Narrative:

On maintenance delivery flight from hhi to hnl. Upon contacting hnl approach, I was assigned a squawk code and cleared into the class B airspace via the published 'north approach' with instructions to maintain 1500 ft MSL and contact hnl tower upon reaching ford island (nps). Upon reaching nps, I contacted the tower and was immediately cleared to land on runway 4L. Nps is approximately 4 NM northwest of the approach end of runway 4L. I continued with the north arrival approach via the navy/marine golf course for the 45 degree entry to downwind. Upon reaching the golf course and turning into the 45 degree entry, the tower cleared a heavy to land on runway 4R. As I was turning from the 45 degree to downwind, tower cleared another airplane to land on runway 4L. I noticed that the heavy landing on runway 4R and I were going to be landing at almost the same time. I did not want to get behind or below the heavy, so I cut short my downwind to approximately 2000 ft past the threshold of runway 4L in order to get down before the heavy to avoid a wake turbulence problem. As I rolled out on final, another aircraft (the aircraft that was cleared to land on runway 4L after I was cleared to land on runway 4L) called out on tower frequency that another airplane had just cut them off and they were going around. I have no idea how close we came together as I never saw the other traffic. Because they were cleared to land on runway 4L after I was given the clearance to land on runway 4L, I thought they were behind me and I never really looked for them. I was more concerned about avoiding the wake turbulence from the heavy landing on the parallel runway. As I touched down on runway 4L, the tower told me I was supposed to be following the other traffic for landing on runway 4L. At no time during the entire sequence of events did the tower designate who was to land first. It is not at all uncommon for the hnl tower to have as many as 4 aircraft cleared to land on the same runway at the same time without mentioning any sequencing. It is also not uncommon for the tower to clear a slow moving aircraft to land when the aircraft is still 4 or 5 mi out and not even in the pattern yet. I believe these 2 factors are the primary reasons this near hit occurred. A contributing factor would be my failure to query the tower as to the location of the other aircraft that was cleared to land on 'my' runway at the same time I was cleared to land. If I had asked the tower where this other aircraft was, it may have -- at the very least -- prompted them to tell me I was #2 to land rather than leading me to believe the runway was mine. In the future when I hear the tower clearing more than 1 aircraft to land on the same runway at the same time and not provide a sequence, I will make sure to call them up and ask them to provide that sequencing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter said after he had landed a local FAA person approached his aircraft to discuss the incident. The inspector said he would call the tower and find out what happened. He talked to the inspector a few days later and was told the tower had admitted that the controller made a mistake. The controller forgot the C182 was inbound and that the pilot was issued landing clearance. He has since noticed that the tower no longer issues multiple landing clrncs and now issues landing clrncs on the downwind leg. The controllers seem to have made a remarkable turn around in the way they handle traffic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PLT LNDG HNL IS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4L PRIOR TO ENTERING TFC PATTERN AND A SHORT TIME LATER HEARS THE TWR CLR ANOTHER ACFT TO LAND ON RWY 4L. PLT HAS A CONFLICT WITH THE OTHER ACFT ON FINAL.

Narrative: ON MAINT DELIVERY FLT FROM HHI TO HNL. UPON CONTACTING HNL APCH, I WAS ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE AND CLRED INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE VIA THE PUBLISHED 'N APCH' WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO MAINTAIN 1500 FT MSL AND CONTACT HNL TWR UPON REACHING FORD ISLAND (NPS). UPON REACHING NPS, I CONTACTED THE TWR AND WAS IMMEDIATELY CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4L. NPS IS APPROX 4 NM NW OF THE APCH END OF RWY 4L. I CONTINUED WITH THE N ARR APCH VIA THE NAVY/MARINE GOLF COURSE FOR THE 45 DEG ENTRY TO DOWNWIND. UPON REACHING THE GOLF COURSE AND TURNING INTO THE 45 DEG ENTRY, THE TWR CLRED A HVY TO LAND ON RWY 4R. AS I WAS TURNING FROM THE 45 DEG TO DOWNWIND, TWR CLRED ANOTHER AIRPLANE TO LAND ON RWY 4L. I NOTICED THAT THE HVY LNDG ON RWY 4R AND I WERE GOING TO BE LNDG AT ALMOST THE SAME TIME. I DID NOT WANT TO GET BEHIND OR BELOW THE HVY, SO I CUT SHORT MY DOWNWIND TO APPROX 2000 FT PAST THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 4L IN ORDER TO GET DOWN BEFORE THE HVY TO AVOID A WAKE TURB PROB. AS I ROLLED OUT ON FINAL, ANOTHER ACFT (THE ACFT THAT WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4L AFTER I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4L) CALLED OUT ON TWR FREQ THAT ANOTHER AIRPLANE HAD JUST CUT THEM OFF AND THEY WERE GOING AROUND. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW CLOSE WE CAME TOGETHER AS I NEVER SAW THE OTHER TFC. BECAUSE THEY WERE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 4L AFTER I WAS GIVEN THE CLRNC TO LAND ON RWY 4L, I THOUGHT THEY WERE BEHIND ME AND I NEVER REALLY LOOKED FOR THEM. I WAS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT AVOIDING THE WAKE TURB FROM THE HVY LNDG ON THE PARALLEL RWY. AS I TOUCHED DOWN ON RWY 4L, THE TWR TOLD ME I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOLLOWING THE OTHER TFC FOR LNDG ON RWY 4L. AT NO TIME DURING THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS DID THE TWR DESIGNATE WHO WAS TO LAND FIRST. IT IS NOT AT ALL UNCOMMON FOR THE HNL TWR TO HAVE AS MANY AS 4 ACFT CLRED TO LAND ON THE SAME RWY AT THE SAME TIME WITHOUT MENTIONING ANY SEQUENCING. IT IS ALSO NOT UNCOMMON FOR THE TWR TO CLR A SLOW MOVING ACFT TO LAND WHEN THE ACFT IS STILL 4 OR 5 MI OUT AND NOT EVEN IN THE PATTERN YET. I BELIEVE THESE 2 FACTORS ARE THE PRIMARY REASONS THIS NEAR HIT OCCURRED. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WOULD BE MY FAILURE TO QUERY THE TWR AS TO THE LOCATION OF THE OTHER ACFT THAT WAS CLRED TO LAND ON 'MY' RWY AT THE SAME TIME I WAS CLRED TO LAND. IF I HAD ASKED THE TWR WHERE THIS OTHER ACFT WAS, IT MAY HAVE -- AT THE VERY LEAST -- PROMPTED THEM TO TELL ME I WAS #2 TO LAND RATHER THAN LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THE RWY WAS MINE. IN THE FUTURE WHEN I HEAR THE TWR CLRING MORE THAN 1 ACFT TO LAND ON THE SAME RWY AT THE SAME TIME AND NOT PROVIDE A SEQUENCE, I WILL MAKE SURE TO CALL THEM UP AND ASK THEM TO PROVIDE THAT SEQUENCING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID AFTER HE HAD LANDED A LCL FAA PERSON APCHED HIS ACFT TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT. THE INSPECTOR SAID HE WOULD CALL THE TWR AND FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. HE TALKED TO THE INSPECTOR A FEW DAYS LATER AND WAS TOLD THE TWR HAD ADMITTED THAT THE CTLR MADE A MISTAKE. THE CTLR FORGOT THE C182 WAS INBOUND AND THAT THE PLT WAS ISSUED LNDG CLRNC. HE HAS SINCE NOTICED THAT THE TWR NO LONGER ISSUES MULTIPLE LNDG CLRNCS AND NOW ISSUES LNDG CLRNCS ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. THE CTLRS SEEM TO HAVE MADE A REMARKABLE TURN AROUND IN THE WAY THEY HANDLE TFC.

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.