Cessna 152
Flight Crew Student
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 21; Flight Crew Total 21; Flight Crew Type 21
Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
I was on my 5th landing in the pattern of my first solo. On the upwind; ATC told me that I was #3 to land and to follow traffic entering the downwind; which I had in sight. I extended my upwind to follow the traffic. When I was about midfield of the downwind; I saw a plane below me land which I thought was the plane I was told to follow because I no longer saw a plane in front of me. I turned to final and was told to go around because an airplane was below me. I went around; making left traffic; saw the other plane break off; and landed uneventfully. Once I got on the ground; my instructor briefed me on the situation and what happened. I unknowingly ended up 150 feet above the plane I was told to follow as I approached final. The other plane had extended their downwind longer than I had; so we were approaching final at the same time. I never saw the plane once I had turned downwind. The plane that I saw land was #1 in the pattern; and I thought this was the plane I was following. Therefore; I thought the plane I was following had already landed; and I turned in to land thinking the plane I was following was already on the ground.
I went up with one of my students for 3 touch and go's prior to their first solo. I had determined that [the student was] proficient and got out of the plane and told [the student] to do 5 touch and go's. I had gone up to the control tower to watch. The first four patterns and touch and go's were event free. On the fifth and final landing was when the near miss occurred. There were two other aircraft in the pattern at the time; one of which was midfield downwind. The other was about .5 miles approaching abeam the departure end downwind. My solo student was given traffic to follow while [the student] was still on the upwind; the traffic was on the downwind almost abeam my student. My student acknowledged traffic in sight and was cleared to land. My student was at this point number three in the pattern; I do not recall if [the student] was cleared to land number three or just to follow the traffic and cleared to land. From the viewpoint in the tower nothing was out of the ordinary until both the controller and I at the same time saw my student had turned final over the top of the traffic [the student was] to be following. With both aircraft on final and vertical separation of what appeared to be 150ft my student was told to go around which [the student] did and returned for landing uneventfully after that. Meanwhile the other aircraft on final had chosen to go around and break 45 degrees off of final to the east. After the flight I had debriefed with my student thoroughly as to what had occurred. It became evident to me that upon turning downwind [the student] had thought the first aircraft in the pattern whom had landing was actually the second aircraft that she was told to follow. This led to a loss of situational awareness; and upon never seeing [the] actual traffic to follow on downwind or final allowed a loss of separation when both aircraft ended up in the same place on final.
C152 student pilot and instructor reported the student executed a go-around when Tower Controller noticed loss of separation between the student's aircraft and another on short final.