Narrative:

I left czl, GA, and flew to cty, fl. Topped off the fuel and flew into lal. I entered from the east into the lake parker holding area per instructions from lakeland regional ATIS. Due to the excessive amount of traffic, I circled lake parker approximately 12 times before I was told to follow the plane in front of me to the airport for landing. I think it is important to note that planes circling lake parker fly at different altitudes depending on their speed. Planes that can maintain 150 KTS fly at 1700 ft MSL, and planes that maintain 100 KTS are instructed to fly at 1200 ft MSL. I was at 1700 ft MSL. When I flew into the area in previous years the controllers did a very good job identing aircraft circling lake parker and requested every airplane to acknowledge their instructions by wagging their wings. This yr, when I was circling lake parker, the controllers did a very confusing job of identing the types of planes and requesting pilots to acknowledge instructions by rocking their wings. The radio communication and instruction are only 1 way, pilots are instructed not to talk on the radio, only listen. Aircraft n-numbers are not used to identify specific aircraft, for the most part only general descriptions such as 'high wing, low wing, color' idented specific aircraft and when pilots are not required to respond by rocking their wings it adds to the confusion. I followed the plane in front of me to the airport. Another major safety issue is, how do planes flying 50% faster and flying 500 ft above the slower airplane merge? Especially in the case of low wing on top and high wing planes below, as both types have limited visibility. As all these planes of different speeds and altitudes approach the airport, the tower instructs pilots to land and keep moving out of the way of aircraft landing behind them. I continued to follow the plane in front of me, extended the distance on my downwind, saw the plane land as I turned base to final. Again, on a low wing plane, the view of the runway is partially blocked on final approach. As I was just about to touchdown, I came in contact with another aircraft rolling out. At no time was I alerted to the plane that I was bout to hit or instructed to go around. Fortunately, no one was injured. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he collided with a navion during landing flare and roll. He had no idea that the navion was there since he had believed that the traffic he was instructed to follow was already leaving the runway. He stated that his wing had to be replaced and the engine and propeller overhauled. The navion's tail was destroyed (note: the navion is listed as an NTSB accident). Reporter hopes that the ATC procedures will be changed in the future to help eliminate accidents since the present procedures for using aircraft general characteristics is not effective. Too many aircraft with the same general description cause several aircraft to respond to the same ATC instructions.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EXTRA 300L AEROBATIC TYPE ACFT, COLLIDED WITH A NAVION DURING LNDG AT LAL. BOTH ACFT RECEIVED DAMAGE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

Narrative: I LEFT CZL, GA, AND FLEW TO CTY, FL. TOPPED OFF THE FUEL AND FLEW INTO LAL. I ENTERED FROM THE E INTO THE LAKE PARKER HOLDING AREA PER INSTRUCTIONS FROM LAKELAND REGIONAL ATIS. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF TFC, I CIRCLED LAKE PARKER APPROX 12 TIMES BEFORE I WAS TOLD TO FOLLOW THE PLANE IN FRONT OF ME TO THE ARPT FOR LNDG. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PLANES CIRCLING LAKE PARKER FLY AT DIFFERENT ALTS DEPENDING ON THEIR SPD. PLANES THAT CAN MAINTAIN 150 KTS FLY AT 1700 FT MSL, AND PLANES THAT MAINTAIN 100 KTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO FLY AT 1200 FT MSL. I WAS AT 1700 FT MSL. WHEN I FLEW INTO THE AREA IN PREVIOUS YEARS THE CTLRS DID A VERY GOOD JOB IDENTING ACFT CIRCLING LAKE PARKER AND REQUESTED EVERY AIRPLANE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR INSTRUCTIONS BY WAGGING THEIR WINGS. THIS YR, WHEN I WAS CIRCLING LAKE PARKER, THE CTLRS DID A VERY CONFUSING JOB OF IDENTING THE TYPES OF PLANES AND REQUESTING PLTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE INSTRUCTIONS BY ROCKING THEIR WINGS. THE RADIO COM AND INSTRUCTION ARE ONLY 1 WAY, PLTS ARE INSTRUCTED NOT TO TALK ON THE RADIO, ONLY LISTEN. ACFT N-NUMBERS ARE NOT USED TO IDENT SPECIFIC ACFT, FOR THE MOST PART ONLY GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS SUCH AS 'HIGH WING, LOW WING, COLOR' IDENTED SPECIFIC ACFT AND WHEN PLTS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RESPOND BY ROCKING THEIR WINGS IT ADDS TO THE CONFUSION. I FOLLOWED THE PLANE IN FRONT OF ME TO THE ARPT. ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IS, HOW DO PLANES FLYING 50% FASTER AND FLYING 500 FT ABOVE THE SLOWER AIRPLANE MERGE? ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF LOW WING ON TOP AND HIGH WING PLANES BELOW, AS BOTH TYPES HAVE LIMITED VISIBILITY. AS ALL THESE PLANES OF DIFFERENT SPDS AND ALTS APCH THE ARPT, THE TWR INSTRUCTS PLTS TO LAND AND KEEP MOVING OUT OF THE WAY OF ACFT LNDG BEHIND THEM. I CONTINUED TO FOLLOW THE PLANE IN FRONT OF ME, EXTENDED THE DISTANCE ON MY DOWNWIND, SAW THE PLANE LAND AS I TURNED BASE TO FINAL. AGAIN, ON A LOW WING PLANE, THE VIEW OF THE RWY IS PARTIALLY BLOCKED ON FINAL APCH. AS I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TOUCHDOWN, I CAME IN CONTACT WITH ANOTHER ACFT ROLLING OUT. AT NO TIME WAS I ALERTED TO THE PLANE THAT I WAS BOUT TO HIT OR INSTRUCTED TO GO AROUND. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE COLLIDED WITH A NAVION DURING LNDG FLARE AND ROLL. HE HAD NO IDEA THAT THE NAVION WAS THERE SINCE HE HAD BELIEVED THAT THE TFC HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW WAS ALREADY LEAVING THE RWY. HE STATED THAT HIS WING HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE ENG AND PROP OVERHAULED. THE NAVION'S TAIL WAS DESTROYED (NOTE: THE NAVION IS LISTED AS AN NTSB ACCIDENT). RPTR HOPES THAT THE ATC PROCS WILL BE CHANGED IN THE FUTURE TO HELP ELIMINATE ACCIDENTS SINCE THE PRESENT PROCS FOR USING ACFT GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS IS NOT EFFECTIVE. TOO MANY ACFT WITH THE SAME GENERAL DESCRIPTION CAUSE SEVERAL ACFT TO RESPOND TO THE SAME ATC INSTRUCTIONS.

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.