SR22
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 30; Flight Crew Total 170
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
I was serving as PIC (Pilot In Command) in the left seat with a CFI in the right seat who was providing differences training for me from SR20 to SR22 aircraft. We had been making repeated closed traffic touch and go's and stop and go's at ZZZ. The tower controller had issued a blanket instruction to make left traffic and to report entering the downwind leg of the pattern each time. We had made perhaps four or five full loops in the pattern and; in this instance; as I rolled from crosswind to left downwind; there was another aircraft on the frequency making an initial call up to tower. It sounded like there was some misunderstanding about the type of that aircraft that cause that pilot and controller to occupy the frequency for most of our downwind leg. Once there was a break in the transmissions; to the best of my recollection; I reported that we were downwind and the tower controller replied by clearing us for the option. We commenced our descent from pattern altitude and shortly thereafter rolled into a base leg and pretty much directly into final. Shortly thereafter; my instructor spotted the other aircraft at approximately our 4 or 5 o'clock position and perhaps a few hundred feet away laterally and slightly below us vertically. Due to the placement of windows in the SR22 and the rapid nature of the situation; my ability to precisely judge the distance between our two aircraft is not very accurate. My instructor immediately took the controls upon spotting the other aircraft and went full power up and away from the other plane. At no point did the traffic alerting system in our aircraft provide any warnings of traffic in the vicinity. The other aircraft continued on their final and landed. They made a radio call to the tower controller to figure out what was going on and the tower controller indicated that he had not cleared us to turn base. Both my instructor and I clearly remembered having been cleared for the option. Furthermore; our audio panel has a record function and; after the fact; we went back through the recorded transmissions and there was a very clear recording of us being cleared for the option shortly before the other aircraft was cleared to land. We were making repeated touch and go's so it is conceivably possible that the recording we were reviewing was from a prior lap in the pattern but it was proceeded by the recording of the other aircraft making their initial call up so that doesn't seem likely. After the near miss and being chastised by the tower controller for ostensibly turning base without a clearance; we departed his airspace and returned to our home airport without incident.
On right downwind for Runway XX; I was cleared to land by Tower. After turning right base to final; I saw a Cirrus heading for me (on a left base) on my left. I descended to the right and he turned off to his right and climbed. I reported the NMAC to tower. Tower informed me that the Cirrus had not been cleared to land and tower was awaiting a downwind report from that aircraft. I was able to re-establish on final and land uneventfully; but flustered.After landing; I contacted tower. The tower controller (not identified) said that he had been distracted and did not know exactly where the Cirrus was; but that the Cirrus had successfully been performing multiple touch and go landings and had reported downwind on all other attempts. They left the pattern to the east; probably to go elsewhere to clean their underwear and file their own Report!There is plenty of room for improvement here of course the Cirrus should have reported their downwind; and should never have turned base without a clearance to do so. The tower should have been monitoring the situation better and called the Cirrus when he was observed on downwind. I should have been more vigilant scanning for traffic throughout the approach.
Pilots from two different single engine aircraft reported a NMAC while on final.