Near midair collision between 2 cessna 172 type aircraft in the traffic pattern of a controled airpo...

Attributes
ACN	420437
Time
Date	199811
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : prc airport : prc
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	agl bound lower : 700 agl bound upper : 700
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : prc
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff other
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Phase	other
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 19 flight time total : 226 flight time type : 156
ASRS Report	420437
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	instruction : instructor observation : observer
Qualification	pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 460 flight time type : 400
ASRS Report	420436
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 200 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

On upwind for runway 21L, traffic was just a little ways ahead of me on upwind for runway 21R. Traffic was told that I was behind them on their left, and that they were to follow me! They called me in sight. The traffic patten was very busy at this time, and traffic was supposed to fly on an extended upwind to a specific place. I was flying to this place. Flying through 5700 ft MSL, the traffic on my right started to turn left, directly in front of me! We were at the same altitude! I throttled back, pushed the nose over, quickly looked right for a clearing turn, then just as the plane was coming directly in front of me, I turned right about 20-30 degrees. I said my intentions over tower frequency and explained what I was doing, so all could hear me. It was close, about 150-200 ft horizontal. I could see the silhouette of the person sitting in the left seat. I believe that the other aircraft was a C172. Tower, afterwards, would not tell me any details about the other aircraft. Because the pattern was so busy, I never figured out who or what n-number the other aircraft was. A miscom between upwind and downwind may have occurred. A way to fix this might be to enunciate up, cross, or down. Put some inflection on them also. The other aircraft may have thought they heard downwind and not upwind. Supplemental information from acn 420436:tower told us to report traffic between us and the tower on left downwind leg. We reported traffic insight between us and tower on downwind leg. Tower cleared us to follow that traffic, did not mention traffic on upwind runway 21L. We did not see traffic on upwind runway 21L. Possible problems: phraseology, saturated pattern, and handing over traffic between controllers! This is the second time within 1 month that tower has turned me in front of another aircraft while on upwind for the parallel runways while switching tower controllers.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC BTWN 2 CESSNA 172 TYPE ACFT IN THE TFC PATTERN OF A CTLED ARPT WITH PARALLEL RWYS. THE RPTR WAS UPWIND ON THE L RWY AND THE OTHER WAS TURNING IN FRONT OF HIM FROM AN UPWIND FOR THE R RWY. THE RPTR TOOK EVASIVE ACTION. THE TWR WAS USING DIFFERENT CTLRS ON DIFFERENT FREQS FOR THE PARALLEL RWYS.

Narrative: ON UPWIND FOR RWY 21L, TFC WAS JUST A LITTLE WAYS AHEAD OF ME ON UPWIND FOR RWY 21R. TFC WAS TOLD THAT I WAS BEHIND THEM ON THEIR L, AND THAT THEY WERE TO FOLLOW ME! THEY CALLED ME IN SIGHT. THE TFC PATTEN WAS VERY BUSY AT THIS TIME, AND TFC WAS SUPPOSED TO FLY ON AN EXTENDED UPWIND TO A SPECIFIC PLACE. I WAS FLYING TO THIS PLACE. FLYING THROUGH 5700 FT MSL, THE TFC ON MY R STARTED TO TURN L, DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME! WE WERE AT THE SAME ALT! I THROTTLED BACK, PUSHED THE NOSE OVER, QUICKLY LOOKED R FOR A CLRING TURN, THEN JUST AS THE PLANE WAS COMING DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME, I TURNED R ABOUT 20-30 DEGS. I SAID MY INTENTIONS OVER TWR FREQ AND EXPLAINED WHAT I WAS DOING, SO ALL COULD HEAR ME. IT WAS CLOSE, ABOUT 150-200 FT HORIZ. I COULD SEE THE SILHOUETTE OF THE PERSON SITTING IN THE L SEAT. I BELIEVE THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS A C172. TWR, AFTERWARDS, WOULD NOT TELL ME ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE OTHER ACFT. BECAUSE THE PATTERN WAS SO BUSY, I NEVER FIGURED OUT WHO OR WHAT N-NUMBER THE OTHER ACFT WAS. A MISCOM BTWN UPWIND AND DOWNWIND MAY HAVE OCCURRED. A WAY TO FIX THIS MIGHT BE TO ENUNCIATE UP, CROSS, OR DOWN. PUT SOME INFLECTION ON THEM ALSO. THE OTHER ACFT MAY HAVE THOUGHT THEY HEARD DOWNWIND AND NOT UPWIND. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 420436:TWR TOLD US TO RPT TFC BTWN US AND THE TWR ON L DOWNWIND LEG. WE RPTED TFC INSIGHT BTWN US AND TWR ON DOWNWIND LEG. TWR CLRED US TO FOLLOW THAT TFC, DID NOT MENTION TFC ON UPWIND RWY 21L. WE DID NOT SEE TFC ON UPWIND RWY 21L. POSSIBLE PROBS: PHRASEOLOGY, SATURATED PATTERN, AND HANDING OVER TFC BTWN CTLRS! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WITHIN 1 MONTH THAT TWR HAS TURNED ME IN FRONT OF ANOTHER ACFT WHILE ON UPWIND FOR THE PARALLEL RWYS WHILE SWITCHING TWR CTLRS.

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.