Narrative:

We were in descent into holloman AFB about 30 mi east when I called the airport in sight. At about 17 mi northeast I was advised of traffic at 1 O'clock and I forget how many mi. I saw an aircraft on about a 4 mi final to runway 16 at my 11 to 12 O'clock position and called the traffic in sight. (Hmn cleared us for a visibility approach). At that time the first officer turned 20 degree left from 260 degree and headed straight for airport. I saw an aircraft at my 8 O'clock pass behind about 500' above and 1 mi behind. I commented to the first officer how close he came to our tail. Just as we turned a 3 M final to runway 16, hmn tower said 'medium large transport X turn right 360 degree heading', the first officer then asked me if that was for us? Then hmn tower said 'medium large transport X turn right 360 degree heading acknowledge'. I said right 360 degree heading for medium large transport X. The first officer said there was an aircraft directly below us. Landing was west/O further incident. On the ground, I spoke with tower and approach supervisors and discovered I called the wrong aircraft in sight. I asked why we were not advised of either the downwind fgt Y that almost hit us or that there were two fgts on final. The supervisor told me that they only had to advise of traffic I was following. Prevent a recurrence: crewmembers pay more attention to looking for traffic and not depending on approach control. Crew members don't think that they are the only plane in the sky just because at this airport they normally have the airport to themselves. Approach control operating under extremely light workloads advise aircraft of other aircraft. When approach and tower are talking to fighters on UHF frequency, they also transmit on VHF so I will at least know no other aircraft are flying. Al other military bases normally do this procedure. When a midair is about to happen, tower should have turned the fgt Y that was below and could see us. Fgts have more visibility, more maneuverable and less visible to a medium large transport. Fighters are extremely hard to spot and transport aircraft are much easier. Although the first officer saw the fgt Y, I never did. When tower tells an aircraft to turn 360 degree heading because they are too close, the turn should be made away from the other aircraft. I know this seems obvious, but hmn turned us right into the fgt Y. If not for the 300' vertical sep, we would have hit each other. Only an incident such as the downwind fgt Y almost running into us, crew members should put it behind them and get back to good collision avoidance procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG GIVEN TRAFFIC TO FOLLOW ON VISUAL APCH, HAD WRONG ACFT IN SIGHT AND HAD NMAC ON FINAL APCH.

Narrative: WE WERE IN DSNT INTO HOLLOMAN AFB ABOUT 30 MI E WHEN I CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. AT ABOUT 17 MI NE I WAS ADVISED OF TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK AND I FORGET HOW MANY MI. I SAW AN ACFT ON ABOUT A 4 MI FINAL TO RWY 16 AT MY 11 TO 12 O'CLOCK POS AND CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT. (HMN CLRED US FOR A VIS APCH). AT THAT TIME THE F/O TURNED 20 DEG L FROM 260 DEG AND HEADED STRAIGHT FOR ARPT. I SAW AN ACFT AT MY 8 O'CLOCK PASS BEHIND ABOUT 500' ABOVE AND 1 MI BEHIND. I COMMENTED TO THE F/O HOW CLOSE HE CAME TO OUR TAIL. JUST AS WE TURNED A 3 M FINAL TO RWY 16, HMN TWR SAID 'MLG X TURN R 360 DEG HDG', THE F/O THEN ASKED ME IF THAT WAS FOR US? THEN HMN TWR SAID 'MLG X TURN R 360 DEG HDG ACKNOWLEDGE'. I SAID R 360 DEG HDG FOR MLG X. THE F/O SAID THERE WAS AN ACFT DIRECTLY BELOW US. LNDG WAS W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. ON THE GND, I SPOKE WITH TWR AND APCH SUPVRS AND DISCOVERED I CALLED THE WRONG ACFT IN SIGHT. I ASKED WHY WE WERE NOT ADVISED OF EITHER THE DOWNWIND FGT Y THAT ALMOST HIT US OR THAT THERE WERE TWO FGTS ON FINAL. THE SUPVR TOLD ME THAT THEY ONLY HAD TO ADVISE OF TFC I WAS FOLLOWING. PREVENT A RECURRENCE: CREWMEMBERS PAY MORE ATTN TO LOOKING FOR TFC AND NOT DEPENDING ON APCH CTL. CREW MEMBERS DON'T THINK THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY PLANE IN THE SKY JUST BECAUSE AT THIS ARPT THEY NORMALLY HAVE THE ARPT TO THEMSELVES. APCH CTL OPERATING UNDER EXTREMELY LIGHT WORKLOADS ADVISE ACFT OF OTHER ACFT. WHEN APCH AND TWR ARE TALKING TO FIGHTERS ON UHF FREQ, THEY ALSO XMIT ON VHF SO I WILL AT LEAST KNOW NO OTHER ACFT ARE FLYING. AL OTHER MIL BASES NORMALLY DO THIS PROC. WHEN A MIDAIR IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, TWR SHOULD HAVE TURNED THE FGT Y THAT WAS BELOW AND COULD SEE US. FGTS HAVE MORE VISIBILITY, MORE MANEUVERABLE AND LESS VISIBLE TO A MLG. FIGHTERS ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO SPOT AND TRANSPORT ACFT ARE MUCH EASIER. ALTHOUGH THE F/O SAW THE FGT Y, I NEVER DID. WHEN TWR TELLS AN ACFT TO TURN 360 DEG HDG BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO CLOSE, THE TURN SHOULD BE MADE AWAY FROM THE OTHER ACFT. I KNOW THIS SEEMS OBVIOUS, BUT HMN TURNED US R INTO THE FGT Y. IF NOT FOR THE 300' VERT SEP, WE WOULD HAVE HIT EACH OTHER. ONLY AN INCIDENT SUCH AS THE DOWNWIND FGT Y ALMOST RUNNING INTO US, CREW MEMBERS SHOULD PUT IT BEHIND THEM AND GET BACK TO GOOD COLLISION AVOIDANCE PROCS.

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.