Cessna 152
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 85; Flight Crew Total 300
Communication Breakdown
Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
I was with a student pilot providing instruction. We decided to go shoot some stop and go's at Arlington Municipal (AWO). At 3;000 ft and 10 miles south; we tuned the weather on the field and noted the winds were favoring 34. We confirmed this by dialing up the CTAF and listening to other traffic in the pattern. We entered the airport environment at 3;000 and 5 miles and made a radio call stating our intentions to land Rwy 34 while reporting our position in miles from the airport and altitude. Abeam the airport and to the west by about 4 miles we had reached TPA of 1200 feet. Making another radio call and stating our intentions to make a 45 degree entry to the downwind for RWY 34. Not soon after we heard a call from a Piper Chieftan reporting that they were over island crossing (a common reporting point for the airport) and were entering a 45 to the downwind for RWY 34. Then a particularly excited call came from another Cessna in the area saying that he also was over island crossing and did not have the Chieftan in sight. The Chieftan then proceeded to announce that he wasn't actually over island crossing; but was actually over the casino. The problem here is the Chieftan pilot did not once state his position in relation to the airport or altitude and there just so happens to be two large Casinos in the area. I assumed the Chieftan pilot was over the casino located southwest of the field (behind us) when in fact he was North of the field. This is where I should have queried the Chieftan pilot to specify his position in direction and distance from the airport. My student and I reported island crossing and entered the 45 to the downwind for RWY 34 number 2 to land and my student sights the Chieftan to our 9 o'clock and I take the controls and alter course to my right as does the Chieftan driver. Passing to our left and behind us at about 200 feet and same altitude. I learned how important good radio calls are and let it be a lesson for my student. In the future I will be more pro-active and question others to give more precise position reports.
C152 instructor pilot entering the traffic pattern experiences a NMAC with a PA31 also entering the traffic pattern after having made an inaccurate position report.