Narrative:

I was a new CFI, giving my first biennial flight review to a 2300 hour cfii. First contributing factor: pilot requesting biennial flight review brought a passenger with him. Only had 2 headsets available. Decided we wouldn't use headsets and would listen to the radio over the speaker. We were doing touch and go's on 25L, left traffic. For the last landing I told the pilot to asked for a full stop on the right runway (25R) so we wouldn't have to cross it to get to our hangar on the north side of the field. The pilot made the request and lvk tower cleared us to land on 25L. Because we weren't using headsets and because the pilot expected to hear 25R, he did hear 'cleared to land 25R.' I didn't know this at the time, of course. Thus, expectation plus lack of fidelity of radio reception due to speaker rather than headset use caused pilot to hear what he wanted to hear. I did hear tower say '25L.' pilot said he would do a short field landing and make the first turnoff. I suggested that he not make the first turnoff, but instead land long and roll to the end of the runway since that is where the closest taxiway connecting both 25L and 25R is, and that is the SOP for aircraft landing on 25L who want to cross 25R. These were my thoughts and assumptions. What I actually said was something like 'you can take the first runoff if you want to, but it would be better to rollout to the end of the runway so we can cross easier.' there was absolutely no response from him to that comment, and in retrospect, I realize I should have interpreted that as a clue that he was confused, that what I said didn't make sense to him. We turned left base, and I devoted all of my attention to looking for traffic on final approach to either runway. As such, I was not paying attention to when/where he was turning final. I should also note here that he wanted to fly from the right seat, so I agreed to fly from the left. I hadn't flow from the left seat since I took my commercial chkride last nov 1991. Thus, my perspective was somewhat different from what I was recently accustomed to. As we turned final, he and I both saw the low wing aircraft 200 ft behind us, already lined up on final. We cut directly in front of him. My immediate though was 'what is this guy doing lined up on 25L?' (referring to the other aircraft). At this instant, the low wing took evasive action to the right, and we continued our left turn through and beyond the final approach heading, also in an evasive mode. As I turned my attention toward the airport, I realized exactly what had happened. The other pilot heard that we were cleared to land on the right, when in fact, we had been cleared to land on the left. He had flown a longer downwind leg (since the approach end of 25R is further east than that of 25L), and I didn't question why or suspect anything yet. He then flew a base leg and turned final to land on 25R. At the same time that both aircraft took evasive action, lvk tower directed us again to land on the left, which we did without further incident. As a result of this I will never again fly without my headsets, I will divide my attention better to our ground track as well as to traffic even if the other pilot has 8 times the experience that I do, and I will try to be more perceptive of the subtle clues that something was amiss (like his null response to my suggestion to land long and his extended downwind leg).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A NEW CFI IN AN SMA GIVING A BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW HAD A NMAC IN THE ATA. BOTH ACFT TOOK EVASIVE ACTION AND LANDED SAFELY ON PARALLEL RWYS.

Narrative: I WAS A NEW CFI, GIVING MY FIRST BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW TO A 2300 HR CFII. FIRST CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: PLT REQUESTING BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW BROUGHT A PAX WITH HIM. ONLY HAD 2 HEADSETS AVAILABLE. DECIDED WE WOULDN'T USE HEADSETS AND WOULD LISTEN TO THE RADIO OVER THE SPEAKER. WE WERE DOING TOUCH AND GO'S ON 25L, L TFC. FOR THE LAST LNDG I TOLD THE PLT TO ASKED FOR A FULL STOP ON THE R RWY (25R) SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO CROSS IT TO GET TO OUR HANGAR ON THE N SIDE OF THE FIELD. THE PLT MADE THE REQUEST AND LVK TWR CLRED US TO LAND ON 25L. BECAUSE WE WEREN'T USING HEADSETS AND BECAUSE THE PLT EXPECTED TO HEAR 25R, HE DID HEAR 'CLRED TO LAND 25R.' I DIDN'T KNOW THIS AT THE TIME, OF COURSE. THUS, EXPECTATION PLUS LACK OF FIDELITY OF RADIO RECEPTION DUE TO SPEAKER RATHER THAN HEADSET USE CAUSED PLT TO HEAR WHAT HE WANTED TO HEAR. I DID HEAR TWR SAY '25L.' PLT SAID HE WOULD DO A SHORT FIELD LNDG AND MAKE THE FIRST TURNOFF. I SUGGESTED THAT HE NOT MAKE THE FIRST TURNOFF, BUT INSTEAD LAND LONG AND ROLL TO THE END OF THE RWY SINCE THAT IS WHERE THE CLOSEST TAXIWAY CONNECTING BOTH 25L AND 25R IS, AND THAT IS THE SOP FOR ACFT LNDG ON 25L WHO WANT TO CROSS 25R. THESE WERE MY THOUGHTS AND ASSUMPTIONS. WHAT I ACTUALLY SAID WAS SOMETHING LIKE 'YOU CAN TAKE THE FIRST RUNOFF IF YOU WANT TO, BUT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ROLLOUT TO THE END OF THE RWY SO WE CAN CROSS EASIER.' THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE FROM HIM TO THAT COMMENT, AND IN RETROSPECT, I REALIZE I SHOULD HAVE INTERPRETED THAT AS A CLUE THAT HE WAS CONFUSED, THAT WHAT I SAID DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO HIM. WE TURNED L BASE, AND I DEVOTED ALL OF MY ATTN TO LOOKING FOR TFC ON FINAL APCH TO EITHER RWY. AS SUCH, I WAS NOT PAYING ATTN TO WHEN/WHERE HE WAS TURNING FINAL. I SHOULD ALSO NOTE HERE THAT HE WANTED TO FLY FROM THE R SEAT, SO I AGREED TO FLY FROM THE L. I HADN'T FLOW FROM THE L SEAT SINCE I TOOK MY COMMERCIAL CHKRIDE LAST NOV 1991. THUS, MY PERSPECTIVE WAS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I WAS RECENTLY ACCUSTOMED TO. AS WE TURNED FINAL, HE AND I BOTH SAW THE LOW WING ACFT 200 FT BEHIND US, ALREADY LINED UP ON FINAL. WE CUT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HIM. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGH WAS 'WHAT IS THIS GUY DOING LINED UP ON 25L?' (REFERRING TO THE OTHER ACFT). AT THIS INSTANT, THE LOW WING TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO THE R, AND WE CONTINUED OUR L TURN THROUGH AND BEYOND THE FINAL APCH HDG, ALSO IN AN EVASIVE MODE. AS I TURNED MY ATTN TOWARD THE ARPT, I REALIZED EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE OTHER PLT HEARD THAT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND ON THE R, WHEN IN FACT, WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND ON THE L. HE HAD FLOWN A LONGER DOWNWIND LEG (SINCE THE APCH END OF 25R IS FURTHER E THAN THAT OF 25L), AND I DIDN'T QUESTION WHY OR SUSPECT ANYTHING YET. HE THEN FLEW A BASE LEG AND TURNED FINAL TO LAND ON 25R. AT THE SAME TIME THAT BOTH ACFT TOOK EVASIVE ACTION, LVK TWR DIRECTED US AGAIN TO LAND ON THE L, WHICH WE DID WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AS A RESULT OF THIS I WILL NEVER AGAIN FLY WITHOUT MY HEADSETS, I WILL DIVIDE MY ATTN BETTER TO OUR GND TRACK AS WELL AS TO TFC EVEN IF THE OTHER PLT HAS 8 TIMES THE EXPERIENCE THAT I DO, AND I WILL TRY TO BE MORE PERCEPTIVE OF THE SUBTLE CLUES THAT SOMETHING WAS AMISS (LIKE HIS NULL RESPONSE TO MY SUGGESTION TO LAND LONG AND HIS EXTENDED DOWNWIND LEG).

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.