Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 7.4; Flight Crew Total 516; Flight Crew Type 485.2
Confusion; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
After doing some airwork; I decided to land at [a nearby airport]. I listened to ATIS; which specified Runway 26 in use; and made an initial call up to [the airport] Tower about 13 NM east of the airport. Tower cleared me to make a straight-in and to report at 4 NM; at or above 1;500 FT (their standard arrival instruction). On a straight-in for Runway 26; at about 6-8 NM from the airport; I heard a Cherokee report; also east of the airport; for a straight-in. The Tower instructed me to follow the Cherokee. I made visual contact with the Cherokee about 1;000 FT below me on a southerly heading south of the final approach course; at a virtual right angle to both me and the runway. The Tower instructed the Cherokee to turn inbound at which point I was surprised to observe the aircraft make a LEFT turn; away from the airport. This placed him traveling opposite direction to the airport and to my flight path; which meant he almost immediately went out of sight behind and below me. I notified the Tower that the Cherokee had turned and was now behind me. The Tower acknowledged and transmitted 'landing clearance cancelled'; I thought to the Cherokee. I continued inbound on a straight-in; assuming the Cherokee was now maneuvering to my six o clock and presumably following me. As I neared the 4 NM reporting point; I heard the tower call an aircraft further out on the approach; telling him he was 'number 3 behind a Cherokee and a Mooney.' I saw the Mooney ahead of me; crossing the threshold; which I assumed made me number two. Assuming the Tower had misidentified me as a Cherokee; I called in as 'Cessna X; 3.8 miles out'. The Tower asked me to IDENT; which I did. On about a two-mile final; I heard a transmission from another aircraft; 'There's a Cessna next to me.' Looking around; I saw a Cherokee about 800 FT away to my right; on a converging final. I immediately turned and climbed to the left and transmitted that I was breaking off the approach. The Tower instructed me to overfly the runway and turn to the left downwind at the departure end. I did; after first ensuring that the landing Cherokee was below me. I overflew the runway at pattern altitude; turned left to the downwind when instructed by the Tower and made a normal landing. HUMAN FACTORS/LESSONS LEARNED: When the Cherokee unexpectedly turned away from the airport and passed behind me; I reported it to the Tower; and their acknowledgement (which I thought canceled the landing instructions given to the Cherokee) allowed me to assume the Tower Controller would manage separation and sequencing; I allowed myself to become complacent that the traffic was being sequenced behind me; out of sight. When the Tower misidentified me as a Cherokee to following traffic; I assumed it was a simple mix-up of aircraft type; a not-uncommon occurrence. I called in to correct my type; and when the Tower had me IDENT; I again assumed that the Controller was seeing the big picture and taking care of my sequencing and separation. I now think that the controller was actually talking to the Cherokee who had apparently maneuvered behind me and was converging on me from behind; how he didn't see me till the last minute I'll never know; but he may well be thinking the same thing about me. The knowledge that there was a Cherokee behind me; coupled with the Controller (I thought) mistakenly calling me a Cherokee; should have tipped me off that there was a potential for dangerous confusion here. I should have been more proactive about clearing up the confusion with the Controller; rather than assuming that an Ident would resolve everything. This is the closest I have come to another aircraft; and it occurs to me that it was the classic scenario for a mid-air: VFR conditions; in the pattern at a Tower-controlled airport. It was a powerful reminder that the responsibility for making see-and-avoid work rests with nobody but the PIC; not the guy at the scope and not the guy in the other airplane.
VFR C172 inbound to a Towered airport; described a conflict event when communications between pattern traffic and ATC was confused and not clear.