A GRUMMAN AA5 PLT ON APCH TO LWM EXPERIENCED A NEAR MISS WHEN TWR DIRECTED A L 360 DEG TURN BUT HE EXECUTED A R 360 DEG TURN IN FRONT OF AN ACFT ON FINAL.

Narrative

MY ACFT #NXXX RPTED IN AT 'WANG TOWERS' IN LOWELL FOR LNDG AT LAWRENCE. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED AND ASKED ME TO SQUAWK IDENT. THE TWR THEN TOLD ME TO RPT 3 MI FINAL; RWY 5. THIS I ACKNOWLEDGED. I TRACKED INBOUND ON THE LOC. THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC BTWN ME AND THE RWY. I RPTED AT 4 MI BECAUSE I HEARD SOMETHING ON THE RADIO THAT MADE ME THINK THAT SOMEBODY MIGHT HAVE BEEN VECTORED TO THE ILS. THE TWR THEN TOLD SOMEBODY TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN. THERE WAS SOME OTHER RADIO TFC WITH MULTIPLE INTERFERING XMISSIONS AND THEN I HEARD MY NUMBER. I SAID 'SAY AGAIN; NXXX.' THE TWR SAID; 'MAKE A 360 DEG TURN.' I RESPONDED WITH; 'NXXX MAKING A R 360.' A CESSNA RPTED THAT THEY SAW A CHEROKEE; THE TWR STATED THAT IT WAS A GRUMMAN; THEN THE CESSNA STATED THAT THE GRUMMAN WAS MAKING A 'R 360' INSTEAD OF A 'L 360.' THE GRUMMAN WAS MY ACFT; AND THE CESSNA PLT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY THAT I HAD NOT MADE A L 360 DEG TURN OR HE WOULD HAVE MET ME NOSE-TO-NOSE. THEN THE TWR ASKED IF I HAD THE CESSNA IN SIGHT. I NOTED IT WAS ABOUT 200 FT AWAY AT MY ALT AS I TURNED AWAY. I SAID; 'THANKS....' THE TWR SAID I HAD JUST 'CUT HIM OFF.' I SAID; 'SURE...I'M SURE IT'S ALL MY FAULT!' THE TWR THEN TOLD ME TO FOLLOW THE CHEROKEE. I TOLD THEM IT WASN'T A CHEROKEE. IT WAS A CESSNA. THE TWR CTLR SEEMED TO BE IN A GREAT STATE OF CONFUSION. HE HAD JUST FORCED ME TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE SO THAT I COULD BE OVERTAKEN BY A SLOWER ACFT BEING VECTORED ONTO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. AND TWR HAD CREATED A NEAR MISS SIT AS WELL. NOW HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BTWN A CESSNA AND A CHEROKEE. THE CESSNA WASN'T VERY HELPFUL EITHER. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE; THE CESSNA SLOWED TO LESS THAN 60 KTS; MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. THE TWR TOLD ME TO GO AROUND; WHICH I DID. THIS INCIDENT WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY THE TWR MISIDENTING ACFT ON THE FINAL APCH COURSE.