a low approach again (reassuring that I was going to) and I repeated that I would. I failed to query them by asking them what they meant by a low approach exactly. I continued the steep approach to a landing because that is what I had thought they wanted me to do. I landed trying to make little delay (from what I remember) before the landing markers for Runway XX and did my full stop. I saw the CRJ then land on Runway XY a few 2;000 ft. from where I was and then was instructed to hold position. Afterwards; ATC had cleared me to takeoff Runway XX once again with no further problems noted. ATC never told me to contact a number nor mention anything of a pilot deviation. They were very accommodating and actually came back up to mention myself and the other traffic in the pattern that they thank us for our corporation because everything happened quickly and the CRJ came in a bit faster than we all had anticipated on. I kept questioning myself what they meant by 'low approach' the rest of the flight.When I got home that night; I looked up what a 'low approach' meant; and I was shocked; scared; and embarrassed. I was not sure why I was unable to distinctively understand what they meant by low approach during that moment. I contacted our Flight Operations and spoke to him roughly around an hour about the occurrence. We began talking about the FAR/AIM in terms of definitions of 'low approach' and he gave me recommendations on what to read in the FAR/AIM. We also went over what the NASA form was and why I should report one. I now understand the meaning of the amended clearance and will begin furthering my search on other possible ATC phraseology as well for basic knowledge we all should be very familiar with.
A student pilot reported ATC instructed them to make a low approach but they landed to a full stop instead.