Narrative:

As I was approaching santa flight engineer for landing after listening to ATIS I called the tower 15 mi nnw. Tower answered by repeating the entire ATIS information even though I had stated I had the information. Tower said to report 5 mi final for runway 20. I stated that a right base would work better and tower told me to report turning right base. At about 4 mi out I turned right base and called tower (landing lights on). Saf tower told me that I was #3 following small transport Y on a 3 mi final. On looking I saw an aircraft about 200 yds from T/D and another aircraft about straight ahead from me about 3 or 4 mi on final. I continued straight ahead and started to turn final behind the #2 aircraft. Shortly after turning final I heard small transport Y call tower to say that someone had turned final just in front of him. I looked at the aircraft ahead of me and saw no conflict and immediately decided that I was ahead of small transport Y, even though I still had no idea what kind of aircraft I was following at about 2 mi. I immediately turned right and small transport Y told the tower that he was still on final and the other aircraft (me) had turned out. Tower cleared small transport Y to land on runway 20 and cleared me to land on runway 15. The remainder of the landing was uneventful. After parking I went to the tower and found a man apparently training a new female controller. There was considerable traffic and both appeared confused about where the traffic was actually located and witnessed 2 aircraft being cleared to land west/O actually being sighted by the tower. The tower controller said that he had considered the aircraft on short final to be already landed when he told me I was #3. I was in fact #4. He also said that he was sure I had spotted the wrong traffic when I called the #2 was in sight, but that he didn't have time to call me and say so. I believe the causes of the problem were conducting training during busy times, worrying more about making a log of activity than doing the job, clearing aircraft to land or begin final west/O visual sighting, inexperience and inattn caused by training. This is not the first time I have had problems with saf tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT FOLLOWED WRONG ACFT IN TRAFFIC PATTERN AND TURNED IN FRONT OF ACFT THAT HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO FOLLOW.

Narrative: AS I WAS APCHING SANTA FE FOR LNDG AFTER LISTENING TO ATIS I CALLED THE TWR 15 MI NNW. TWR ANSWERED BY REPEATING THE ENTIRE ATIS INFO EVEN THOUGH I HAD STATED I HAD THE INFO. TWR SAID TO RPT 5 MI FINAL FOR RWY 20. I STATED THAT A RIGHT BASE WOULD WORK BETTER AND TWR TOLD ME TO RPT TURNING RIGHT BASE. AT ABOUT 4 MI OUT I TURNED RIGHT BASE AND CALLED TWR (LNDG LIGHTS ON). SAF TWR TOLD ME THAT I WAS #3 FOLLOWING SMT Y ON A 3 MI FINAL. ON LOOKING I SAW AN ACFT ABOUT 200 YDS FROM T/D AND ANOTHER ACFT ABOUT STRAIGHT AHEAD FROM ME ABOUT 3 OR 4 MI ON FINAL. I CONTINUED STRAIGHT AHEAD AND STARTED TO TURN FINAL BEHIND THE #2 ACFT. SHORTLY AFTER TURNING FINAL I HEARD SMT Y CALL TWR TO SAY THAT SOMEONE HAD TURNED FINAL JUST IN FRONT OF HIM. I LOOKED AT THE ACFT AHEAD OF ME AND SAW NO CONFLICT AND IMMEDIATELY DECIDED THAT I WAS AHEAD OF SMT Y, EVEN THOUGH I STILL HAD NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF ACFT I WAS FOLLOWING AT ABOUT 2 MI. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED RIGHT AND SMT Y TOLD THE TWR THAT HE WAS STILL ON FINAL AND THE OTHER ACFT (ME) HAD TURNED OUT. TWR CLRED SMT Y TO LAND ON RWY 20 AND CLRED ME TO LAND ON RWY 15. THE REMAINDER OF THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AFTER PARKING I WENT TO THE TWR AND FOUND A MAN APPARENTLY TRNING A NEW FEMALE CTLR. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE TFC AND BOTH APPEARED CONFUSED ABOUT WHERE THE TFC WAS ACTUALLY LOCATED AND WITNESSED 2 ACFT BEING CLRED TO LAND W/O ACTUALLY BEING SIGHTED BY THE TWR. THE TWR CTLR SAID THAT HE HAD CONSIDERED THE ACFT ON SHORT FINAL TO BE ALREADY LANDED WHEN HE TOLD ME I WAS #3. I WAS IN FACT #4. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE WAS SURE I HAD SPOTTED THE WRONG TFC WHEN I CALLED THE #2 WAS IN SIGHT, BUT THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CALL ME AND SAY SO. I BELIEVE THE CAUSES OF THE PROB WERE CONDUCTING TRNING DURING BUSY TIMES, WORRYING MORE ABOUT MAKING A LOG OF ACTIVITY THAN DOING THE JOB, CLRING ACFT TO LAND OR BEGIN FINAL W/O VISUAL SIGHTING, INEXPERIENCE AND INATTN CAUSED BY TRNING. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HAD PROBS WITH SAF TWR.

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