Narrative:

My aircraft #nxxx reported in at 'wang towers' in lowell for landing at lawrence. The tower acknowledged and asked me to squawk identify. The tower then told me to report 3 mi final; runway 5. This I acknowledged. I tracked inbound on the localizer. There was no other traffic between me and the runway. I reported at 4 mi because I heard something on the radio that made me think that somebody might have been vectored to the ILS. The tower then told somebody to make a 360 degree turn. There was some other radio traffic with multiple interfering xmissions and then I heard my number. I said 'say again; nxxx.' the tower said; 'make a 360 degree turn.' I responded with; 'nxxx making a right 360.' a cessna reported that they saw a cherokee; the tower stated that it was a grumman; then the cessna stated that the grumman was making a 'right 360' instead of a 'left 360.' the grumman was my aircraft; and the cessna pilot should have been happy that I had not made a left 360 degree turn or he would have met me nose-to-nose. Then the tower asked if I had the cessna in sight. I noted it was about 200 ft away at my altitude as I turned away. I said; 'thanks....' the tower said I had just 'cut him off.' I said; 'sure...I'm sure it's all my fault!' the tower then told me to follow the cherokee. I told them it wasn't a cherokee. It was a cessna. The tower controller seemed to be in a great state of confusion. He had just forced me to make a 360 degree turn on the final approach course so that I could be overtaken by a slower aircraft being vectored onto the final approach course. And tower had created a near miss situation as well. Now he didn't even know the difference between a cessna and a cherokee. The cessna wasn't very helpful either. Once established on the final approach course; the cessna slowed to less than 60 KTS; making it very difficult to follow. The tower told me to go around; which I did. This incident was likely caused by the tower misidenting aircraft on the final approach course.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A GRUMMAN AA5 PLT ON APCH TO LWM EXPERIENCED A NEAR MISS WHEN TWR DIRECTED A L 360 DEG TURN BUT HE EXECUTED A R 360 DEG TURN IN FRONT OF AN ACFT ON FINAL.

Narrative: MY ACFT #NXXX RPTED IN AT 'WANG TOWERS' IN LOWELL FOR LNDG AT LAWRENCE. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED AND ASKED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT. THE TWR THEN TOLD ME TO RPT 3 MI FINAL; RWY 5. THIS I ACKNOWLEDGED. I TRACKED INBOUND ON THE LOC. THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC BTWN ME AND THE RWY. I RPTED AT 4 MI BECAUSE I HEARD SOMETHING ON THE RADIO THAT MADE ME THINK THAT SOMEBODY MIGHT HAVE BEEN VECTORED TO THE ILS. THE TWR THEN TOLD SOMEBODY TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN. THERE WAS SOME OTHER RADIO TFC WITH MULTIPLE INTERFERING XMISSIONS AND THEN I HEARD MY NUMBER. I SAID 'SAY AGAIN; NXXX.' THE TWR SAID; 'MAKE A 360 DEG TURN.' I RESPONDED WITH; 'NXXX MAKING A R 360.' A CESSNA RPTED THAT THEY SAW A CHEROKEE; THE TWR STATED THAT IT WAS A GRUMMAN; THEN THE CESSNA STATED THAT THE GRUMMAN WAS MAKING A 'R 360' INSTEAD OF A 'L 360.' THE GRUMMAN WAS MY ACFT; AND THE CESSNA PLT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY THAT I HAD NOT MADE A L 360 DEG TURN OR HE WOULD HAVE MET ME NOSE-TO-NOSE. THEN THE TWR ASKED IF I HAD THE CESSNA IN SIGHT. I NOTED IT WAS ABOUT 200 FT AWAY AT MY ALT AS I TURNED AWAY. I SAID; 'THANKS....' THE TWR SAID I HAD JUST 'CUT HIM OFF.' I SAID; 'SURE...I'M SURE IT'S ALL MY FAULT!' THE TWR THEN TOLD ME TO FOLLOW THE CHEROKEE. I TOLD THEM IT WASN'T A CHEROKEE. IT WAS A CESSNA. THE TWR CTLR SEEMED TO BE IN A GREAT STATE OF CONFUSION. HE HAD JUST FORCED ME TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE SO THAT I COULD BE OVERTAKEN BY A SLOWER ACFT BEING VECTORED ONTO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. AND TWR HAD CREATED A NEAR MISS SIT AS WELL. NOW HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BTWN A CESSNA AND A CHEROKEE. THE CESSNA WASN'T VERY HELPFUL EITHER. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE; THE CESSNA SLOWED TO LESS THAN 60 KTS; MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. THE TWR TOLD ME TO GO AROUND; WHICH I DID. THIS INCIDENT WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE TWR MISIDENTING ACFT ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.