ACFT WAS INVOLVED IN A NMAC ON DOWNWIND AT A CONTROLLED ARPT.

Narrative

MY WIFE AND 2 CHILDREN WERE ON BOARD. I AM A PVT PLT WITH AN INST RATING. I AM INST CURRENT. I WORK IN GA AND I FLY AT A BUSY; UNCTLED ARPT SEVERAL TIMES A WK. MY WIFE WAS IN THE R SEAT. WE USED FLT FOLLOWING FOR THE ENTIRE FLT. AFTER ABOUT 2 HRS IN THE AIR; ATC HANDED US OFF TO TWR. WE CHKED IN AND RPTED WE HAD ATIS. WE WERE TOLD TO RPT A 3 MI R BASE FOR RWY 24. AT SOME POINT; BEFORE OR AFTER WE RPTED ON BASE; WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO ENTER THE DOWNWIND. NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I UNDERSTOOD THE INSTRUCTION SINCE WE WERE ALREADY IN POS FOR A BASE LEG ENTRY. I ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION AND WAS TOLD THAT IF I MADE A L TURN FROM A R BASE; I'D BE ON A R DOWNWIND. I UNDERSTOOD THE INSTRUCTION AS BEING TO TURN L TO EXTEND THE DOWNWIND. SINCE I WAS INSIDE THE RPTING POINT; AND HAD COME CLOSER TO THE ARPT WHILE CLARIFYING THE INSTRUCTIONS; I TURNED DOWNWIND AS SOON AS I UNDERSTOOD THE INSTRUCTION. UPON ROLLING OUT; MY WIFE; SON; AND I SAW THE BOTTOM OF A CANARD ACFT ABOVE AND TO OUR L. IT WAS VERY CLOSE; AND SEEMED TO BE CLOSING. I MANEUVERED DOWN AND R VERY ABRUPTLY. THE DISTANCE OPENED UP AND THE CANARD SEEMED TO MOVE AWAY. I ASKED THE TWR IF THEY KNEW ABOUT A LONG-EZ (THE FIRST CANARD TO COME TO MIND) NEAR ME. I DON'T RECALL MY EXACT WORDS; BUT I MADE IT CLR THAT HE WAS VERY CLOSE. TWR RPTED THAT THE ACFT WAS A VARI-EZ WHO HAD US IN SIGHT THE WHOLE TIME. UPON GETTING STABILIZED; WE ENTERED BASE AND FINAL. ON FINAL; MY WIFE CALLED THE TWR AND RPTED WE HAD JUST HAD AN NMAC WITH A VARI-EZ; TO WHICH THE CTLR RESPONDED THAT THE VARI-EZ HAD US IN SIGHT; AND IT WAS NOT A PROB. MY WIFE REPLIED THAT SHE DOUBTED THEY HAD US IN SIGHT WITH THEIR BELLY TOWARDS US. WE LANDED NORMALLY. EVERYONE ON BOARD WAS QUITE SHAKEN. AFTER 1 HR OR SO; I CALLED THE TWR ON THE PHONE. I WAS ROUTED TO THE CTLR WHO HANDLED US FROM OUR INITIAL CONTACT. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE ACFT WAS A VARI-EZ. SHE SAID IT HAD BEEN BEHIND AND TO MY R FROM THE TIME I ENTERED THEIR AIRSPACE; AND WAS OVERTAKING US. SHE SAID HE HAD US IN SIGHT DURING THE ENTIRE APCH. HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO EXECUTE A 360 DEG TURN FOR SPACING; BUT SHE DID NOT TELL ME WHICH WAY OR AT WHAT POINT. I ASKED IF WE HAD BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT NEARBY TFC; AND WAS TOLD NO; SINCE HE HAD US IN SIGHT. I ASKED IF THERE WAS A FORMAL PROC FOR RPTING AN NMAC; AND WAS TOLD NO; BUT THAT I SHOULD TAKE UP THE MATTER WITH THE PLT OF THE VARI-EZ. I SAID I DIDN'T KNOW WHO IT WAS; AT WHICH POINT THE CTLR OFFERED THE N-NUMBER AND THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED NEAR US ON THE RAMP. THERE WAS A VARI-EZ; PARKED A FEW SPOTS DOWN. I NEVER SAW OR CONTACTED THE PLT. I CALLED BACK AGAIN TO ASK ABOUT PRESERVING THE ATC TAPES; AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE LCL FSDO; WHICH I DID. THEY ENCOURAGED ME TO SEND AN OFFICIAL RPT TO THEM.