Narrative:

Air carrier X was heading eastward from bae VOR to pmm VOR and descending from 9000' to 5000' as cleared by ATC. Over pmm VOR we were changing course direct to azo at about 7400' the first officer said 'hey' and I looked out the windshield and glimpsed at an small aircraft Y. Going overhead I saw him more clearly and heard him through my eyebrow window above my head, which he completely filled up, he at the time was heading westbound. We asked center if he had any traffic at 7500' and he said he had an small aircraft 4 mi behind us. We told him that we just barely missed him the controller asked if we wanted to fill out a report and we said no but that we would fill in a NASA report. I had no time to grab the controls at the time of the incident (we were on autoplt). After we let off some passengers at azo, we were taxiing out for takeoff to lansing, we saw a burgundy and white small aircraft taxiing toward some hangars and told ground control of the happening and said I was pretty sure that was the airplane and asked if he was talking to him, ground control tried to raise him, but he wouldn't answer. After taking off departure control did verify in fact, that was the airplane. Contributing factors. My head was inside the cockpit changing course from pmm to azo. The first officer had been tuning in the OM. The controller couldn't see the airplane because he was right over the VOR and maneuvering. Small aircraft Y driver wasn't looking outside either. While we were talking with approach control or center and were relating our altitude I did hear someone come on the air and say 'I was at 7500' altitude.' those were the only words we heard from the other airplane. Supplemental information from acn 150250. As we approached pwm we started the turn towards azo VOR. Exactly as the VOR flag went to from, a movement caught my eye by the left window post (front window). All I saw was a maroon and white object flash by overhead and slightly above. It happened so fast, I expected he would clip our tail! I just had enough time to alert the captain, at the same time realizing we might not collide. Supplemental information from acn 150000. Pattern over the pullman VOR at 7500' MSL. Conditions were VMC with broken cloud layer tops at 5300' MSL. We had been practicing holding pattern procedures for about 45 min. Both the instrument and myself were maintaining VFR observation or what the FAA would call maintaining cockpit vigilance. Looking out the window, I first noticed sudden glare or reflection to my right about wing high. The instrument noticed the same thing at about the same time. We both observed an air carrier X at about 5 mi. His course and altitude at that time didn't seem to be a problem. Both of us thought he would pass high and behind us. Moments later we determined air carrier X was slowly turning toward us and descending rapidly. The closure rate was quite alarming. We first thought of turning to the right to give additional space between us but the rate at which he was closing and his course, which was eating us alive depicted that we pull straight up. So we pulled the small aircraft into a steep climb. Seconds later, air carrier X flew approximately 800-1200' below us and about 500' behind. I would think that at some point the medium large transport crew had to be level with us and should have seen us and taken evasive action of his own. What good is radar if the controller is sleeping or the pilot doesn't have a traffic report or heed to its presence? On future flts I will be trusting my own judgement of situations more closely than those of other aircraft! Supplemental information from acn 149584. Air carrier X msp pmm azo descending to 5000' pilot asked if there was any VFR traffic. I moved 2 or 3 data blocks around and saw a VFR target approximately 3 mi behind air carrier X at about 7500'. I asked if this might be the one and the pilot replied that a maroon and white small aircraft had passed 20' overhead at about 7400'. The pilot stated that he could hear the small aircraft Y engine. No evasive action was taken. The pilot said the incident was too fast, 'I saw him and whoosh, he was gone.' the pilot stated he would not pursue official action, that both planes were legal, and it was just one of those things.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR X HAD NMAC WITH SMA Y. SEE AND AVOID CONCEPT.

Narrative: ACR X WAS HDG EASTWARD FROM BAE VOR TO PMM VOR AND DSNDING FROM 9000' TO 5000' AS CLRED BY ATC. OVER PMM VOR WE WERE CHANGING COURSE DIRECT TO AZO AT ABOUT 7400' THE F/O SAID 'HEY' AND I LOOKED OUT THE WINDSHIELD AND GLIMPSED AT AN SMA Y. GOING OVERHEAD I SAW HIM MORE CLRLY AND HEARD HIM THROUGH MY EYEBROW WINDOW ABOVE MY HEAD, WHICH HE COMPLETELY FILLED UP, HE AT THE TIME WAS HDG WBND. WE ASKED CTR IF HE HAD ANY TFC AT 7500' AND HE SAID HE HAD AN SMA 4 MI BEHIND US. WE TOLD HIM THAT WE JUST BARELY MISSED HIM THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WANTED TO FILL OUT A RPT AND WE SAID NO BUT THAT WE WOULD FILL IN A NASA RPT. I HAD NO TIME TO GRAB THE CTLS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT (WE WERE ON AUTOPLT). AFTER WE LET OFF SOME PAXS AT AZO, WE WERE TAXIING OUT FOR TKOF TO LANSING, WE SAW A BURGUNDY AND WHITE SMA TAXIING TOWARD SOME HANGARS AND TOLD GND CTL OF THE HAPPENING AND SAID I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT WAS THE AIRPLANE AND ASKED IF HE WAS TALKING TO HIM, GND CTL TRIED TO RAISE HIM, BUT HE WOULDN'T ANSWER. AFTER TAKING OFF DEP CTL DID VERIFY IN FACT, THAT WAS THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. MY HEAD WAS INSIDE THE COCKPIT CHANGING COURSE FROM PMM TO AZO. THE F/O HAD BEEN TUNING IN THE OM. THE CTLR COULDN'T SEE THE AIRPLANE BECAUSE HE WAS R OVER THE VOR AND MANEUVERING. SMA Y DRIVER WASN'T LOOKING OUTSIDE EITHER. WHILE WE WERE TALKING WITH APCH CTL OR CTR AND WERE RELATING OUR ALT I DID HEAR SOMEONE COME ON THE AIR AND SAY 'I WAS AT 7500' ALT.' THOSE WERE THE ONLY WORDS WE HEARD FROM THE OTHER AIRPLANE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 150250. AS WE APCHED PWM WE STARTED THE TURN TOWARDS AZO VOR. EXACTLY AS THE VOR FLAG WENT TO FROM, A MOVEMENT CAUGHT MY EYE BY THE L WINDOW POST (FRONT WINDOW). ALL I SAW WAS A MAROON AND WHITE OBJECT FLASH BY OVERHEAD AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE. IT HAPPENED SO FAST, I EXPECTED HE WOULD CLIP OUR TAIL! I JUST HAD ENOUGH TIME TO ALERT THE CAPT, AT THE SAME TIME REALIZING WE MIGHT NOT COLLIDE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 150000. PATTERN OVER THE PULLMAN VOR AT 7500' MSL. CONDITIONS WERE VMC WITH BROKEN CLOUD LAYER TOPS AT 5300' MSL. WE HAD BEEN PRACTICING HOLDING PATTERN PROCS FOR ABOUT 45 MIN. BOTH THE INSTR AND MYSELF WERE MAINTAINING VFR OBSERVATION OR WHAT THE FAA WOULD CALL MAINTAINING COCKPIT VIGILANCE. LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, I FIRST NOTICED SUDDEN GLARE OR REFLECTION TO MY R ABOUT WING HIGH. THE INSTR NOTICED THE SAME THING AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. WE BOTH OBSERVED AN ACR X AT ABOUT 5 MI. HIS COURSE AND ALT AT THAT TIME DIDN'T SEEM TO BE A PROB. BOTH OF US THOUGHT HE WOULD PASS HIGH AND BEHIND US. MOMENTS LATER WE DETERMINED ACR X WAS SLOWLY TURNING TOWARD US AND DSNDING RAPIDLY. THE CLOSURE RATE WAS QUITE ALARMING. WE FIRST THOUGHT OF TURNING TO THE R TO GIVE ADDITIONAL SPACE BTWN US BUT THE RATE AT WHICH HE WAS CLOSING AND HIS COURSE, WHICH WAS EATING US ALIVE DEPICTED THAT WE PULL STRAIGHT UP. SO WE PULLED THE SMA INTO A STEEP CLB. SECONDS LATER, ACR X FLEW APPROX 800-1200' BELOW US AND ABOUT 500' BEHIND. I WOULD THINK THAT AT SOME POINT THE MLG CREW HAD TO BE LEVEL WITH US AND SHOULD HAVE SEEN US AND TAKEN EVASIVE ACTION OF HIS OWN. WHAT GOOD IS RADAR IF THE CTLR IS SLEEPING OR THE PLT DOESN'T HAVE A TFC RPT OR HEED TO ITS PRESENCE? ON FUTURE FLTS I WILL BE TRUSTING MY OWN JUDGEMENT OF SITUATIONS MORE CLOSELY THAN THOSE OF OTHER ACFT! SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 149584. ACR X MSP PMM AZO DSNDING TO 5000' PLT ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY VFR TFC. I MOVED 2 OR 3 DATA BLOCKS AROUND AND SAW A VFR TARGET APPROX 3 MI BEHIND ACR X AT ABOUT 7500'. I ASKED IF THIS MIGHT BE THE ONE AND THE PLT REPLIED THAT A MAROON AND WHITE SMA HAD PASSED 20' OVERHEAD AT ABOUT 7400'. THE PLT STATED THAT HE COULD HEAR THE SMA Y ENG. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN. THE PLT SAID THE INCIDENT WAS TOO FAST, 'I SAW HIM AND WHOOSH, HE WAS GONE.' THE PLT STATED HE WOULD NOT PURSUE OFFICIAL ACTION, THAT BOTH PLANES WERE LEGAL, AND IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.