PA28 INSTRUCTOR INITIATES GAR WHEN OBSERVING ANOTHER PA28 IN FRONT AND BELOW HIS ACFT WHILE ON SHORT FINAL AT MLB ARPT.

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I WAS THE FLT INSTRUCTOR. WHILE DOING TOUCH-AND-GO'S WITH MY STUDENT; ON DOWNWIND; THE TWR CTLR CLRED US TO LAND AND SAID THAT WE WERE '#2; CLRED TO LAND; TFC ON SHORT FINAL.' WE WERE NOW ABEAM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT AND I LOOKED FOR THE TFC AND SAW ANOTHER WARRIOR ON SHORT FINAL ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE RWY. I RPTED THE TFC IN SIGHT AND WE CONTINUED A NORMAL PATTERN FOR THE APCH. ON SHORT FINAL IT WAS A BIT GUSTY AND AS A GUST CAUSED OUR AIRPLANE TO BANK TO THE R SLIGHTLY; I NOTICED ANOTHER WARRIOR APPROX 50-100 FT BELOW US AND ABOUT 100 FT IN FRONT OF US. I TOOK THE CTLS FROM THE STUDENT; EXECUTED A CLBING 360 DEG TURN AND RPTED MY ACTION TO THE TWR. THE CTLR INFORMED ME THAT THE OTHER AIRPLANE WAS MY TFC TO FOLLOW (WHICH MEANS WE WERE #3; NOT #2 ORIGINALLY). WE THEN LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I THINK THAT THIS OCCURRENCE WAS CAUSED BY CTLR MISCOM AS WELL AS MY FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY CLR THE APCH AREA DURING THE PATTERN APCH. WHEN I RPTED THE TFC TO THE CTLR HE DID NOT SEEM SURPRISED AS IF WE WERE FLYING SHALLOW ON THE APCH; THE OCCURRENCE MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.