Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 40; Flight Crew Total 1000
Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
A near midair collision occurred while in the traffic pattern. I was cleared to take off after [a] Cessna and was told to follow traffic. I took off and turned to John Wayne's standard 15 degree offset heading while climbing to TPA. Around 500 feet AGL I realized I no longer had traffic to follow in sight. I heard the Cessna request a short approach and ATC approved [him] for a short approach and clearance to land [Runway] 20L; after this I assumed that the traffic to follow was downwind and that I would have visual contact if I turned towards crosswind and downwind. As I was in the turn ATC asked me if I had traffic to follow in sight still. I reported back that I no longer had traffic in sight. ATC then told me to just fly a wide downwind for spacing. At this point the Cessna reported that [they] needed to make a right turn to avoid me. This whole time the Cessna was not in my visual; so they must have been beneath us and out of line-of-sight. I can only speculate on how exactly we converged as I had zero visual reference at this point with the Cessna. The Cessna and I continued flying the pattern together with no further incident but I did notice this Cessna was not flying the standard 15 degree offset on upwind and seemingly a little lower than TPA. I am unsure if this was an attributing factor to the loss of separation we encountered.
PA28 Instructor Pilot reported an NMAC in the traffic pattern at SNA airport.