Narrative:

Approaching livermore from the east we were given clearance to land on runway 25R and told to report the shopping center on a 4 mi final. After we had proceeded inbound for a few mins, additional traffic (a cessna) reported in from the east and also requested landing at livermore. The controller alerted each of us in turn about the other. The cessna pilot reported east of the lab (at least 6 mi out) and I reported that I was nearly at the shopping center. The cessna was cleared to land #2 behind me, and was also told to report the shopping center on a 4 mi final. 1 or 2 mins later, I noticed cessna traffic ahead of me and slightly above and to my right. I hadn't remembered hearing any radio calls to or from anyone who should have been in front of me. I reported 'traffic at 1 O'clock, 1/4 mi ahead, slightly above' to the tower controller who queried the cessna asking if he had me in sight. The cessna said no. The controller continued talking to the cessna to figure out where he was. I concluded that the cessna that I was looking at was probably the cessna that everyone had thought was behind me. At this point it seemed like things were under control. Inaccurate position reports on the part of the cessna had led to a potential conflict but I had him in sight now and was confident there would be no further problems. The controller, however, was mad at the cessna pilot and took actions that seemed to have no purpose except to punish him. In my opinion, this was completely unnecessary and made the situation worse. The controller continued asking the cessna if he saw me. The controller queried the cessna as to the altitude he was at. I told the controller that he wasn't going to be able to see me because I was behind him. The controller persisted. I was closing on the cessna and there was no other reported traffic behind us so I interrupted the controller/cessna exchange to say that I was doing a right 360 degree turn for spacing. I fully expected the controller to resequence us so that I was following the cessna. That's what made the most sense to do. But no. As soon as I did this, the controller told the cessna to go around, turn right, and follow us in. I couldn't believe it. I had turned to get away from a plane that couldn't see me and the controller was now telling him to also turn around and follow me. It sounded like my evasive actions were going to go for naught. While the controller was telling the cessna pilot to do this he also started berating the pilot for missing the requested position reports. The controller repeatedly asked the cessna if he saw me while continuing to thank the cessna sarcastically for the non-reports. The cessna was in his turn during most of this and had no chance of seeing us for the first several times the controller asked him to report us in sight. The effect was to create more confusion for the cessna pilot. He couldn't see me, he probably wasn't sure where I was, the controller was issuing commands that were strange, the controller was clearly made at him, etc. Fortunately I finished my turn well before he did and was able to see him as he was getting to the downwind. Fortunately he didn't continue turning until he found me. Fortunately he did eventually see me on final. We both landed without incident.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT X LNDG LVK IS INSTRUCTED TO RPT A 4 MI FINAL. ACFT Y CHKS IN A FEW MINS LATER AND IS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO RPT A 4 MI FINAL. ACFT X SIGHTS CESSNA TFC AHEAD AND NOTIFIES THE TWR. THE TFC TURNS OUT TO BE ACFT Y. RPTR CLAIMS THE CTLR BECAME MAD AND SARCASTIC AT PLT OF ACFT Y FOR NOT MAKING A CORRECT POS RPT AND CONTINUALLY SCOLDED THE PLT UNTIL HE LANDED.

Narrative: APCHING LIVERMORE FROM THE E WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO LAND ON RWY 25R AND TOLD TO RPT THE SHOPPING CENTER ON A 4 MI FINAL. AFTER WE HAD PROCEEDED INBOUND FOR A FEW MINS, ADDITIONAL TFC (A CESSNA) RPTED IN FROM THE E AND ALSO REQUESTED LNDG AT LIVERMORE. THE CTLR ALERTED EACH OF US IN TURN ABOUT THE OTHER. THE CESSNA PLT RPTED E OF THE LAB (AT LEAST 6 MI OUT) AND I RPTED THAT I WAS NEARLY AT THE SHOPPING CENTER. THE CESSNA WAS CLRED TO LAND #2 BEHIND ME, AND WAS ALSO TOLD TO RPT THE SHOPPING CENTER ON A 4 MI FINAL. 1 OR 2 MINS LATER, I NOTICED CESSNA TFC AHEAD OF ME AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE AND TO MY R. I HADN'T REMEMBERED HEARING ANY RADIO CALLS TO OR FROM ANYONE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN FRONT OF ME. I RPTED 'TFC AT 1 O'CLOCK, 1/4 MI AHEAD, SLIGHTLY ABOVE' TO THE TWR CTLR WHO QUERIED THE CESSNA ASKING IF HE HAD ME IN SIGHT. THE CESSNA SAID NO. THE CTLR CONTINUED TALKING TO THE CESSNA TO FIGURE OUT WHERE HE WAS. I CONCLUDED THAT THE CESSNA THAT I WAS LOOKING AT WAS PROBABLY THE CESSNA THAT EVERYONE HAD THOUGHT WAS BEHIND ME. AT THIS POINT IT SEEMED LIKE THINGS WERE UNDER CTL. INACCURATE POS RPTS ON THE PART OF THE CESSNA HAD LED TO A POTENTIAL CONFLICT BUT I HAD HIM IN SIGHT NOW AND WAS CONFIDENT THERE WOULD BE NO FURTHER PROBS. THE CTLR, HOWEVER, WAS MAD AT THE CESSNA PLT AND TOOK ACTIONS THAT SEEMED TO HAVE NO PURPOSE EXCEPT TO PUNISH HIM. IN MY OPINION, THIS WAS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND MADE THE SIT WORSE. THE CTLR CONTINUED ASKING THE CESSNA IF HE SAW ME. THE CTLR QUERIED THE CESSNA AS TO THE ALT HE WAS AT. I TOLD THE CTLR THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO SEE ME BECAUSE I WAS BEHIND HIM. THE CTLR PERSISTED. I WAS CLOSING ON THE CESSNA AND THERE WAS NO OTHER RPTED TFC BEHIND US SO I INTERRUPTED THE CTLR/CESSNA EXCHANGE TO SAY THAT I WAS DOING A R 360 DEG TURN FOR SPACING. I FULLY EXPECTED THE CTLR TO RESEQUENCE US SO THAT I WAS FOLLOWING THE CESSNA. THAT'S WHAT MADE THE MOST SENSE TO DO. BUT NO. AS SOON AS I DID THIS, THE CTLR TOLD THE CESSNA TO GO AROUND, TURN R, AND FOLLOW US IN. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. I HAD TURNED TO GET AWAY FROM A PLANE THAT COULDN'T SEE ME AND THE CTLR WAS NOW TELLING HIM TO ALSO TURN AROUND AND FOLLOW ME. IT SOUNDED LIKE MY EVASIVE ACTIONS WERE GOING TO GO FOR NAUGHT. WHILE THE CTLR WAS TELLING THE CESSNA PLT TO DO THIS HE ALSO STARTED BERATING THE PLT FOR MISSING THE REQUESTED POS RPTS. THE CTLR REPEATEDLY ASKED THE CESSNA IF HE SAW ME WHILE CONTINUING TO THANK THE CESSNA SARCASTICALLY FOR THE NON-RPTS. THE CESSNA WAS IN HIS TURN DURING MOST OF THIS AND HAD NO CHANCE OF SEEING US FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL TIMES THE CTLR ASKED HIM TO RPT US IN SIGHT. THE EFFECT WAS TO CREATE MORE CONFUSION FOR THE CESSNA PLT. HE COULDN'T SEE ME, HE PROBABLY WASN'T SURE WHERE I WAS, THE CTLR WAS ISSUING COMMANDS THAT WERE STRANGE, THE CTLR WAS CLRLY MADE AT HIM, ETC. FORTUNATELY I FINISHED MY TURN WELL BEFORE HE DID AND WAS ABLE TO SEE HIM AS HE WAS GETTING TO THE DOWNWIND. FORTUNATELY HE DIDN'T CONTINUE TURNING UNTIL HE FOUND ME. FORTUNATELY HE DID EVENTUALLY SEE ME ON FINAL. WE BOTH LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT.

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.