Narrative:

Approached prc from west. Told to enter and call on a 6 mi 45 to left downwind runway 30. Could not call at 6 mi out due to nonstop chatter on radio. Got a call off about 4 mi out. Told to report downwind abeam tower. Before reaching downwind abeam tower; was told to fly wide left downwind for traffic. Wide left downwind puts aircraft headed straight for glassford hill 6168 ft -- tpa is 6000 ft. Told again to report downwind abeam tower. Again radio chatter prevented reported downwind abeam tower -- first break in radio our aircraft was already past the approach end. Told to stay on downwind and tower would call base. Tower was talking about a cherokee on final but we saw a high wing airplane on final and seminole on right downwind just ahead of us. I believe tower told us we were #3 after the seminole and student began to turn left base but there was the other aircraft on final and we would have turned into them had we turned base; and at this point we were going to hit the mountain if we continued straight; so I grabbed the controls and began a right 360 degree turn and told tower we had to make a 360 degree turn and couldn't turn base because of other aircraft and mountain was in front. As we got through 180 degrees of the 360 degree turn; I could see tower had another aircraft right behind us on downwind as well. Tower had essentially bottlenecked about 5 aircraft with those of us on the left downwind having a mountain right in front. By the time I saw the aircraft behind us we had already gotten through 180 degrees; so I elected to continue the turn and could see the airplane behind us was also turning right to widen out and avoid us. As we rolled out of 270 degrees of the 360 degree turn; tower told us to go right into base and follow the seminole. The seminole at this point was directly in front of us; wing up turning final. There was no way to follow this aircraft without hitting it or the mountain; so I told ATC negative and continued our turn for another 360 degree turn as I felt we were boxed in at this point with a mountain in front; seminole on left; and another airplane that was on wide downwind behind us. Tower told us to not do a 360 degree turn and fly sebound and contact a different tower frequency. Unfortunately; these instructions put us headed for a collision with the aircraft that was in the wide downwind. We visually made turns to avoid this other aircraft and then contacted the other tower frequency who then told us to fly 6 mi southeast and climb to 6500 ft and come back in for a straight-in for runway 30. This route took us out and around glassford hill (so we wouldn't hit it). Upon return to the flight school; the school had received a call from the tower; upset that I had initiated the right 360 degree turn. I felt I had no other choice unless I risked an immediate climb above the mountain and above the tpa which would also be a violation. Some of our aircraft just don't have the power at this altitude to make a quick climb like that and unless there is enough space I don't feel that that is a risk I should take. It certainly would make more sense at prc on the few occasions that runway 30 is in use that right traffic only is used due to glassford hill being above tpa and being right at the end of the left downwind; especially a wide downwind as we were instructed to fly. My only choices during this event were to try to climb and fly over glassford hill; or to make the right 360 degree turn which incidentally is what prescott tower usually requests us to do when in a left downwind for runway 30 and they need more spacing. I could not comply with any other of their instructions without hitting another aircraft or the mountain.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: VFR ARR TO PRC DESCRIBED TFC PATTERN EVENT WHEN EVASIVE ACTION WAS REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH ATC CLRNC AND TO AVOID TERRAIN AND TFC.

Narrative: APCHED PRC FROM W. TOLD TO ENTER AND CALL ON A 6 MI 45 TO L DOWNWIND RWY 30. COULD NOT CALL AT 6 MI OUT DUE TO NONSTOP CHATTER ON RADIO. GOT A CALL OFF ABOUT 4 MI OUT. TOLD TO RPT DOWNWIND ABEAM TWR. BEFORE REACHING DOWNWIND ABEAM TWR; WAS TOLD TO FLY WIDE L DOWNWIND FOR TFC. WIDE L DOWNWIND PUTS ACFT HEADED STRAIGHT FOR GLASSFORD HILL 6168 FT -- TPA IS 6000 FT. TOLD AGAIN TO RPT DOWNWIND ABEAM TWR. AGAIN RADIO CHATTER PREVENTED RPTED DOWNWIND ABEAM TWR -- FIRST BREAK IN RADIO OUR ACFT WAS ALREADY PAST THE APCH END. TOLD TO STAY ON DOWNWIND AND TWR WOULD CALL BASE. TWR WAS TALKING ABOUT A CHEROKEE ON FINAL BUT WE SAW A HIGH WING AIRPLANE ON FINAL AND SEMINOLE ON R DOWNWIND JUST AHEAD OF US. I BELIEVE TWR TOLD US WE WERE #3 AFTER THE SEMINOLE AND STUDENT BEGAN TO TURN L BASE BUT THERE WAS THE OTHER ACFT ON FINAL AND WE WOULD HAVE TURNED INTO THEM HAD WE TURNED BASE; AND AT THIS POINT WE WERE GOING TO HIT THE MOUNTAIN IF WE CONTINUED STRAIGHT; SO I GRABBED THE CTLS AND BEGAN A R 360 DEG TURN AND TOLD TWR WE HAD TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN AND COULDN'T TURN BASE BECAUSE OF OTHER ACFT AND MOUNTAIN WAS IN FRONT. AS WE GOT THROUGH 180 DEGS OF THE 360 DEG TURN; I COULD SEE TWR HAD ANOTHER ACFT RIGHT BEHIND US ON DOWNWIND AS WELL. TWR HAD ESSENTIALLY BOTTLENECKED ABOUT 5 ACFT WITH THOSE OF US ON THE L DOWNWIND HAVING A MOUNTAIN RIGHT IN FRONT. BY THE TIME I SAW THE ACFT BEHIND US WE HAD ALREADY GOTTEN THROUGH 180 DEGS; SO I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TURN AND COULD SEE THE AIRPLANE BEHIND US WAS ALSO TURNING R TO WIDEN OUT AND AVOID US. AS WE ROLLED OUT OF 270 DEGS OF THE 360 DEG TURN; TWR TOLD US TO GO RIGHT INTO BASE AND FOLLOW THE SEMINOLE. THE SEMINOLE AT THIS POINT WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US; WING UP TURNING FINAL. THERE WAS NO WAY TO FOLLOW THIS ACFT WITHOUT HITTING IT OR THE MOUNTAIN; SO I TOLD ATC NEGATIVE AND CONTINUED OUR TURN FOR ANOTHER 360 DEG TURN AS I FELT WE WERE BOXED IN AT THIS POINT WITH A MOUNTAIN IN FRONT; SEMINOLE ON L; AND ANOTHER AIRPLANE THAT WAS ON WIDE DOWNWIND BEHIND US. TWR TOLD US TO NOT DO A 360 DEG TURN AND FLY SEBOUND AND CONTACT A DIFFERENT TWR FREQ. UNFORTUNATELY; THESE INSTRUCTIONS PUT US HEADED FOR A COLLISION WITH THE ACFT THAT WAS IN THE WIDE DOWNWIND. WE VISUALLY MADE TURNS TO AVOID THIS OTHER ACFT AND THEN CONTACTED THE OTHER TWR FREQ WHO THEN TOLD US TO FLY 6 MI SE AND CLB TO 6500 FT AND COME BACK IN FOR A STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 30. THIS RTE TOOK US OUT AND AROUND GLASSFORD HILL (SO WE WOULDN'T HIT IT). UPON RETURN TO THE FLT SCHOOL; THE SCHOOL HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE TWR; UPSET THAT I HAD INITIATED THE R 360 DEG TURN. I FELT I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE UNLESS I RISKED AN IMMEDIATE CLB ABOVE THE MOUNTAIN AND ABOVE THE TPA WHICH WOULD ALSO BE A VIOLATION. SOME OF OUR ACFT JUST DON'T HAVE THE PWR AT THIS ALT TO MAKE A QUICK CLB LIKE THAT AND UNLESS THERE IS ENOUGH SPACE I DON'T FEEL THAT THAT IS A RISK I SHOULD TAKE. IT CERTAINLY WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE AT PRC ON THE FEW OCCASIONS THAT RWY 30 IS IN USE THAT R TFC ONLY IS USED DUE TO GLASSFORD HILL BEING ABOVE TPA AND BEING RIGHT AT THE END OF THE L DOWNWIND; ESPECIALLY A WIDE DOWNWIND AS WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO FLY. MY ONLY CHOICES DURING THIS EVENT WERE TO TRY TO CLB AND FLY OVER GLASSFORD HILL; OR TO MAKE THE R 360 DEG TURN WHICH INCIDENTALLY IS WHAT PRESCOTT TWR USUALLY REQUESTS US TO DO WHEN IN A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 30 AND THEY NEED MORE SPACING. I COULD NOT COMPLY WITH ANY OTHER OF THEIR INSTRUCTIONS WITHOUT HITTING ANOTHER ACFT OR THE MOUNTAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.