Narrative:

We fly a 19XX single engine small aircraft 1. On sat/xx/92, at approximately XA00 am CDT, I entered a left downwind for runway 21 at talladega, al, (asn) at the end of an IFR flight from lincoln, northeast, (lnk). Due to heavy traffic at asn, occasioned by a scheduled race at the adjacent talladega international spdway, birmingham (bhm) approach indicated that there would be a flow control delay for an IFR approach. I cancelled my IFR clearance about 15 NM out, monitored the temporary tower frequency on 124.1, learned that they wanted aircraft to report on a left downwind for runway 21, and proceeded to turn on my strobes and both landing lights, entered the downwind and reported my entry to the tower. They advised me, as I recall it, to follow the traffic ahead and advise turning base. Abeam the end of runway 21, I noted 1 aircraft on final and another on base, turned onto base when I was abeam the aircraft on final which I had first noted when it was on its base leg, advised the tower that I was turning a 2 mi base, and shortly thereafter noted a twin (small aircraft Z) on what I at first thought to be a high pass down the runway for an entry onto a left downwind. My recollection is that tower had been advising aircraft arriving from the east to head straight for the airport and then enter a left downwind. About the time I was ready to turn final, I noted that the twin was an small aircraft Z and that it appeared to be descending. As I started my turn onto final I advised the tower that the small aircraft Z appeared to be on a long straight-in. I don't recall that the tower responded to that call, but in any event, the small aircraft Z passed overhead and to our right within 100-200 ft of us, at a higher airspeed and rate of descent than ours. Although it would have been easy to note his north number, neither I nor my 3 passenger did so, although one of them remarked later that 'when they're close enough to you for you to see their rivets, they're too close.' I reported the near miss to tower and that I was going around. Tower made no comment about the near miss, but did tell us to reenter downwind. The small aircraft Z landed, we reentered downwind, asked the tower to call our base leg for us, which they did, and we landed without further incident. I don't recall that the small aircraft Z called the tower until after he was nearer the end of runway 21 than we were. Not the kind of occurrence I would care to repeat again anytime soon. I don't think tower should have been telling aircraft approaching asn from the east to 'head straight for the airport' for entry onto a left downwind. If the small aircraft Z failed to see us, as he apparently did, he may have concluded that there was no reason for him not to land straight-in, while I was erroneously assuming that he was going to proceed down the runway at or above pattern altitude for his downwind entry. He should have seen us and I probably should have noted sooner than I did that he was descending, but I was trying to track several aircraft at the same time, while also setting up for landing, and didn't get the job done until we were closer than I would have liked.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 SMAS HAD AN NMAC WHILE DEALING WITH A TEMPORARY TWR. 1 SMA MADE A GAR. BOTH SMA'S LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.

Narrative: WE FLY A 19XX SINGLE ENG SMA 1. ON SAT/XX/92, AT APPROX XA00 AM CDT, I ENTERED A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 21 AT TALLADEGA, AL, (ASN) AT THE END OF AN IFR FLT FROM LINCOLN, NE, (LNK). DUE TO HVY TFC AT ASN, OCCASIONED BY A SCHEDULED RACE AT THE ADJACENT TALLADEGA INTL SPDWAY, BIRMINGHAM (BHM) APCH INDICATED THAT THERE WOULD BE A FLOW CTL DELAY FOR AN IFR APCH. I CANCELLED MY IFR CLRNC ABOUT 15 NM OUT, MONITORED THE TEMPORARY TWR FREQ ON 124.1, LEARNED THAT THEY WANTED ACFT TO RPT ON A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 21, AND PROCEEDED TO TURN ON MY STROBES AND BOTH LNDG LIGHTS, ENTERED THE DOWNWIND AND RPTED MY ENTRY TO THE TWR. THEY ADVISED ME, AS I RECALL IT, TO FOLLOW THE TFC AHEAD AND ADVISE TURNING BASE. ABEAM THE END OF RWY 21, I NOTED 1 ACFT ON FINAL AND ANOTHER ON BASE, TURNED ONTO BASE WHEN I WAS ABEAM THE ACFT ON FINAL WHICH I HAD FIRST NOTED WHEN IT WAS ON ITS BASE LEG, ADVISED THE TWR THAT I WAS TURNING A 2 MI BASE, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER NOTED A TWIN (SMA Z) ON WHAT I AT FIRST THOUGHT TO BE A HIGH PASS DOWN THE RWY FOR AN ENTRY ONTO A L DOWNWIND. MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT TWR HAD BEEN ADVISING ACFT ARRIVING FROM THE E TO HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE ARPT AND THEN ENTER A L DOWNWIND. ABOUT THE TIME I WAS READY TO TURN FINAL, I NOTED THAT THE TWIN WAS AN SMA Z AND THAT IT APPEARED TO BE DSNDING. AS I STARTED MY TURN ONTO FINAL I ADVISED THE TWR THAT THE SMA Z APPEARED TO BE ON A LONG STRAIGHT-IN. I DON'T RECALL THAT THE TWR RESPONDED TO THAT CALL, BUT IN ANY EVENT, THE SMA Z PASSED OVERHEAD AND TO OUR R WITHIN 100-200 FT OF US, AT A HIGHER AIRSPD AND RATE OF DSCNT THAN OURS. ALTHOUGH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO NOTE HIS N NUMBER, NEITHER I NOR MY 3 PAX DID SO, ALTHOUGH ONE OF THEM REMARKED LATER THAT 'WHEN THEY'RE CLOSE ENOUGH TO YOU FOR YOU TO SEE THEIR RIVETS, THEY'RE TOO CLOSE.' I RPTED THE NEAR MISS TO TWR AND THAT I WAS GOING AROUND. TWR MADE NO COMMENT ABOUT THE NEAR MISS, BUT DID TELL US TO REENTER DOWNWIND. THE SMA Z LANDED, WE REENTERED DOWNWIND, ASKED THE TWR TO CALL OUR BASE LEG FOR US, WHICH THEY DID, AND WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I DON'T RECALL THAT THE SMA Z CALLED THE TWR UNTIL AFTER HE WAS NEARER THE END OF RWY 21 THAN WE WERE. NOT THE KIND OF OCCURRENCE I WOULD CARE TO REPEAT AGAIN ANYTIME SOON. I DON'T THINK TWR SHOULD HAVE BEEN TELLING ACFT APCHING ASN FROM THE E TO 'HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE ARPT' FOR ENTRY ONTO A L DOWNWIND. IF THE SMA Z FAILED TO SEE US, AS HE APPARENTLY DID, HE MAY HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO REASON FOR HIM NOT TO LAND STRAIGHT-IN, WHILE I WAS ERRONEOUSLY ASSUMING THAT HE WAS GOING TO PROCEED DOWN THE RWY AT OR ABOVE PATTERN ALT FOR HIS DOWNWIND ENTRY. HE SHOULD HAVE SEEN US AND I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE NOTED SOONER THAN I DID THAT HE WAS DSNDING, BUT I WAS TRYING TO TRACK SEVERAL ACFT AT THE SAME TIME, WHILE ALSO SETTING UP FOR LNDG, AND DIDN'T GET THE JOB DONE UNTIL WE WERE CLOSER THAN I WOULD HAVE LIKED.

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.