Narrative:

I was flying with a friend to gls from lbx. Approximately 16 KM from gls I tuned the radios to listen to ASOS for WX conditions, then tuned to unicom frequency. At 15 KM I announced traffic 15 KM southwest of galveston at 1500 ft and landing galveston. About 12 KM out, another aircraft called 8 KM southwest of galveston at 1500 ft. I contacted this aircraft and got a visual. They indicated that they would be turning north toward tiki island and I watched them do so. Continuing to monitor the unicom frequency, there were several aircraft in the pattern and around the airport. There were 2 helicopters landing parallel to runway 17 and I believe 2 aircraft flying ILS approach to runway 13. Note that additional communications from surrounding airports were interfering with radio contact at gls. As we were approaching the airport, a bonanza either called go around or was doing a touch-and-go. We saw his climb out on runway 13. I then made the decision to enter the pattern behind the bonanza when he turned crosswind. I called traffic declaring that we are crossing the departure end of runway 13 at 1700 ft and would be descending into the pattern for a downwind approach to runway 13. I had heard 1 or 2 aircraft on the ILS plus communications between unicom and a helicopter on the ground to be fueled, and the bonanza turning downwind for runway 13. There was some discussion between the pilot and unicom where the helicopter should park for fueling. 2 xmissions regarding location were exchanged and then someone commenting maybe the pilot needed to be hit with a stick and unicom response 'maybe so.' while this exchange was taking place we continued our descent and turning onto the downwind for runway 13. I called as we were turning downwind and was watching the bonanza in front of us. I looked out the right side of the plane and saw a C172 either flying a 45 degree entry to the downwind leg or flying parallel to the runway. I leveled off to monitor where the cessna would be going and they then spotted us, pulled up and altered course to the right. Once I was confident that there would not be a problem, I returned to descending attitude and continued downwind. I called traffic for both the base leg and the final to runway 13. After each call the cessna called same traffic adding behind the grumman. Once on the ground the pilot of the cessna came over and inquired whether I had seen her. I declared that I had and that we watched her progress carefully. I had not seen her plane until I was on the downwind leg and communicated this to her. Also, I had not heard any radio xmissions from the cessna unless I confused it with some of the other communications that were occurring at the time. There were many xmissions on the frequency that were garbled as more than 1 aircraft were making announcements at a time. After carefully analyzing this situation, I feel that we could have avoided this problem by staying above the pattern until all traffic was idented then following the suggested entry of a 45 degree entry into the downwind leg. I spoke with a CFI about this via e-mail and he suggested that entering an upwind leg at pattern altitude on the right side of the runway then turning crosswind, would have been a better entry. Also, the communication frequencys on VFR days are very congested and many xmissions are made but not understood.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A GRUMMAN AA5B HAS CLOSE PROX IN TFC PATTERN WITH A C172.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING WITH A FRIEND TO GLS FROM LBX. APPROX 16 KM FROM GLS I TUNED THE RADIOS TO LISTEN TO ASOS FOR WX CONDITIONS, THEN TUNED TO UNICOM FREQ. AT 15 KM I ANNOUNCED TFC 15 KM SW OF GALVESTON AT 1500 FT AND LNDG GALVESTON. ABOUT 12 KM OUT, ANOTHER ACFT CALLED 8 KM SW OF GALVESTON AT 1500 FT. I CONTACTED THIS ACFT AND GOT A VISUAL. THEY INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD BE TURNING N TOWARD TIKI ISLAND AND I WATCHED THEM DO SO. CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE UNICOM FREQ, THERE WERE SEVERAL ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND AROUND THE ARPT. THERE WERE 2 HELIS LNDG PARALLEL TO RWY 17 AND I BELIEVE 2 ACFT FLYING ILS APCH TO RWY 13. NOTE THAT ADDITIONAL COMS FROM SURROUNDING ARPTS WERE INTERFERING WITH RADIO CONTACT AT GLS. AS WE WERE APCHING THE ARPT, A BONANZA EITHER CALLED GAR OR WAS DOING A TOUCH-AND-GO. WE SAW HIS CLBOUT ON RWY 13. I THEN MADE THE DECISION TO ENTER THE PATTERN BEHIND THE BONANZA WHEN HE TURNED XWIND. I CALLED TFC DECLARING THAT WE ARE XING THE DEP END OF RWY 13 AT 1700 FT AND WOULD BE DSNDING INTO THE PATTERN FOR A DOWNWIND APCH TO RWY 13. I HAD HEARD 1 OR 2 ACFT ON THE ILS PLUS COMS BTWN UNICOM AND A HELI ON THE GND TO BE FUELED, AND THE BONANZA TURNING DOWNWIND FOR RWY 13. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION BTWN THE PLT AND UNICOM WHERE THE HELI SHOULD PARK FOR FUELING. 2 XMISSIONS REGARDING LOCATION WERE EXCHANGED AND THEN SOMEONE COMMENTING MAYBE THE PLT NEEDED TO BE HIT WITH A STICK AND UNICOM RESPONSE 'MAYBE SO.' WHILE THIS EXCHANGE WAS TAKING PLACE WE CONTINUED OUR DSCNT AND TURNING ONTO THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 13. I CALLED AS WE WERE TURNING DOWNWIND AND WAS WATCHING THE BONANZA IN FRONT OF US. I LOOKED OUT THE R SIDE OF THE PLANE AND SAW A C172 EITHER FLYING A 45 DEG ENTRY TO THE DOWNWIND LEG OR FLYING PARALLEL TO THE RWY. I LEVELED OFF TO MONITOR WHERE THE CESSNA WOULD BE GOING AND THEY THEN SPOTTED US, PULLED UP AND ALTERED COURSE TO THE R. ONCE I WAS CONFIDENT THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE A PROB, I RETURNED TO DSNDING ATTITUDE AND CONTINUED DOWNWIND. I CALLED TFC FOR BOTH THE BASE LEG AND THE FINAL TO RWY 13. AFTER EACH CALL THE CESSNA CALLED SAME TFC ADDING BEHIND THE GRUMMAN. ONCE ON THE GND THE PLT OF THE CESSNA CAME OVER AND INQUIRED WHETHER I HAD SEEN HER. I DECLARED THAT I HAD AND THAT WE WATCHED HER PROGRESS CAREFULLY. I HAD NOT SEEN HER PLANE UNTIL I WAS ON THE DOWNWIND LEG AND COMMUNICATED THIS TO HER. ALSO, I HAD NOT HEARD ANY RADIO XMISSIONS FROM THE CESSNA UNLESS I CONFUSED IT WITH SOME OF THE OTHER COMS THAT WERE OCCURRING AT THE TIME. THERE WERE MANY XMISSIONS ON THE FREQ THAT WERE GARBLED AS MORE THAN 1 ACFT WERE MAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS AT A TIME. AFTER CAREFULLY ANALYZING THIS SIT, I FEEL THAT WE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS PROB BY STAYING ABOVE THE PATTERN UNTIL ALL TFC WAS IDENTED THEN FOLLOWING THE SUGGESTED ENTRY OF A 45 DEG ENTRY INTO THE DOWNWIND LEG. I SPOKE WITH A CFI ABOUT THIS VIA E-MAIL AND HE SUGGESTED THAT ENTERING AN UPWIND LEG AT PATTERN ALT ON THE R SIDE OF THE RWY THEN TURNING XWIND, WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER ENTRY. ALSO, THE COM FREQS ON VFR DAYS ARE VERY CONGESTED AND MANY XMISSIONS ARE MADE BUT NOT UNDERSTOOD.

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.