Cessna 152
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
ATC Issue All Types
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
I was working Local Control in the Tower. The weather was unrestricted VFR. C152 called 5 North of the airport inbound for landing Runway 6. I told him to continue inbound and that he was number 2 following a M020. He asked the location of the M020. I gave him a traffic call and he replied that he did not have the traffic insight. In the meantime a C182 was VFR on a practice ILS 6 approach. He called for a clearance. I cleared him to land number 2. I went back to C152 and told him to extend downwind and that he would now be following a C182 and called the traffic to him at 11 o'clock and three miles. He said roger and read it back exactly the same. I asked him if he had the traffic insight. He said no. At that time it appeared that he was starting to turn a left base. I told him 'Do not turn base.' He replied that he was landing. I asked him if he had the traffic insight and he said yes at his three o'clock. I went to the C182 and asked if he had traffic insight since he was about a 1/2 mile final. He said; 'Yes; is he cutting in front of us.' I said it looks that way and gave him a right turn and climb. I told C152 that he just turned in front of the traffic he was following. He just replied that he was landing. I asked him to call the TRACON Supervisor when he was out of the plane. The pilot in question is a foreign student pilot. One of the flight school's at the airport has a contract with a couple different countries that send people over to get trained. We have on occasion told the flight instructors that there is a language barrier problem with the students. This particular pilot clearly only understands a few key phrases of ATC phraseology. We have been working collaboratively on scheduling a meeting with the flight school owner; instructors and FSDO. This just happens to be one of many instances where language has been a problem and unsafe situations have come up. As stated above; a meeting with the flight school owner; instructors and FSDO is being put together. The instructors need to ensure that the students are proficient enough in speaking and understanding English and ATC phraseology before allowing them to be on their own or prior to being certified. This particular pilot just that night received his license.
Tower Controller described a sequencing event when a student pilot turned in front of a straight-in aircraft on a practice approach; the reporter identified a language barrier as a possible causal factor.