Narrative:

My student and I were in right closed traffic for runway 19R at rvs. On our 5TH circuit, as we turned downwind, another airplane was on a 45 degree to the downwind (we did not know this). My student was flying on downwind, and I was asking him why he was 100 ft low when the tower controller asked if we had traffic at 12 O'clock position. Said 'negative' and was immediately uneasy because of the tone of the controller's voice, and the lack of distance information given by the controller. At that point, aircraft Y said 'aircraft X is now in front.' the controller asked for clarification from the aircraft. They said a plane had just passed underneath them. I looked out the back window and sure enough there was a C152 about 100 yards behind us. After some prompting, the controller admitted fault, and apologized, what bothers me though is the controller was having a bad day -- it was not her first mistake. She had cleared us for the wrong runway on the circuit before this one, and I had caught her mistake, and had asked if we were supposed to sidestep to the runway she had named (the parallel). The controller having a bad day was the main cause of this incident. Why she was working, I do not know! Contributing factors were a high number of aircraft in the patterns at rvs, and an overcast that made it hard for us to see the cessna aircraft above us, while we were climbing to pattern altitude. More spacing and better traffic alerts, and a limit to aircraft operations at rvs would help prevent these incidents, but would impact efficiency at rvs. Maybe the controller should have excused herself from work, like I do when I'm not in my best shape.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC BTWN 2 C152'S ON DOWNWIND AT RVS, OK.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I WERE IN R CLOSED TFC FOR RWY 19R AT RVS. ON OUR 5TH CIRCUIT, AS WE TURNED DOWNWIND, ANOTHER AIRPLANE WAS ON A 45 DEG TO THE DOWNWIND (WE DID NOT KNOW THIS). MY STUDENT WAS FLYING ON DOWNWIND, AND I WAS ASKING HIM WHY HE WAS 100 FT LOW WHEN THE TWR CTLR ASKED IF WE HAD TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. SAID 'NEGATIVE' AND WAS IMMEDIATELY UNEASY BECAUSE OF THE TONE OF THE CTLR'S VOICE, AND THE LACK OF DISTANCE INFO GIVEN BY THE CTLR. AT THAT POINT, ACFT Y SAID 'ACFT X IS NOW IN FRONT.' THE CTLR ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION FROM THE ACFT. THEY SAID A PLANE HAD JUST PASSED UNDERNEATH THEM. I LOOKED OUT THE BACK WINDOW AND SURE ENOUGH THERE WAS A C152 ABOUT 100 YARDS BEHIND US. AFTER SOME PROMPTING, THE CTLR ADMITTED FAULT, AND APOLOGIZED, WHAT BOTHERS ME THOUGH IS THE CTLR WAS HAVING A BAD DAY -- IT WAS NOT HER FIRST MISTAKE. SHE HAD CLRED US FOR THE WRONG RWY ON THE CIRCUIT BEFORE THIS ONE, AND I HAD CAUGHT HER MISTAKE, AND HAD ASKED IF WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SIDESTEP TO THE RWY SHE HAD NAMED (THE PARALLEL). THE CTLR HAVING A BAD DAY WAS THE MAIN CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT. WHY SHE WAS WORKING, I DO NOT KNOW! CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE A HIGH NUMBER OF ACFT IN THE PATTERNS AT RVS, AND AN OVCST THAT MADE IT HARD FOR US TO SEE THE CESSNA ACFT ABOVE US, WHILE WE WERE CLBING TO PATTERN ALT. MORE SPACING AND BETTER TFC ALERTS, AND A LIMIT TO ACFT OPS AT RVS WOULD HELP PREVENT THESE INCIDENTS, BUT WOULD IMPACT EFFICIENCY AT RVS. MAYBE THE CTLR SHOULD HAVE EXCUSED HERSELF FROM WORK, LIKE I DO WHEN I'M NOT IN MY BEST SHAPE.

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.