Narrative:

Flying a medevac king air, we were dispatched to salt lake municipal #2, a small airport just south of salt lake city. Due to the fact that we would have to navigation through class B airspace near our destination, I was planning on staying IFR until we had the airport in sight. The WX was good, VFR with smoke and haze. As we entered the arrival gate at slc, we were told to expect a visual approach. At approximately 10 mi from the destination airport, we called the airport and canceled IFR and then contacted salt lake municipal #2 traffic via the published CTAF frequency, reporting being a 'lifeguard king air' with our position and intentions. At that time the only reporting traffic was a cessna about ready to depart runway 34. As we reported entering a midfield left downwind for runway 34, a cessna (who we will call #1) reported several seconds later on a left downwind for runway 34. Looking for the traffic, we immediately reported our position again, however we could not get cessna #1 to give us her exact position on the downwind. Knowing we were faster and higher than the reported cessna, we elected to continue our downwind. It was at this time cessna #2, unheard of until now, reported over the power lines, on final for runway 34. Not knowing or being able to see where the power lines were, we had a hard time finding that traffic, however, I saw the traffic pass off my left side so I gave us a safe interval, called our turning on base behind that traffic. Approximately 15 seconds later, cessna #1 also reported turning left base for runway 34. Again, we tried to ascertain whether or not that traffic was behind us or in front of us. As we turned and reported final for runway 34, so did cessna #1 several seconds later. Not knowing where she was in relation to us I elected to stay high on final, looking for the traffic and again trying to get her to respond with her exact position on final for runway 34. I believe that several times she did try to respond with her position, however her xmissions were either being blocked or she was having radio problems. While looking for the traffic, another aircraft entering the left downwind for runway 34 reported spotting cessna #1 ahead and below us. As we spotted the traffic approximately 300 ft below us, we announced the traffic in sight. The pilot of cessna #1 then asked if she should go around. At this point we were not in a position to land, a go around was inevitable, but we held our altitude to see what cessna #1 would do. Someone, we do not know who, told her to go around, which now further complicated matters. We sidestepped to the right, made a go around, passed cessna #1, stated our intentions and then followed cessna #2 for left traffic for runway 34. As we turned and reported entering left crosswind, my copilot informed me that cessna #1 was turning behind us, actually in the process of cutting us off, but due to our speed and climb rate, there was no conflict. It was at this time, I believe, that the person that told cessna #1 to go around, transmitted the message: 'lifeguard abc as a lifeguard flight, you have priority.' I could not believe what I had just heard. I informed the individual that we were not critical and that we would follow cessna #1 for runway 34. Contributing factors: as PIC, I should have insured that we started monitoring the traffic pattern further than the usual 10 mi out, that way we could have probably ascertained that the pattern was full of student pilots, as this particular airport is a reliever airport for slc. The student pilot in cessna #1 did not maintain vigilance, nor was she properly maintaining proper spacing. I believe she mistook the #2 cessna for us. The other pilots in the pattern were not communicating as far as stating their position on our initial call, along with not giving us more of an exact position. We had a pilot in the pattern who was calling landmarks that were not known to us. Another confusing issue was that the pilot of cessna #2 was calling '#2 traffic,' instead of 'salt lake municipal #2 traffic' on his position reports.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LIFEGUARD AIR AMBULANCE FLT AT NON TWR ARPT HAS NMAC WITH C152 ON FINAL APCH. EXECUTED GAR TO AVOID CONFLICT.

Narrative: FLYING A MEDEVAC KING AIR, WE WERE DISPATCHED TO SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2, A SMALL ARPT JUST S OF SALT LAKE CITY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO NAV THROUGH CLASS B AIRSPACE NEAR OUR DEST, I WAS PLANNING ON STAYING IFR UNTIL WE HAD THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE WX WAS GOOD, VFR WITH SMOKE AND HAZE. AS WE ENTERED THE ARR GATE AT SLC, WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT A VISUAL APCH. AT APPROX 10 MI FROM THE DEST ARPT, WE CALLED THE ARPT AND CANCELED IFR AND THEN CONTACTED SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2 TFC VIA THE PUBLISHED CTAF FREQ, RPTING BEING A 'LIFEGUARD KING AIR' WITH OUR POS AND INTENTIONS. AT THAT TIME THE ONLY RPTING TFC WAS A CESSNA ABOUT READY TO DEPART RWY 34. AS WE RPTED ENTERING A MIDFIELD L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34, A CESSNA (WHO WE WILL CALL #1) RPTED SEVERAL SECONDS LATER ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34. LOOKING FOR THE TFC, WE IMMEDIATELY RPTED OUR POS AGAIN, HOWEVER WE COULD NOT GET CESSNA #1 TO GIVE US HER EXACT POS ON THE DOWNWIND. KNOWING WE WERE FASTER AND HIGHER THAN THE RPTED CESSNA, WE ELECTED TO CONTINUE OUR DOWNWIND. IT WAS AT THIS TIME CESSNA #2, UNHEARD OF UNTIL NOW, RPTED OVER THE PWR LINES, ON FINAL FOR RWY 34. NOT KNOWING OR BEING ABLE TO SEE WHERE THE PWR LINES WERE, WE HAD A HARD TIME FINDING THAT TFC, HOWEVER, I SAW THE TFC PASS OFF MY L SIDE SO I GAVE US A SAFE INTERVAL, CALLED OUR TURNING ON BASE BEHIND THAT TFC. APPROX 15 SECONDS LATER, CESSNA #1 ALSO RPTED TURNING L BASE FOR RWY 34. AGAIN, WE TRIED TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT THAT TFC WAS BEHIND US OR IN FRONT OF US. AS WE TURNED AND RPTED FINAL FOR RWY 34, SO DID CESSNA #1 SEVERAL SECONDS LATER. NOT KNOWING WHERE SHE WAS IN RELATION TO US I ELECTED TO STAY HIGH ON FINAL, LOOKING FOR THE TFC AND AGAIN TRYING TO GET HER TO RESPOND WITH HER EXACT POS ON FINAL FOR RWY 34. I BELIEVE THAT SEVERAL TIMES SHE DID TRY TO RESPOND WITH HER POS, HOWEVER HER XMISSIONS WERE EITHER BEING BLOCKED OR SHE WAS HAVING RADIO PROBS. WHILE LOOKING FOR THE TFC, ANOTHER ACFT ENTERING THE L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 34 RPTED SPOTTING CESSNA #1 AHEAD AND BELOW US. AS WE SPOTTED THE TFC APPROX 300 FT BELOW US, WE ANNOUNCED THE TFC IN SIGHT. THE PLT OF CESSNA #1 THEN ASKED IF SHE SHOULD GO AROUND. AT THIS POINT WE WERE NOT IN A POS TO LAND, A GAR WAS INEVITABLE, BUT WE HELD OUR ALT TO SEE WHAT CESSNA #1 WOULD DO. SOMEONE, WE DO NOT KNOW WHO, TOLD HER TO GAR, WHICH NOW FURTHER COMPLICATED MATTERS. WE SIDESTEPPED TO THE R, MADE A GAR, PASSED CESSNA #1, STATED OUR INTENTIONS AND THEN FOLLOWED CESSNA #2 FOR L TFC FOR RWY 34. AS WE TURNED AND RPTED ENTERING L XWIND, MY COPLT INFORMED ME THAT CESSNA #1 WAS TURNING BEHIND US, ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF CUTTING US OFF, BUT DUE TO OUR SPD AND CLB RATE, THERE WAS NO CONFLICT. IT WAS AT THIS TIME, I BELIEVE, THAT THE PERSON THAT TOLD CESSNA #1 TO GAR, XMITTED THE MESSAGE: 'LIFEGUARD ABC AS A LIFEGUARD FLT, YOU HAVE PRIORITY.' I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAD JUST HEARD. I INFORMED THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WE WERE NOT CRITICAL AND THAT WE WOULD FOLLOW CESSNA #1 FOR RWY 34. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: AS PIC, I SHOULD HAVE INSURED THAT WE STARTED MONITORING THE TFC PATTERN FURTHER THAN THE USUAL 10 MI OUT, THAT WAY WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY ASCERTAINED THAT THE PATTERN WAS FULL OF STUDENT PLTS, AS THIS PARTICULAR ARPT IS A RELIEVER ARPT FOR SLC. THE STUDENT PLT IN CESSNA #1 DID NOT MAINTAIN VIGILANCE, NOR WAS SHE PROPERLY MAINTAINING PROPER SPACING. I BELIEVE SHE MISTOOK THE #2 CESSNA FOR US. THE OTHER PLTS IN THE PATTERN WERE NOT COMMUNICATING AS FAR AS STATING THEIR POS ON OUR INITIAL CALL, ALONG WITH NOT GIVING US MORE OF AN EXACT POS. WE HAD A PLT IN THE PATTERN WHO WAS CALLING LANDMARKS THAT WERE NOT KNOWN TO US. ANOTHER CONFUSING ISSUE WAS THAT THE PLT OF CESSNA #2 WAS CALLING '#2 TFC,' INSTEAD OF 'SALT LAKE MUNICIPAL #2 TFC' ON HIS POS RPTS.

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.