<< >> NASA ASRS Report 557965, August 2002

Maule aircraft landing vgt believed he was following the traffic he sighted on base leg and overtook a cessna ahead on final.

Attributes
ACN	557965
Time
Date	200208
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : vgt.airport
State Reference	NV
Altitude	agl single value : 1000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : vgt.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Maule Aircraft Corp Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Flight Plan	VFR
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	tower : vgt.tower
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : traffic pattern
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : radar
Experience	controller military : 3 controller non radar : 6 controller radar : 15 controller supervisory : 20
ASRS Report	557965
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne critical non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	atc equipment other atc equipment : d-brite other controllera other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : 4
Resolutory Action	flight crew : executed go around
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 75
Supplementary
Problem Areas	ATC Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance

Narrative:

Maule reported inbound to tower 'following cessna ahead in sight,' (cessna was less than 1 mi ahead of the maule also inbound to airport). Tower instructed maule to follow the cessna and was sequenced #3 (additional traffic was on left base #1). Next observed (mins later) that maule appeared to be on top of cessna. Tower asked maule if he was still following cessna as previously instructed and acknowledged and replied he was doing ok. Cessna who previously was ahead of the maule stated 'going around.' the maule had turned base and final ahead of the cessna he had been instructed to follow. When the maule pilot was asked what had happened, he said that he had lost sight of the aircraft in the lights and then thought he was following the aircraft on left base. I believe the maule pilot did not process that the call sign to the cessna ahead to follow cessna on base was not his instruction. Pilot should have alerted ATC immediately when he could no longer see the aircraft he was instructed to follow. Pilot should not have turned inbound to follow traffic on left base when the traffic he had been following for the last 10 mi was on right downwind like himself.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAULE ACFT LNDG VGT BELIEVED HE WAS FOLLOWING THE TFC HE SIGHTED ON BASE LEG AND OVERTOOK A CESSNA AHEAD ON FINAL.

Narrative: MAULE RPTED INBOUND TO TWR 'FOLLOWING CESSNA AHEAD IN SIGHT,' (CESSNA WAS LESS THAN 1 MI AHEAD OF THE MAULE ALSO INBOUND TO ARPT). TWR INSTRUCTED MAULE TO FOLLOW THE CESSNA AND WAS SEQUENCED #3 (ADDITIONAL TFC WAS ON L BASE #1). NEXT OBSERVED (MINS LATER) THAT MAULE APPEARED TO BE ON TOP OF CESSNA. TWR ASKED MAULE IF HE WAS STILL FOLLOWING CESSNA AS PREVIOUSLY INSTRUCTED AND ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPLIED HE WAS DOING OK. CESSNA WHO PREVIOUSLY WAS AHEAD OF THE MAULE STATED 'GOING AROUND.' THE MAULE HAD TURNED BASE AND FINAL AHEAD OF THE CESSNA HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW. WHEN THE MAULE PLT WAS ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE SAID THAT HE HAD LOST SIGHT OF THE ACFT IN THE LIGHTS AND THEN THOUGHT HE WAS FOLLOWING THE ACFT ON L BASE. I BELIEVE THE MAULE PLT DID NOT PROCESS THAT THE CALL SIGN TO THE CESSNA AHEAD TO FOLLOW CESSNA ON BASE WAS NOT HIS INSTRUCTION. PLT SHOULD HAVE ALERTED ATC IMMEDIATELY WHEN HE COULD NO LONGER SEE THE ACFT HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW. PLT SHOULD NOT HAVE TURNED INBOUND TO FOLLOW TFC ON L BASE WHEN THE TFC HE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING FOR THE LAST 10 MI WAS ON R DOWNWIND LIKE HIMSELF.

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.