PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 257; Flight Crew Type 225
Confusion; Distraction; Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure
While flying with a student on a student pilot lesson we made evasive action to avoid a conflict. I am the Flight Instructor and immediately took flight controls and made the evasive actions to avoid traffic in Class D airspace. The situation Aircraft X was on UPWIND in the traffic pattern climbing to TPA (traffic pattern altitude) and turning Crosswind. I was in Aircraft Y squaring our turn to enter a downwind at TPA. Aircraft Z was following me into the traffic pattern to come into land. Tower told us at a visual checkpoint to fly west and square our turn to enter a downwind (north) for the traffic pattern. We had a strong left quartering headwind pushing us north toward the pattern. Aircraft X was out of sight underneath the cowling. Tower asked if we had traffic (Aircraft X) in sight ahead. We did not. Student flying drifting into the pattern and slowly correcting. After Traffic came into sight it was closer than I feel was comfortable less than .5 mile. We were drifting at TPA north and toward traffic; Aircraft X was climbing and turning toward us. As Aircraft X became visual ADS-B made a 'TRAFFIC SAME ALTITUDE 12 O'CLOCK' call. I took flight controls and banked left to avoid traffic to fly south. As I was turning south Aircraft Z was getting closer to us. I stopped my turn at 160-170 and banked a slight turn right to allow Aircraft Z to pass us.The problem arose because of lack of wind correction angle; ATC call; and traffic separation. Contributing factors strong low altitude winds; high traffic congestion; lack of traffic in sight. Corrective actions were speaking about wind correction angle after landing; drawing the situation; ATC workload; the ability to say UNABLE then adjusting flight for safety of flight. Human performance considerations decision of me to allow the student to drift off course and not correct faster. ATC high workload with Aircraft zooming into land. My student and I debriefed after we landed about how we could have avoided the problem and how we will do better next time on our flight. It was a good teaching moment for high workload areas; ATC clearances; and safety of flight.
For context; I am a student. I am currently transitioning from a C172 over to a Piper. While doing pattern work at ZZZ; a close call occurred during the upwind leg of the pattern. I pushed the Piper's nose down a little to clear my crosswind turn; and began to make the turn. A few seconds later I saw another one of the [FBO] aircraft; at the same altitude; not moving. I realized our aircraft were on a collision course and took immediate evasive action to avoid the oncoming aircraft. About the same time I was taking Evasive actions my CFI saw the traffic on ADS-B. Tower was not calling our crosswind and no alarms in the aircraft sounded. It is unclear if the other aircraft took evasive actions as well. The issue was resolved by rejoining the downwind and resuming normal operations.It is also unknown if Tower was aware of the other aircraft's position. I feel that if Tower had called our base; the situation would have been avoided completely. Overall this really shook me up. I regathered myself and finished the lesson; but both me and my CFI were upset with the controller and rattled by the situation. Seeing the growing silhouette of another airplane; unmoving and hanging in the air is a terrifying thing to experience; and I hope that less pilots have to go through it.
An instructor pilot and student reported an NMAC while taking evasive action to avoid two other aircraft in the pattern.