The pilot politely asked the new controller for the phone number to the tower, because he wanted to report an incident. Never heard a pilot request the tower number before. It's usually the other way around. Did anyone else catch this?
In my opinion it is a tactic that should be used by pilots more often than they do.
During a recent weekly commute I made a well-intentioned but thoughtless pattern mistake flying into busy class D airport. Yes it was a bonehead mistake for which I took full responsibility (too low in the pattern while crossing the busy main runway with the goal of turning a very short base and final to get the heck out of the way of the busy crossing runway - no loss of separation occurred, but in theory it could have). What followed was the tower controller's need to identify, underscore, and reiterate the mistake on the frequency just as I was turning to final.
For those who don't fly a retractable gear aircraft as a single pilot or really any aircraft, the final approach phase is a crucial phase that involves continually running checklists to prevent a gear up or any other type of low altitude accident due to distraction. The last thing anyone wants is a distracted pilot who inadvertently lands gear up in the middle of the busy main runway's intersection, closing said busy class D airport.
Thus, the recommended time (at least in my opinion) to discuss a pilot's error is not when that aircraft is on final, just as it would not be recommended for a pilot to discuss a controller's mistake while that person were handling multiple arrivals and departures. When thoughts have to turn away from the primary task bad things can happen.
After rolling out from the landing I again received the controller's ire. It was then that I replied to him, "This would be better discussed on the phone - please give me the tower's number." Once I had parked and secured the aircraft, I called the tower and spoke to the controller to acknowledge my mistake.
The point here is that both pilot and controller have phases of their jobs/tasks that require heightened mental acuity. A time to discuss one party's failings (outside of imminent loss of separation) should be handled over the phone, not on the frequency. Pilots should not be afraid to ask for a number to do so, regardless of who was responsible for the mistake.
