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Near midair collision when pilot of C152, aircraft X, fails to stay on downwind leg to await controller's turn to base for traffic, aircraft Y.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 360551 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199702 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : ads |
| State Reference | TX |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 1500 msl bound upper : 1500 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : ads |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Cessna 152 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach other |
| Route In Use | approach : visual enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Make Model Name | Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer |
| Operating Under FAR Part | other : unknown |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach other |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 5 flight time total : 1260 flight time type : 800 |
| ASRS Report | 360551 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : nmac non adherence : clearance non adherence : far other anomaly other other spatial deviation |
| Independent Detector | other controllera other flight crewa other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance flight crew : became reoriented flight crew : returned to intended course or assigned course |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 500 vertical : 100 |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
Narrative:
Tower instructed me to continue a right downwind for runway 15. He was to call the turn to base. Operations at the airport were congested. The conditions were clear, with daylight slowly approaching dusk. I believe that the tower had instructed me to follow traffic Y that was on final approach. Due to the congested nature of the frequency, I did not repeat the command back to the tower. I turned to final when the expected traffic Y was abeam me. A few moments later, another aircraft, aircraft Z, was rapidly converging upon me. There was no actual danger of collision, because I had spotted this additional traffic and was already turning away. However we may have approached to within 500 ft. The other aircraft Z asked the tower about me. I responded to the tower's query with a readback of my instructions. The tower said that the instruction I had followed 'was not for me.' the tower then gave me other vectors to final. I landed without incident. When a pilot believes that he understands an instruction, what is the right thing to do when operations are at a high enough level to make the casual repeating of instructions impractical?
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: NMAC WHEN PLT OF C152, ACFT X, FAILS TO STAY ON DOWNWIND LEG TO AWAIT CTLR'S TURN TO BASE FOR TFC, ACFT Y.
Narrative: TWR INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTINUE A R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 15. HE WAS TO CALL THE TURN TO BASE. OPS AT THE ARPT WERE CONGESTED. THE CONDITIONS WERE CLR, WITH DAYLIGHT SLOWLY APCHING DUSK. I BELIEVE THAT THE TWR HAD INSTRUCTED ME TO FOLLOW TFC Y THAT WAS ON FINAL APCH. DUE TO THE CONGESTED NATURE OF THE FREQ, I DID NOT REPEAT THE COMMAND BACK TO THE TWR. I TURNED TO FINAL WHEN THE EXPECTED TFC Y WAS ABEAM ME. A FEW MOMENTS LATER, ANOTHER ACFT, ACFT Z, WAS RAPIDLY CONVERGING UPON ME. THERE WAS NO ACTUAL DANGER OF COLLISION, BECAUSE I HAD SPOTTED THIS ADDITIONAL TFC AND WAS ALREADY TURNING AWAY. HOWEVER WE MAY HAVE APCHED TO WITHIN 500 FT. THE OTHER ACFT Z ASKED THE TWR ABOUT ME. I RESPONDED TO THE TWR'S QUERY WITH A READBACK OF MY INSTRUCTIONS. THE TWR SAID THAT THE INSTRUCTION I HAD FOLLOWED 'WAS NOT FOR ME.' THE TWR THEN GAVE ME OTHER VECTORS TO FINAL. I LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. WHEN A PLT BELIEVES THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AN INSTRUCTION, WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO WHEN OPS ARE AT A HIGH ENOUGH LEVEL TO MAKE THE CASUAL REPEATING OF INSTRUCTIONS IMPRACTICAL?
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.