Date: 201405
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: HQM.Airport, WA
Flight conditions: IMC
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Operator: FBO
Operating under: Part 91
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Personal
Flight phase: Initial Approach
Airspace: Class E ZSE
ATC / advisory: Center ZSE
Reporter organization: Personal
Reporter function: Single Pilot
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure; Workload
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Contributing factors: ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings; Human Factors; Chart Or Publication
Primary problem: Chart Or Publication

Narrative: After I was cleared for the ILS 24 approach into HQM; the Controller on frequency asked me 'Do you have the NOTAMs for the ILS approach into HQM?' I replied 'negative.' As soon as he asked me this question; I realized that my preflight briefing was not done in a thorough enough manner; because if I had; I would have received this NOTAM. I could tell the Controller was not too happy about this; as he canceled my approach clearance and told me to maintain 4;000 FT. I was coming up on ULESS; the IAF; which also involved a course change. I asked him if he wanted me to hold at ULESS. He said yes. He instructed me to contact 'flight watch' to get the NOTAM for the approach; so I called up flight watch and they sent me over to Seattle Radio. When talking to Seattle Radio I informed them that I needed NOTAMs for the ILS approach into HQM. He replied back saying there were no active procedures NOTAMs at the airport. I asked him to confirm this again; by asking 'so you're saying there are no NOTAMs for the ILS at HQM?' And he said in a somewhat impatient manner 'again; there are no NOTAMs for the ILS approach into HQM.' I said thank you; and switched back to Seattle Center. I called up Center saying 'Seattle Center; Aircraft X; Flight Service said there are no active NOTAMs for the ILS approach into HQM.' And then there was silence. I continued to hold. About a minute later; I called up Center again to ask if he had received my last transmission; and he said 'Affirmative; but there is an FDC NOTAM for the ILS approach but I'm too busy to read it to you.' So I asked if I could get the RNAV approach. He said 'There's a NOTAM for that too.' At this point; my workload has shot up about 1000%. Since he asked if I had this NOTAM after he cleared me for the approach and when I was less than a mile from the IAF; with a course change imminent; this meant that when he canceled my approach clearance and told me to maintain 4;000 FT; I didn't really know what to do. Where should I go? My filed flight plan was to this fix; but my route that I received in my clearance was RNT; Renton 2 departure; V27; direct HQM. Since this all came flying at me pretty quickly; I wasn't sure if he wanted me to keep flying on V27 past the airport; or if he wanted me to hold. So I asked him if I should hold at ULESS. He basically just said 'yes.' There were no hold instructions on his part; and again; since my workload had just shot up quite a bit; I wasn't quite sure what to do. So once I crossed the fix; I flew a minute outbound and started turning; when he came back with hold instructions telling me to hold on the other side of the fix than the side I was on and he gave me my choice of left or right turns. Once I was in the hold; I contacted Flight Watch on 122.0 as instructed by ATC. Flight Watch informed me they could not give me NOTAMs; so he gave me frequency for Seattle Radio near HQM which happened to be 122.2. Once I contacted Seattle Radio; I told them I was holding at ULESS on an IFR flight plan and that Seattle Center had instructed me to contact them about getting a NOTAM for the ILS 24 approach. Seattle Radio responded saying there were no NOTAMs. At this point; I felt like I was being left out in the dust. Flight watch was no help; Seattle Radio said they didn't show any NOTAMs; and the Center Controller was not pleased with the situation and left me holding at 4;000 FT at the IAF. A few minutes later; the Controller called up and read the entire NOTAM for the approach to me; and basically the NOTAM was that the decision height was 1 (one) foot higher than was published on the approach plate. So; obviously there are a few problems with this situation; with responsibility lying with pretty much every party involved in the situation; but none of this would have been a problem had I done a thorough preflight briefing. That was my mistake; and I take full responsibility for that. I've learned my lesson. Get your NOTAMs. Second; while the preflight briefing was a bit of an oversight on my part; the Controller could have handled this situation a bit better. He seemed to get very annoyed or even angry at me for not having the NOTAM on board; which he had every right to be. But leaving me out there with basically no direction on what to do was a bit disconcerting. I'm on an IFR flight plan; I'm his responsibility; and he basically comes back and tells me that he's 'too busy' to help me get out of this situation. Honestly; the frequency did not seem too jammed at the time; and while he may have been working multiple frequencies; usually they transmit on all frequencies that they are working. I think that he just didn't want to help me out because he figured that I didn't do my preflight planning to the fullest extent. Though that was true it's not a very professional way to handle a situation like this. But I've learned my lesson and will be thoroughly going through my weather briefings and all of the NOTAM sections. What I think should be addressed here is the disconnect between Seattle Radio not having the NOTAM; and Seattle Center hanging me out to dry. While the controller eventually read me the NOTAM and it turned out to be such a minor change to the approach plate; a one foot difference in DH; it didn't really make any difference one way or another. My altimeter is not that sensitive. It's labeled in 20 foot increments. ATC is supposed to be there to help; but I felt shunned. It was the first time where I've really felt alone and felt like ATC wasn't on my side and wasn't there to help me.




Synopsis: Pilot reports of being left out to dry by ATC when pilot did not have the NOTAM in reference to a Decision Height change.