Narrative:

I was flying my C177RG in the airport traffic pattern at ilm, practicing touch-and-go lndgs. A C172 was also in the pattern doing touch-and-goes. Generally, the C172 and I were pretty evenly spaced as we went around the pattern. It was daytime, somewhere around XA00-XA30. The sky conditions were clear and flight visibility was good. Runway 35 was in use. After several lndgs, as I was turning left crosswind, I called the tower and informed the controller that the next landing would be full stop and that I would be parking at the south ramp. The reason for mentioning the ramp was that the south ramp is at the approach end of runway 35. Usually, if traffic permits, airplanes going to the south ramp are permitted to make a 180 degree turn on the runway and taxi to the ramp. My thought was that, with advance notice, the controller would be able to work this out. The controller cleared me to land and I continued through a normal pattern, slightly lower than usual on final since I was practicing short field lndgs and had been a little too high on the previous landing. I did not have visual contact on the C172 at this point and am not sure where he was in the pattern. As I touched down on the runway, I saw the shadow of an airplane pass over me, looked up and saw the C172 flying approximately 25 ft overhead, slightly to the left of the runway centerline. I could clearly see the person in the right front seat looking down at me and had the impression that the pilot was probably going around to avoid hitting me. At that point I heard the C172 call the tower and ask 'what's the deal with the airplane on the runway?' the controller called back asking '(my call sign) didn't you see your traffic on final?' '(the C172's call sign) didn't you see your traffic on final?' he was apparently confused on which airplane was which. I'm not sure what was said after that as I was realizing how close we had come to a collision. The controller instructed me to turn left at the next intersection and contact ground. On switching to the ground frequency, I asked the ground controller how close the other plane had come. He said that he did not see any of the incident until he overheard the tower controller talking to the C172 about seeing traffic on final, and at that point the C172 had just passed overhead. After I parked at the ramp, a pilot friend who had witnessed the event came over to let me know that he had seen it. He stated that he had seen both of the airplanes on final and thought that we were going to collide. The C172 was behind and above the C177. I asked how close the other plane had come and he told me that the C172 was within about 5 ft of my tail. I also talked to a mechanic who had seen the incident and he felt that it was maybe about 50 ft but wasn't really sure. I called the tower supervisor by phone. He said that he had already checked the tower tapes and found that I had been cleared to land and that the C172 had also been cleared for touch-and-go. I specifically asked if there was anything that I could have done to avoid this or if I had done anything wrong. He said that I had not done anything wrong. The controller had told him that both planes had stayed well separated throughout the touch-and-goes and that he had assumed that we would continue to be. He apparently was not watching either airplane and apparently was not aware of the near collision until the C172 had called him on the radio. The supervisor refused to give me the controller's name. He ended with saying that 'we will try to do better for you next time.' I also spoke with the CFI who was in the C172. His account of the incident from his perspective was virtually the same as mine. He felt that neither one of us had done anything wrong and that the controller was not paying attention. He told me that he was practicing power-off lndgs with a student pilot and had turned in on a tighter base than usual. He said that the controller had not warned him of another aircraft ahead of him and did not have me in sight, so assumed that I was somewhere out in the pattern. He had also spoken with the tower supervisor after landing and was of the understanding that the controller was going to be 'written up' for the incident. The end result was that there was a very near collision, but fortunately a collision did not occur due to the vigilance of the pilot(south) aboard the C172. I could not have seen the plane due to its position above and behind me, and the controller was apparently not watching.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C177 PLT, ON TOUCHDOWN AT ILM, SAW AN ACFT PASS OVERHEAD ON A GAR.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING MY C177RG IN THE ARPT TFC PATTERN AT ILM, PRACTICING TOUCH-AND-GO LNDGS. A C172 WAS ALSO IN THE PATTERN DOING TOUCH-AND-GOES. GENERALLY, THE C172 AND I WERE PRETTY EVENLY SPACED AS WE WENT AROUND THE PATTERN. IT WAS DAYTIME, SOMEWHERE AROUND XA00-XA30. THE SKY CONDITIONS WERE CLR AND FLT VISIBILITY WAS GOOD. RWY 35 WAS IN USE. AFTER SEVERAL LNDGS, AS I WAS TURNING L XWIND, I CALLED THE TWR AND INFORMED THE CTLR THAT THE NEXT LNDG WOULD BE FULL STOP AND THAT I WOULD BE PARKING AT THE S RAMP. THE REASON FOR MENTIONING THE RAMP WAS THAT THE S RAMP IS AT THE APCH END OF RWY 35. USUALLY, IF TFC PERMITS, AIRPLANES GOING TO THE S RAMP ARE PERMITTED TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN ON THE RWY AND TAXI TO THE RAMP. MY THOUGHT WAS THAT, WITH ADVANCE NOTICE, THE CTLR WOULD BE ABLE TO WORK THIS OUT. THE CTLR CLRED ME TO LAND AND I CONTINUED THROUGH A NORMAL PATTERN, SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN USUAL ON FINAL SINCE I WAS PRACTICING SHORT FIELD LNDGS AND HAD BEEN A LITTLE TOO HIGH ON THE PREVIOUS LNDG. I DID NOT HAVE VISUAL CONTACT ON THE C172 AT THIS POINT AND AM NOT SURE WHERE HE WAS IN THE PATTERN. AS I TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RWY, I SAW THE SHADOW OF AN AIRPLANE PASS OVER ME, LOOKED UP AND SAW THE C172 FLYING APPROX 25 FT OVERHEAD, SLIGHTLY TO THE L OF THE RWY CTRLINE. I COULD CLRLY SEE THE PERSON IN THE R FRONT SEAT LOOKING DOWN AT ME AND HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE PLT WAS PROBABLY GOING AROUND TO AVOID HITTING ME. AT THAT POINT I HEARD THE C172 CALL THE TWR AND ASK 'WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE AIRPLANE ON THE RWY?' THE CTLR CALLED BACK ASKING '(MY CALL SIGN) DIDN'T YOU SEE YOUR TFC ON FINAL?' '(THE C172'S CALL SIGN) DIDN'T YOU SEE YOUR TFC ON FINAL?' HE WAS APPARENTLY CONFUSED ON WHICH AIRPLANE WAS WHICH. I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THAT AS I WAS REALIZING HOW CLOSE WE HAD COME TO A COLLISION. THE CTLR INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN L AT THE NEXT INTXN AND CONTACT GND. ON SWITCHING TO THE GND FREQ, I ASKED THE GND CTLR HOW CLOSE THE OTHER PLANE HAD COME. HE SAID THAT HE DID NOT SEE ANY OF THE INCIDENT UNTIL HE OVERHEARD THE TWR CTLR TALKING TO THE C172 ABOUT SEEING TFC ON FINAL, AND AT THAT POINT THE C172 HAD JUST PASSED OVERHEAD. AFTER I PARKED AT THE RAMP, A PLT FRIEND WHO HAD WITNESSED THE EVENT CAME OVER TO LET ME KNOW THAT HE HAD SEEN IT. HE STATED THAT HE HAD SEEN BOTH OF THE AIRPLANES ON FINAL AND THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GOING TO COLLIDE. THE C172 WAS BEHIND AND ABOVE THE C177. I ASKED HOW CLOSE THE OTHER PLANE HAD COME AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE C172 WAS WITHIN ABOUT 5 FT OF MY TAIL. I ALSO TALKED TO A MECH WHO HAD SEEN THE INCIDENT AND HE FELT THAT IT WAS MAYBE ABOUT 50 FT BUT WASN'T REALLY SURE. I CALLED THE TWR SUPVR BY PHONE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD ALREADY CHKED THE TWR TAPES AND FOUND THAT I HAD BEEN CLRED TO LAND AND THAT THE C172 HAD ALSO BEEN CLRED FOR TOUCH-AND-GO. I SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT I COULD HAVE DONE TO AVOID THIS OR IF I HAD DONE ANYTHING WRONG. HE SAID THAT I HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG. THE CTLR HAD TOLD HIM THAT BOTH PLANES HAD STAYED WELL SEPARATED THROUGHOUT THE TOUCH-AND-GOES AND THAT HE HAD ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO BE. HE APPARENTLY WAS NOT WATCHING EITHER AIRPLANE AND APPARENTLY WAS NOT AWARE OF THE NEAR COLLISION UNTIL THE C172 HAD CALLED HIM ON THE RADIO. THE SUPVR REFUSED TO GIVE ME THE CTLR'S NAME. HE ENDED WITH SAYING THAT 'WE WILL TRY TO DO BETTER FOR YOU NEXT TIME.' I ALSO SPOKE WITH THE CFI WHO WAS IN THE C172. HIS ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE WAS VIRTUALLY THE SAME AS MINE. HE FELT THAT NEITHER ONE OF US HAD DONE ANYTHING WRONG AND THAT THE CTLR WAS NOT PAYING ATTN. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS PRACTICING PWR-OFF LNDGS WITH A STUDENT PLT AND HAD TURNED IN ON A TIGHTER BASE THAN USUAL. HE SAID THAT THE CTLR HAD NOT WARNED HIM OF ANOTHER ACFT AHEAD OF HIM AND DID NOT HAVE ME IN SIGHT, SO ASSUMED THAT I WAS SOMEWHERE OUT IN THE PATTERN. HE HAD ALSO SPOKEN WITH THE TWR SUPVR AFTER LNDG AND WAS OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE CTLR WAS GOING TO BE 'WRITTEN UP' FOR THE INCIDENT. THE END RESULT WAS THAT THERE WAS A VERY NEAR COLLISION, BUT FORTUNATELY A COLLISION DID NOT OCCUR DUE TO THE VIGILANCE OF THE PLT(S) ABOARD THE C172. I COULD NOT HAVE SEEN THE PLANE DUE TO ITS POS ABOVE AND BEHIND ME, AND THE CTLR WAS APPARENTLY NOT WATCHING.

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.