Narrative:

On an aerobatics training flight the instructor was in the front seat, I was in the rear seat and had control of the plane at the time of the incident. We were level at 6000', and turning right from north to south to remain within the designated training area. On reaching a southerly heading, still banked in the turn, an medium large transport jet flashed over our cockpit from our blind (wings up) side. The instructor estimated our vertical separation at 20'. It happened so fast there was no time to react. There was no impact, and we were not affected by wake turbulence, possibly because we were moving so fast (about 150 mph) at right angles to the jet's path. The jet also showed no evidence of changing its flight path following the incident. I am enclosing a copy of a letter I have sent to the flight school, with my suggestions for ways to help prevent a recurrence of such an incident. I've obscured names to maintain anonymity of the parties involved. In summary, my suggestions are: more thorough ground briefing, especially on the ground and height boundaries of the practice area, improve cockpit communications to improve coordination between instructor and student, improve the radio intercom system to permit monitoring the radio while using the intercom, use the transponder, notify hobby approach of the planned activity and use an assigned transponder code, continually stress the importance of clearing the area before beginning a maneuver. Supplemental information from acn 112439: controller called traffic 12 O'clock 8 mi, type and altitude unknown. We replied that we were looking and requested that the controller please keep us advised. Approach did update at 5 and 3 mi. We still did not have the traffic in sight and responded as such. The captain first saw the aircraft and immediately initiated a climbing left turn to avoid the traffic. I saw the traffic pass directly under us at about 80-100'. We asked the controller if he had an altitude readout on the traffic that we'd just passed and he told us the aircraft was a primary target, no transponder and not in communication with anyone. At a minimum all aircraft that operate in congested metropolitan areas, regardless of type should be transponder equipped. In this case the new TCA's would have been of no use but perhaps could have been had the other aircraft been transponder equipped. The TCA should be expanded to protect jet aircraft in these busy areas also. This aircraft was not at a VFR cruising altitude, no transponder, no communication and perfectly legal, yet a disaster was averted only by the quick reflexes of this captain. Some passenger did see the aircraft and report it to us upon landing in houston. There was no damage and no injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LIGHT AEROBATIC ACFT INVOLVED IN FLT INSTRUCTION HAS NMAC WITH MLG ON STAR.

Narrative: ON AN AEROBATICS TRAINING FLT THE INSTRUCTOR WAS IN THE FRONT SEAT, I WAS IN THE REAR SEAT AND HAD CONTROL OF THE PLANE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. WE WERE LEVEL AT 6000', AND TURNING RIGHT FROM NORTH TO SOUTH TO REMAIN WITHIN THE DESIGNATED TRAINING AREA. ON REACHING A SOUTHERLY HDG, STILL BANKED IN THE TURN, AN MLG JET FLASHED OVER OUR COCKPIT FROM OUR BLIND (WINGS UP) SIDE. THE INSTRUCTOR ESTIMATED OUR VERTICAL SEPARATION AT 20'. IT HAPPENED SO FAST THERE WAS NO TIME TO REACT. THERE WAS NO IMPACT, AND WE WERE NOT AFFECTED BY WAKE TURBULENCE, POSSIBLY BECAUSE WE WERE MOVING SO FAST (ABOUT 150 MPH) AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE JET'S PATH. THE JET ALSO SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF CHANGING ITS FLT PATH FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT. I AM ENCLOSING A COPY OF A LETTER I HAVE SENT TO THE FLT SCHOOL, WITH MY SUGGESTIONS FOR WAYS TO HELP PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF SUCH AN INCIDENT. I'VE OBSCURED NAMES TO MAINTAIN ANONYMITY OF THE PARTIES INVOLVED. IN SUMMARY, MY SUGGESTIONS ARE: MORE THOROUGH GND BRIEFING, ESPECIALLY ON THE GND AND HEIGHT BOUNDARIES OF THE PRACTICE AREA, IMPROVE COCKPIT COMMUNICATIONS TO IMPROVE COORD BETWEEN INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT, IMPROVE THE RADIO INTERCOM SYSTEM TO PERMIT MONITORING THE RADIO WHILE USING THE INTERCOM, USE THE TRANSPONDER, NOTIFY HOBBY APCH OF THE PLANNED ACTIVITY AND USE AN ASSIGNED TRANSPONDER CODE, CONTINUALLY STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEARING THE AREA BEFORE BEGINNING A MANEUVER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 112439: CTLR CALLED TFC 12 O'CLOCK 8 MI, TYPE AND ALT UNKNOWN. WE REPLIED THAT WE WERE LOOKING AND REQUESTED THAT THE CTLR PLEASE KEEP US ADVISED. APCH DID UPDATE AT 5 AND 3 MI. WE STILL DID NOT HAVE THE TFC IN SIGHT AND RESPONDED AS SUCH. THE CAPT FIRST SAW THE ACFT AND IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN TO AVOID THE TFC. I SAW THE TFC PASS DIRECTLY UNDER US AT ABOUT 80-100'. WE ASKED THE CTLR IF HE HAD AN ALT READOUT ON THE TFC THAT WE'D JUST PASSED AND HE TOLD US THE ACFT WAS A PRIMARY TARGET, NO XPONDER AND NOT IN COM WITH ANYONE. AT A MINIMUM ALL ACFT THAT OPERATE IN CONGESTED METROPOLITAN AREAS, REGARDLESS OF TYPE SHOULD BE TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED. IN THIS CASE THE NEW TCA'S WOULD HAVE BEEN OF NO USE BUT PERHAPS COULD HAVE BEEN HAD THE OTHER ACFT BEEN TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED. THE TCA SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO PROTECT JET ACFT IN THESE BUSY AREAS ALSO. THIS ACFT WAS NOT AT A VFR CRUISING ALT, NO TRANSPONDER, NO COM AND PERFECTLY LEGAL, YET A DISASTER WAS AVERTED ONLY BY THE QUICK REFLEXES OF THIS CAPT. SOME PAX DID SEE THE ACFT AND REPORT IT TO US UPON LNDG IN HOUSTON. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE AND NO INJURIES.

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.