PLT OF A C210 AFTER LNDG HAD TO STOP FAST DURING TAXI IN TO AVOID A BEECH BONANZA COMING OFF RWY TXWY INTXN TO FOLLOW A C182 WHICH HE WAS INSTRUCTED BY GND CTL.

Narrative

UPON ARR IN ACY OCT/XA/99 IT WAS DARK. IN OUR PLANE WERE MYSELF (PIC) AND 2 OTHER PLTS. ONE WAS A CFII. WE EXITED THE RWY AND WERE FOLLOWING A HARRIED GND CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE APPROPRIATE RAMP LOCATION. IT WAS MUCH BUSIER AT ACY THAN USUAL; OF COURSE. WE HAD GOTTEN DOWN QUITE SHORT AND EXITED THE RWY EARLY. A PLANE BEHIND US LANDED LONG. WE WERE TAXIING PARALLEL TO THE RWY AND CAME TO AN INTXN WITH ANOTHER EXIT-POINT FOR THE RWY. WE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO HOLD SHORT OF THAT INTXN; WHICH WE DID. THE REASON FOR THAT WAS A C182 XING THE INTXN IN FRONT OF US. A BEECH BONANZA EXITED THE RWY AND CAME TO STOP TO OUR L AT THE INTXN. GND INSTRUCTED US TO PROCEED THROUGH THE INTXN AND TO THE RAMP. WITHOUT WAITING FOR A REPLY; GND INSTRUCTED THE BEECH TO 'FOLLOW THE 210 TO THE RAMP.' I STARTED INTO THE INTXN; ONLY TO BE SURPRISED WHEN THE BEECH ROARED THROUGH AND CHASED OFF AFTER THE C182. I HAD TO STOP VERY HARD TO AVOID HITTING THE BEECH; WHO MISSED MY PROP BY ONLY A FEW FT. I STILL HAD STROBES AND OTHER APPROPRIATE LIGHTING ACTIVATED. WHEN I GOT TO THE RAMP; GND WAS TRYING TO CONTACT THE BEECH. GND OBVIOUSLY WAS CONFUSED ABOUT WHERE THEY HAD GONE. I INDICATED THEY HAD FOLLOWED THE WRONG PLANE AND WERE AT THE OTHER END OF THE RAMP. IN A VAN TO THE HOTEL; WE MET THE BEECH PLT. HE WAS OBLIVIOUS TO HIS MISTAKE. THE PRIMARY THING THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED HERE IS THAT THE GND CTLR SHOULDN'T BE INSTRUCTING A PLANE TO FOLLOW ANOTHER PLANE TYPE WITH THAT MANY SIMILAR ACFT AROUND -- ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. THE INSTRUCTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN 'MUCH' MORE SPECIFIC. 'GIVE WAY TO THE ACFT ON YOUR R; FOLLOW HIM TO THE RAMP.' THE BEECH PLT OBVIOUSLY MADE A MISTAKE -- HE TOOK OFF AFTER THE WRONG TYPE OF PLANE. OLDER MODEL C210'S DO HAVE STRUTS; SO IT IS POSSIBLE TO MISTAKE A C182 FOR A C210 IN THE DARK; ESPECIALLY FROM BEHIND. HOWEVER; THE BEECH PLT SHOULD HAVE NOTED THAT OUR PLANE WAS (APPROPRIATELY) IN MOTION AND SHOULD HAVE STOPPED. LASTLY; I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED TO MY L TO VERIFY THE BEECH WASN'T MOVING BEFORE I STARTED INTO THE INTXN. CLRLY I HAD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY BASED ON THE CTLR'S INSTRUCTIONS; BUT THAT DOESN'T REMOVE MY BURDEN OF VERIFYING THAT I'M NOT GOING TO HIT ANYBODY.