Narrative:

A student and I were practicing touch and goes at orlando executive airport. There were a couple aircraft in the pattern and we were under control of the tower. In a previous pattern, there was an aztec ahead of us making a very wide pattern. We were told to follow them. Where a normal pattern would have taken us to an approximately 1-2 mi final, the aztec turned in to about a 4 mi final for the pattern. We followed, but the wide pattern disrupted the flow somewhat. On our next takeoff we double checked the spacing before turning downwind so as to leave enough spacing to allow for the aztec's wide pattern. The aztec was reported passing mid-field downwind as we climbed through our upwind leg at about 1/2 mi beyond the departure end. We felt that to be adequate spacing between a C152 and an aztec. We turned crosswind then downwind and leveled off at 1100 ft MSL. When we approached 'abeam the numbers' tower called out our traffic as an aztec over downtown and to follow him for landing. We saw an aircraft over downtown and reported in sight. I don't know if tower misread the position of the aztec or what, but apparently the traffic I subsequently followed was supposed to be in front of the aztec, meaning we ended up in front of the aztec. It was dark so I was unable to determine what the airplane was actually in front of us, but based on where I expected the aztec to be spacing wise and the tower's call, I believed we were behind the aztec. We continued the turn from base to final with our 'aztec' in sight. As we flew over the approach lighting, tower told us we could do a '360' for spacing. Well, I was watching our 'aztec' taking off and told tower that we were 'full stop' and that spacing was fine. Confused by the call I awaited clarification. She repeated the request immediately, and the urgency in her voice prompted a 'do now, ask questions later' impression so I began a left 360 degree. I had no idea what she was trying to accomplish by doing this. Obviously there was plenty of space in front of me for landing, and if someone was behind me, 1) a 360 degree wouldn't be smart and B) the guy behind me should be doing the 360 degree not me. She kept saying 'spacing for the aztec' which as far as I was concerned was long gone. As I turned I wondered how I was going to be in relation to the aircraft behind me so I stopped the turn at 130 degrees left instead of 360 degrees so I could fly clear of the final. As this was taking place at 100 ft AGL, with 30 degrees flaps and slow, I didn't need any more time in a climbing turn than was necessary. Just then I heard tower say 'aztec go around.' it became clear to me that I had gotten in front of the aztec and that she thought I was the #2 aircraft instead of #1 for landing. I was told by observers that we may have been within 50 ft of clearance as I was turning and the aztec was 'going around.' a confused situation. It is my belief that the aztec's wide patterns had disrupted the towers timing and mine for that matter. Also the wide area that could be called 'over downtown' contributed. I saw an aircraft over downtown, reported in sight and followed it, not being able to see what type it was. No one person was responsible, but nonetheless a near collision. It is hard enough to make out aircraft types from a mi during the day much less at night over city lights. The tower controller was switched immediately following the incident when he told me to rejoin the final. I turned back toward the airport and proceeded normally.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT AND STUDENT IN A C152 DOING TOUCH AND GOES WERE SEQUENCED TO FOLLOW A PA23 INBOUND OVER THE 'CITY' FOR LNDG. THEY SPOTTED THE WRONG ACFT AND CUT IN FRONT OF THE PA23 THEY WERE TO FOLLOW. THE LCL CTLR TOLD THE C152 TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN TO FOLLOW THE PA23 AND THE ACFT HAD AN NMAC. BOTH ACFT WERE SENT AROUND AND NEW CTLR TOOK OVER THE LCL CTL POS.

Narrative: A STUDENT AND I WERE PRACTICING TOUCH AND GOES AT ORLANDO EXECUTIVE ARPT. THERE WERE A COUPLE ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND WE WERE UNDER CTL OF THE TWR. IN A PREVIOUS PATTERN, THERE WAS AN AZTEC AHEAD OF US MAKING A VERY WIDE PATTERN. WE WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW THEM. WHERE A NORMAL PATTERN WOULD HAVE TAKEN US TO AN APPROX 1-2 MI FINAL, THE AZTEC TURNED IN TO ABOUT A 4 MI FINAL FOR THE PATTERN. WE FOLLOWED, BUT THE WIDE PATTERN DISRUPTED THE FLOW SOMEWHAT. ON OUR NEXT TKOF WE DOUBLE CHKED THE SPACING BEFORE TURNING DOWNWIND SO AS TO LEAVE ENOUGH SPACING TO ALLOW FOR THE AZTEC'S WIDE PATTERN. THE AZTEC WAS RPTED PASSING MID-FIELD DOWNWIND AS WE CLBED THROUGH OUR UPWIND LEG AT ABOUT 1/2 MI BEYOND THE DEP END. WE FELT THAT TO BE ADEQUATE SPACING BTWN A C152 AND AN AZTEC. WE TURNED XWIND THEN DOWNWIND AND LEVELED OFF AT 1100 FT MSL. WHEN WE APCHED 'ABEAM THE NUMBERS' TWR CALLED OUT OUR TFC AS AN AZTEC OVER DOWNTOWN AND TO FOLLOW HIM FOR LNDG. WE SAW AN ACFT OVER DOWNTOWN AND RPTED IN SIGHT. I DON'T KNOW IF TWR MISREAD THE POS OF THE AZTEC OR WHAT, BUT APPARENTLY THE TFC I SUBSEQUENTLY FOLLOWED WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN FRONT OF THE AZTEC, MEANING WE ENDED UP IN FRONT OF THE AZTEC. IT WAS DARK SO I WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE AIRPLANE WAS ACTUALLY IN FRONT OF US, BUT BASED ON WHERE I EXPECTED THE AZTEC TO BE SPACING WISE AND THE TWR'S CALL, I BELIEVED WE WERE BEHIND THE AZTEC. WE CONTINUED THE TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL WITH OUR 'AZTEC' IN SIGHT. AS WE FLEW OVER THE APCH LIGHTING, TWR TOLD US WE COULD DO A '360' FOR SPACING. WELL, I WAS WATCHING OUR 'AZTEC' TAKING OFF AND TOLD TWR THAT WE WERE 'FULL STOP' AND THAT SPACING WAS FINE. CONFUSED BY THE CALL I AWAITED CLARIFICATION. SHE REPEATED THE REQUEST IMMEDIATELY, AND THE URGENCY IN HER VOICE PROMPTED A 'DO NOW, ASK QUESTIONS LATER' IMPRESSION SO I BEGAN A L 360 DEG. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH BY DOING THIS. OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS PLENTY OF SPACE IN FRONT OF ME FOR LNDG, AND IF SOMEONE WAS BEHIND ME, 1) A 360 DEG WOULDN'T BE SMART AND B) THE GUY BEHIND ME SHOULD BE DOING THE 360 DEG NOT ME. SHE KEPT SAYING 'SPACING FOR THE AZTEC' WHICH AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED WAS LONG GONE. AS I TURNED I WONDERED HOW I WAS GOING TO BE IN RELATION TO THE ACFT BEHIND ME SO I STOPPED THE TURN AT 130 DEGS L INSTEAD OF 360 DEGS SO I COULD FLY CLR OF THE FINAL. AS THIS WAS TAKING PLACE AT 100 FT AGL, WITH 30 DEGS FLAPS AND SLOW, I DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE TIME IN A CLBING TURN THAN WAS NECESSARY. JUST THEN I HEARD TWR SAY 'AZTEC GAR.' IT BECAME CLR TO ME THAT I HAD GOTTEN IN FRONT OF THE AZTEC AND THAT SHE THOUGHT I WAS THE #2 ACFT INSTEAD OF #1 FOR LNDG. I WAS TOLD BY OBSERVERS THAT WE MAY HAVE BEEN WITHIN 50 FT OF CLRNC AS I WAS TURNING AND THE AZTEC WAS 'GOING AROUND.' A CONFUSED SIT. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE AZTEC'S WIDE PATTERNS HAD DISRUPTED THE TWRS TIMING AND MINE FOR THAT MATTER. ALSO THE WIDE AREA THAT COULD BE CALLED 'OVER DOWNTOWN' CONTRIBUTED. I SAW AN ACFT OVER DOWNTOWN, RPTED IN SIGHT AND FOLLOWED IT, NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT TYPE IT WAS. NO ONE PERSON WAS RESPONSIBLE, BUT NONETHELESS A NEAR COLLISION. IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO MAKE OUT ACFT TYPES FROM A MI DURING THE DAY MUCH LESS AT NIGHT OVER CITY LIGHTS. THE TWR CTLR WAS SWITCHED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT WHEN HE TOLD ME TO REJOIN THE FINAL. I TURNED BACK TOWARD THE ARPT AND PROCEEDED NORMALLY.

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.