Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40; Flight Crew Total 700; Flight Crew Type 500
Training / Qualification; Other / Unknown
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure; Human Factors
We were extended for almost 5 miles upwind before being cleared to turn our crosswind. While still far out on the downwind; Tower cleared another aircraft not even in the pattern yet to land and follow another aircraft on final. The aircraft replied they were still looking for traffic. I kept monitoring my student's downwind. About midfield downwind while watching my student's airspeed and altitude; a target popped up on our ADS-B MFD display just in time for me to look up and see this aircraft diving down from above and behind us on the left into the downwind right in front of us. I immediately took the controls from my student and initiated a 360 turn in the downwind and informed Tower what we were doing. Tower replied and apologized and soon after I noticed another Controller took over. I believe the incident occurred because the previous Controller was not monitoring traffic flow and sequencing correctly and the fact that this other aircraft had an inoperative transponder as do several other aircraft from this FBO. Being a highly congested airspace; having a transponder would have allowed us to see the aircraft earlier and possibly slow down or maneuver appropriately for spacing. Tower needs to address issues with sequencing and flow as there has been an increase in these problems recently.
C172 instructor pilot on downwind at PRC reports a NMAC with another C172 entering the pattern under Tower control. Reporter informs the Tower and initiates a right 360 to reenter the downwind.