Narrative:

My student and I made a full stop landing on runway 21 at santa monica airport. We decided to remain in the pattern one more time to practice a short field takeoff and landing. We took off and our upwind was extended by the tower, approximately 1 mi further, due to traffic congestion in the pattern. The visibility was approximately 50 mi with no ceiling. There were approximately 6-8 aircraft approaching from all quadrants. We turned crosswind and entered the south downwind for left closed traffic, runway 21. My student was unable to make his initial call abeam the tower, due to radio congestion. He called the tower, on downwind, approximately 1 1/2 mi past the approach end of the airport, to request a full stop landing. The tower told us to continue downwind and follow a learjet on a 5 mi final. We were looking for the learjet, but, never made initial visual contact with it. While on downwind approximately 3 mi northeast of the approach end of runway 21, the tower reported the learjet at 11 O'clock, from our position. Again, we never made visual contact with the learjet, and so, we continued downwind. We were unable to contact the tower, due to heavy radio congestion to let him know we did not see the learjet. We called the tower 7 mi out to notify him we were turning base, the tower never replied. Approximately 6 mi out I made another attempt to reach the tower, to notify him that I was on final. Again, the tower did not reply. During the time we continued our downwind, after not making visual contact with the learjet, the tower turned a few airplanes, in front of us for base entry. At about 4-5 mi out on final, I called the tower again, and he told me to make a left 360 degree turn. As I was making my 360 degree turn, with no more than a 30 degree bank, the tower called traffic at 12 O'clock position. At this point, I was about three quarters of the way through my 360 degree turn. I reported that I had 2 targets on the north downwind that could of possibly been the traffic he was calling. I do not know. The tower told me to follow a cherokee in front of me on final. I reported back and repeated that I would follow the cherokee. I heard the tower make a call to the traffic behind me, which was a low wing aircraft. Tower told the mooney, to follow the cessna 1 mi ahead. The mooney reported that he did not have the traffic, because the sun was in his eyes. At approximately 2.5 mi out, 40 seconds after the tower made the last call to the mooney, I noticed the mooney descending through my altitude, over me and a little to the left of me. I did not take evasive action, for the mooney was much faster than I, and was still higher. I immediately called the tower, and proceeded to report the mooney, descending in front of me and overtaking me. The tower told the mooney to go around. I was then cleared to land, and landed uneventfully. I believe some of the contributing factors to be: 1) high traffic volume, and much radio congestion. 2) the mooney, did not see the traffic 1 mi ahead, was approximately twice my speed, had his gear up, and did not think to slow down, or do s-turns to find his traffic. He did not determine that I was a high wing aircraft, and he a low wing, that I was much slower than him. 3) at the time of the occurrence, I was indicating 85 KTS, the mooney was higher than I, and maybe indicating 120-140 KTS. I feel some things can be done to prevent a recurrence: 1) on a very clear sat and/or sun, with calm winds and no ceiling, it should be apparent to the santa monica tower, that the probability of high traffic will most likely occur. Due to this traffic and radio congestion, the tower should not allow traffic into the class D airspace, until they know for sure that they can handle the amount of traffic. 2) the tower could have told the mooney to stay clear of the class D airspace, and circle over downtown los angeles, which is approximately 10 mi northeast of the airport. That is where the mooney made his initial call, and the tower told him to standby. 3) on high density days at santa monica, it may be a good idea to have another controller in the tower overseeing the job of the controller on the tower frequency, in case the workload becomes out-of-control. 4) low-wing and high-wing aircraft, need to be extra aware of each other, especially at critical times, ie, landing confign. 5) fast aircraft must be aware that if they are following a slow aircraft which they cannot see in the traffic pattern, they must slow down and do s-turns for spacing. They must do something to find their traffic.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH STUDENT PLT IN TFC PATTERN, ON FINAL ARE OVERTAKEN BY A MOONEY RESULTING IN NMAC.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I MADE A FULL STOP LNDG ON RWY 21 AT SANTA MONICA ARPT. WE DECIDED TO REMAIN IN THE PATTERN ONE MORE TIME TO PRACTICE A SHORT FIELD TKOF AND LNDG. WE TOOK OFF AND OUR UPWIND WAS EXTENDED BY THE TWR, APPROX 1 MI FURTHER, DUE TO TFC CONGESTION IN THE PATTERN. THE VISIBILITY WAS APPROX 50 MI WITH NO CEILING. THERE WERE APPROX 6-8 ACFT APCHING FROM ALL QUADRANTS. WE TURNED XWIND AND ENTERED THE S DOWNWIND FOR L CLOSED TFC, RWY 21. MY STUDENT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE HIS INITIAL CALL ABEAM THE TWR, DUE TO RADIO CONGESTION. HE CALLED THE TWR, ON DOWNWIND, APPROX 1 1/2 MI PAST THE APCH END OF THE ARPT, TO REQUEST A FULL STOP LNDG. THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTINUE DOWNWIND AND FOLLOW A LEARJET ON A 5 MI FINAL. WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE LEARJET, BUT, NEVER MADE INITIAL VISUAL CONTACT WITH IT. WHILE ON DOWNWIND APPROX 3 MI NE OF THE APCH END OF RWY 21, THE TWR RPTED THE LEARJET AT 11 O'CLOCK, FROM OUR POS. AGAIN, WE NEVER MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE LEARJET, AND SO, WE CONTINUED DOWNWIND. WE WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT THE TWR, DUE TO HVY RADIO CONGESTION TO LET HIM KNOW WE DID NOT SEE THE LEARJET. WE CALLED THE TWR 7 MI OUT TO NOTIFY HIM WE WERE TURNING BASE, THE TWR NEVER REPLIED. APPROX 6 MI OUT I MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO REACH THE TWR, TO NOTIFY HIM THAT I WAS ON FINAL. AGAIN, THE TWR DID NOT REPLY. DURING THE TIME WE CONTINUED OUR DOWNWIND, AFTER NOT MAKING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE LEARJET, THE TWR TURNED A FEW AIRPLANES, IN FRONT OF US FOR BASE ENTRY. AT ABOUT 4-5 MI OUT ON FINAL, I CALLED THE TWR AGAIN, AND HE TOLD ME TO MAKE A L 360 DEG TURN. AS I WAS MAKING MY 360 DEG TURN, WITH NO MORE THAN A 30 DEG BANK, THE TWR CALLED TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK POS. AT THIS POINT, I WAS ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THE WAY THROUGH MY 360 DEG TURN. I RPTED THAT I HAD 2 TARGETS ON THE N DOWNWIND THAT COULD OF POSSIBLY BEEN THE TFC HE WAS CALLING. I DO NOT KNOW. THE TWR TOLD ME TO FOLLOW A CHEROKEE IN FRONT OF ME ON FINAL. I RPTED BACK AND REPEATED THAT I WOULD FOLLOW THE CHEROKEE. I HEARD THE TWR MAKE A CALL TO THE TFC BEHIND ME, WHICH WAS A LOW WING ACFT. TWR TOLD THE MOONEY, TO FOLLOW THE CESSNA 1 MI AHEAD. THE MOONEY RPTED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THE TFC, BECAUSE THE SUN WAS IN HIS EYES. AT APPROX 2.5 MI OUT, 40 SECONDS AFTER THE TWR MADE THE LAST CALL TO THE MOONEY, I NOTICED THE MOONEY DSNDING THROUGH MY ALT, OVER ME AND A LITTLE TO THE L OF ME. I DID NOT TAKE EVASIVE ACTION, FOR THE MOONEY WAS MUCH FASTER THAN I, AND WAS STILL HIGHER. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWR, AND PROCEEDED TO RPT THE MOONEY, DSNDING IN FRONT OF ME AND OVERTAKING ME. THE TWR TOLD THE MOONEY TO GAR. I WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND, AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. I BELIEVE SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO BE: 1) HIGH TFC VOLUME, AND MUCH RADIO CONGESTION. 2) THE MOONEY, DID NOT SEE THE TFC 1 MI AHEAD, WAS APPROX TWICE MY SPD, HAD HIS GEAR UP, AND DID NOT THINK TO SLOW DOWN, OR DO S-TURNS TO FIND HIS TFC. HE DID NOT DETERMINE THAT I WAS A HIGH WING ACFT, AND HE A LOW WING, THAT I WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN HIM. 3) AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE, I WAS INDICATING 85 KTS, THE MOONEY WAS HIGHER THAN I, AND MAYBE INDICATING 120-140 KTS. I FEEL SOME THINGS CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE: 1) ON A VERY CLR SAT AND/OR SUN, WITH CALM WINDS AND NO CEILING, IT SHOULD BE APPARENT TO THE SANTA MONICA TWR, THAT THE PROBABILITY OF HIGH TFC WILL MOST LIKELY OCCUR. DUE TO THIS TFC AND RADIO CONGESTION, THE TWR SHOULD NOT ALLOW TFC INTO THE CLASS D AIRSPACE, UNTIL THEY KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY CAN HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF TFC. 2) THE TWR COULD HAVE TOLD THE MOONEY TO STAY CLR OF THE CLASS D AIRSPACE, AND CIRCLE OVER DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, WHICH IS APPROX 10 MI NE OF THE ARPT. THAT IS WHERE THE MOONEY MADE HIS INITIAL CALL, AND THE TWR TOLD HIM TO STANDBY. 3) ON HIGH DENSITY DAYS AT SANTA MONICA, IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE ANOTHER CTLR IN THE TWR OVERSEEING THE JOB OF THE CTLR ON THE TWR FREQ, IN CASE THE WORKLOAD BECOMES OUT-OF-CTL. 4) LOW-WING AND HIGH-WING ACFT, NEED TO BE EXTRA AWARE OF EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY AT CRITICAL TIMES, IE, LNDG CONFIGN. 5) FAST ACFT MUST BE AWARE THAT IF THEY ARE FOLLOWING A SLOW ACFT WHICH THEY CANNOT SEE IN THE TFC PATTERN, THEY MUST SLOW DOWN AND DO S-TURNS FOR SPACING. THEY MUST DO SOMETHING TO FIND THEIR 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.