Narrative:

As a military helicopter pilot operating out of a military airfield, we have a telewriter in our flight planning room that relays the current WX observation at the airfield. Before going out to perform a maintenance test flight, I consulted the telewriter and the WX was '8 broken, 40 overcast and 5 mi visibility in haze.' figuring that I could get a special VFR clearance within the control zone, I proceeded out to the aircraft. On my initial call to ground control, I was informed that the airfield was IFR. My response was that I would like a special, and the tower operator came back with, 'oh, I was wrong--the field is now VFR.' so, I said that that was better and that I would like hover taxi instructions VFR local. Also at the airfield there are air national guard fgt's and coast guard mlt's and mlt jets. At the time there was an mlt jet doing approachs to runway 23 and fgt's in the pattern. I departed out to the local test flight area approximately 5 mi west of the airfield and climbed to 1000' MSL. Upon arriving there, I called approach control and asked for VFR advisories and was given a squawk. The radar controller advised that I was in radar contact. I then proceeded to do the test flight checks. While I was flying I maintained a listening watch (just like the far/aim suggests that you do). The radar controller told the mlt Y that, 'in your turn to the northeast, there will be an army helicopter at your 11 O'clock 1000, 5 west of the airfield.' (the '1000, 5W' part was very run together and could have been misconstrued as '1500.') this is what I thought the controller said! Also, the missed approach instructions for the mlt Y jet was climbing right hand turn to 1800' for vectors back to the final approach course. The mlt Y crew responded with, 'we won't see them, there's a layer below us.' (I heard this to be, 'we won't see them, they're below us.') right after they (the mlt Y crew) said this, they came out of the cloud layer in a right hand climbing turn. It looked like they were going to be a little too close for comfort. I estimated that they were approximately 300-500' above us. I terminated the flight very shortly after that and went to the RAPCON at the field (which is an FAA facility). The supervisor and the controller were very apologetic. The controller said that because the mlt Y crew had reported that there was a layer below them that there was no need (in her eyes) to issue traffic to me because I probably wouldn't see them either. I was also told that if I wanted to accelerate the issue, that I could formally file a report and request an 'entap' which would provide an altitude readout of both aircraft (if they were high enough for the remote site to pick both of them up), and could be used to recreate both flight paths and see exactly what had happened. I guess that the bottom line is, don't expect the controllers to see and avoid for you!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLT X HELICOPTER CLOSE TO ARPT, IN CONTACT WITH TWR, HAS NEAR MISS WITH MLT Y JET EXECUTING MULTIPLE INSTRUMENT APCHS.

Narrative: AS A MIL HELI PLT OPERATING OUT OF A MIL AIRFIELD, WE HAVE A TELEWRITER IN OUR FLT PLANNING ROOM THAT RELAYS THE CURRENT WX OBSERVATION AT THE AIRFIELD. BEFORE GOING OUT TO PERFORM A MAINT TEST FLT, I CONSULTED THE TELEWRITER AND THE WX WAS '8 BROKEN, 40 OVCST AND 5 MI VISIBILITY IN HAZE.' FIGURING THAT I COULD GET A SPECIAL VFR CLRNC WITHIN THE CTL ZONE, I PROCEEDED OUT TO THE ACFT. ON MY INITIAL CALL TO GND CTL, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE AIRFIELD WAS IFR. MY RESPONSE WAS THAT I WOULD LIKE A SPECIAL, AND THE TWR OPERATOR CAME BACK WITH, 'OH, I WAS WRONG--THE FIELD IS NOW VFR.' SO, I SAID THAT THAT WAS BETTER AND THAT I WOULD LIKE HOVER TAXI INSTRUCTIONS VFR LCL. ALSO AT THE AIRFIELD THERE ARE AIR NATL GUARD FGT'S AND COAST GUARD MLT'S AND MLT JETS. AT THE TIME THERE WAS AN MLT JET DOING APCHS TO RWY 23 AND FGT'S IN THE PATTERN. I DEPARTED OUT TO THE LCL TEST FLT AREA APPROX 5 MI W OF THE AIRFIELD AND CLBED TO 1000' MSL. UPON ARRIVING THERE, I CALLED APCH CTL AND ASKED FOR VFR ADVISORIES AND WAS GIVEN A SQUAWK. THE RADAR CTLR ADVISED THAT I WAS IN RADAR CONTACT. I THEN PROCEEDED TO DO THE TEST FLT CHKS. WHILE I WAS FLYING I MAINTAINED A LISTENING WATCH (JUST LIKE THE FAR/AIM SUGGESTS THAT YOU DO). THE RADAR CTLR TOLD THE MLT Y THAT, 'IN YOUR TURN TO THE NE, THERE WILL BE AN ARMY HELI AT YOUR 11 O'CLOCK 1000, 5 W OF THE AIRFIELD.' (THE '1000, 5W' PART WAS VERY RUN TOGETHER AND COULD HAVE BEEN MISCONSTRUED AS '1500.') THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT THE CTLR SAID! ALSO, THE MISSED APCH INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE MLT Y JET WAS CLBING RIGHT HAND TURN TO 1800' FOR VECTORS BACK TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THE MLT Y CREW RESPONDED WITH, 'WE WON'T SEE THEM, THERE'S A LAYER BELOW US.' (I HEARD THIS TO BE, 'WE WON'T SEE THEM, THEY'RE BELOW US.') RIGHT AFTER THEY (THE MLT Y CREW) SAID THIS, THEY CAME OUT OF THE CLOUD LAYER IN A RIGHT HAND CLBING TURN. IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO BE A LITTLE TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. I ESTIMATED THAT THEY WERE APPROX 300-500' ABOVE US. I TERMINATED THE FLT VERY SHORTLY AFTER THAT AND WENT TO THE RAPCON AT THE FIELD (WHICH IS AN FAA FAC). THE SUPVR AND THE CTLR WERE VERY APOLOGETIC. THE CTLR SAID THAT BECAUSE THE MLT Y CREW HAD RPTED THAT THERE WAS A LAYER BELOW THEM THAT THERE WAS NO NEED (IN HER EYES) TO ISSUE TFC TO ME BECAUSE I PROBABLY WOULDN'T SEE THEM EITHER. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IF I WANTED TO ACCELERATE THE ISSUE, THAT I COULD FORMALLY FILE A RPT AND REQUEST AN 'ENTAP' WHICH WOULD PROVIDE AN ALT READOUT OF BOTH ACFT (IF THEY WERE HIGH ENOUGH FOR THE REMOTE SITE TO PICK BOTH OF THEM UP), AND COULD BE USED TO RECREATE BOTH FLT PATHS AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I GUESS THAT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, DON'T EXPECT THE CTLRS TO SEE AND AVOID FOR YOU!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.