Lancair Legacy
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 500; Flight Crew Type 135
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Conflict NMAC; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew FLC complied w / Automation / Advisory; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
Inbound to a Class B airport; from the north; southbound; I had ATIS; I knew which runway was active; but completely reversed everything in my head. Runway 17 was south of the airport; left downwind became right downwind. Twice the Controller asked me to make a left turn; so I would head back north; I made a left 360 back onto the upwind of runway 17 thinking I was downwind 17.The second time he commanded a left turn; I also received a traffic alert from the Tower; I passed about 300 FT underneath a Cessna 172 or 182 that was on downwind headed north. I was in the turn headed east when I crossed his path. The controller made it known that I was going the wrong way; and so I did a 180 instead of a 360. Continued to land without incident.I learned that I need to continuously reevaluate my assumptions and decisions to ensure that I am interpreting what is happening around me correctly.
A LEG 2 pilot entered Class B airspace from the North; erroneously headed southbound for a Runway 17 landing; but continued south abeam and had near miss with a left downwind aircraft headed north for a Runway 17 base. ATC finally made the pilot understand his error.