C152 student pilot and instructor reported the student executed a go-around when tower controller no...

Attributes
ACN	1494804
Time
Date	201711
Local Time Of Day	1801-2400
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Cessna 152
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Cessna 152
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Final Approach
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Student
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 21 Flight Crew Total 21 Flight Crew Type 21
Person 2
Function	Observer
Qualification	Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Multiengine
Events
Anomaly	Conflict NMAC
Miss Distance	Horizontal 0 Vertical 150

Narrative:

I was on my 5th landing in the pattern of my first solo. On the upwind; ATC told me that I was #3 to land and to follow traffic entering the downwind; which I had in sight. I extended my upwind to follow the traffic. When I was about midfield of the downwind; I saw a plane below me land which I thought was the plane I was told to follow because I no longer saw a plane in front of me. I turned to final and was told to go around because an airplane was below me. I went around; making left traffic; saw the other plane break off; and landed uneventfully. Once I got on the ground; my instructor briefed me on the situation and what happened. I unknowingly ended up 150 feet above the plane I was told to follow as I approached final. The other plane had extended their downwind longer than I had; so we were approaching final at the same time. I never saw the plane once I had turned downwind. The plane that I saw land was #1 in the pattern; and I thought this was the plane I was following. Therefore; I thought the plane I was following had already landed; and I turned in to land thinking the plane I was following was already on the ground.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C152 student pilot and instructor reported the student executed a go-around when Tower Controller noticed loss of separation between the student's aircraft and another on short final.

Narrative: I was on my 5th landing in the pattern of my first solo. On the upwind; ATC told me that I was #3 to land and to follow traffic entering the downwind; which I had in sight. I extended my upwind to follow the traffic. When I was about midfield of the downwind; I saw a plane below me land which I thought was the plane I was told to follow because I no longer saw a plane in front of me. I turned to final and was told to go around because an airplane was below me. I went around; making left traffic; saw the other plane break off; and landed uneventfully. Once I got on the ground; my instructor briefed me on the situation and what happened. I unknowingly ended up 150 feet above the plane I was told to follow as I approached final. The other plane had extended their downwind longer than I had; so we were approaching final at the same time. I never saw the plane once I had turned downwind. The plane that I saw land was #1 in the pattern; and I thought this was the plane I was following. Therefore; I thought the plane I was following had already landed; and I turned in to land thinking the plane I was following was already on the ground.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.

C152 student pilot and instructor reported the student executed a go-around when tower controller noticed loss of separation between the student's aircraft and another on short final.