Narrative:

I was conducting an initial flight instructor practical test in a PA44-180 at crestview, fl. The WX along the gulf coast was low IFR however by chance crestview ceilings were 1700 ft AGL and 6 plus mi visibility. Crestview airport has a 8000 ft runway oriented north and south. There is a VOR a approach from the west that crosses the runway at approximately 70 degrees. There is a straight in localizer/NDB approach from the north. The airport has no tower and has just decommissioned the FSS. Gainesville FSS provides radio communication and elgin approach control is primary for IFR traffic. It is heavily used by army and air force units along with civilians and active parachutists. We were on downwind to runway 17 at 1200 ft MSL (1000 ft AGL) with a simulated single engine. At about 3 mi off my left wing I spotted a C130 specter gunship on a VOR a approach at about 700 ft. The C130 was not on CTAF and it at first appeared that our tracks were perfectly converging. I took control of the aircraft and climb about 100 ft the aircraft passed below and within 500 ft to my tail. We resumed downwind and looked for the aircraft off our right side. We never saw it. The normal missed approach radar vector is to continue climbing to the east so we believed the C130 went missed approach. Just prior to turning base leg, at 1000 ft MSL, 800 ft AGL the gunship passed 300 ft under us in a 30 degree bank. Horizontally he was within 200 ft in front of our nose. Had we been at his altitude he would have hit us at our 4-5 O'clock position and we would have never seen him coming. The C130 continued in a circling approach with no wing level base, made a touch and go and departed the area. All without ever being on CTAF. Additionally there were 2 other aircraft in the pattern and on approach from the north. Problem, the FSS had just been decommissioned, and a new CTAF 122.95 was in effect by NOTAM. Eglin approach control was not advising aircraft of the change. By chance I was back at crestview 2 days later and eglin approach control was still telling people to contact crestview FSS for advisories. On the day of the incident, we immediately called eglin to advise them that the C130 was not on frequency. After initial contact eglin ignored all our subsequent radio calls because they were busy on UHF and not properly responding to VHF calls. Prior to this flight we received a briefing from gainesville FSS. They had advised us to use 123.6 the old CTAF. We had asked for the NOTAMS to be rechked because I was aware of the change from my use of duats. The briefer then found the correct frequency 122.95. We all have a right to use this airport but we sure do not need C130's charging through the traffic pattern not on frequency. Most likely the pilot was on the old CTAF and did not see us or the other traffic. The breakdown appears to be a failure of our system to provide critical NOTAM information. If we can have controllers taking time to require readback of taxi instructions then there should be enough time for them to be required to issue the correct frequency on a change over to advisory. This could only be required if there is a recent change in CTAF. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states he did talk to the FAA safety inspector regarding this incident who said he would discuss it with the AFB ATC personnel. However, reporter was at this airport 2 days later and was issued the same erroneous clearance to contact FSS. Apparently there was some kind of gathering of the C130 pilots squadron the next night and the incident was brought up. Consequently the C130 pilot contacted reporter and stated yeah, he saw him but thought he was going somewhere else. Reporter says he wonders what this fellow thinks a downwind is??? Reporter also found that the squadrons at the AFB have agreed that they will not fly the circling approach, usually used by the military, at non tower airport, so the pilot actually violated one of the military agreements in his approach. Reporter also queried several other pilots who had flown into this airport and they indicated they were given no advisory about the change or were told to contact the FSS (the closed one).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT EXAMINER WITH STUDENT IN TWIN ENG TRAINING ACTIVITY HAS NMAC WITH MIL C130 IN TFC PATTERN AT NON TWR ARPT. APCH CTL ISSUING ERRONEOUS INFO REGARDING CONTACT FOR LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS CONDUCTING AN INITIAL FLT INSTRUCTOR PRACTICAL TEST IN A PA44-180 AT CRESTVIEW, FL. THE WX ALONG THE GULF COAST WAS LOW IFR HOWEVER BY CHANCE CRESTVIEW CEILINGS WERE 1700 FT AGL AND 6 PLUS MI VISIBILITY. CRESTVIEW ARPT HAS A 8000 FT RWY ORIENTED N AND S. THERE IS A VOR A APCH FROM THE W THAT CROSSES THE RWY AT APPROX 70 DEGS. THERE IS A STRAIGHT IN LOC/NDB APCH FROM THE N. THE ARPT HAS NO TWR AND HAS JUST DECOMMISSIONED THE FSS. GAINESVILLE FSS PROVIDES RADIO COM AND ELGIN APCH CTL IS PRIMARY FOR IFR TFC. IT IS HEAVILY USED BY ARMY AND AIR FORCE UNITS ALONG WITH CIVILIANS AND ACTIVE PARACHUTISTS. WE WERE ON DOWNWIND TO RWY 17 AT 1200 FT MSL (1000 FT AGL) WITH A SIMULATED SINGLE ENG. AT ABOUT 3 MI OFF MY L WING I SPOTTED A C130 SPECTER GUNSHIP ON A VOR A APCH AT ABOUT 700 FT. THE C130 WAS NOT ON CTAF AND IT AT FIRST APPEARED THAT OUR TRACKS WERE PERFECTLY CONVERGING. I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND CLB ABOUT 100 FT THE ACFT PASSED BELOW AND WITHIN 500 FT TO MY TAIL. WE RESUMED DOWNWIND AND LOOKED FOR THE ACFT OFF OUR R SIDE. WE NEVER SAW IT. THE NORMAL MISSED APCH RADAR VECTOR IS TO CONTINUE CLBING TO THE E SO WE BELIEVED THE C130 WENT MISSED APCH. JUST PRIOR TO TURNING BASE LEG, AT 1000 FT MSL, 800 FT AGL THE GUNSHIP PASSED 300 FT UNDER US IN A 30 DEG BANK. HORIZLY HE WAS WITHIN 200 FT IN FRONT OF OUR NOSE. HAD WE BEEN AT HIS ALT HE WOULD HAVE HIT US AT OUR 4-5 O'CLOCK POS AND WE WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM COMING. THE C130 CONTINUED IN A CIRCLING APCH WITH NO WING LEVEL BASE, MADE A TOUCH AND GO AND DEPARTED THE AREA. ALL WITHOUT EVER BEING ON CTAF. ADDITIONALLY THERE WERE 2 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND ON APCH FROM THE N. PROB, THE FSS HAD JUST BEEN DECOMMISSIONED, AND A NEW CTAF 122.95 WAS IN EFFECT BY NOTAM. EGLIN APCH CTL WAS NOT ADVISING ACFT OF THE CHANGE. BY CHANCE I WAS BACK AT CRESTVIEW 2 DAYS LATER AND EGLIN APCH CTL WAS STILL TELLING PEOPLE TO CONTACT CRESTVIEW FSS FOR ADVISORIES. ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED EGLIN TO ADVISE THEM THAT THE C130 WAS NOT ON FREQ. AFTER INITIAL CONTACT EGLIN IGNORED ALL OUR SUBSEQUENT RADIO CALLS BECAUSE THEY WERE BUSY ON UHF AND NOT PROPERLY RESPONDING TO VHF CALLS. PRIOR TO THIS FLT WE RECEIVED A BRIEFING FROM GAINESVILLE FSS. THEY HAD ADVISED US TO USE 123.6 THE OLD CTAF. WE HAD ASKED FOR THE NOTAMS TO BE RECHKED BECAUSE I WAS AWARE OF THE CHANGE FROM MY USE OF DUATS. THE BRIEFER THEN FOUND THE CORRECT FREQ 122.95. WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO USE THIS ARPT BUT WE SURE DO NOT NEED C130'S CHARGING THROUGH THE TFC PATTERN NOT ON FREQ. MOST LIKELY THE PLT WAS ON THE OLD CTAF AND DID NOT SEE US OR THE OTHER TFC. THE BREAKDOWN APPEARS TO BE A FAILURE OF OUR SYS TO PROVIDE CRITICAL NOTAM INFO. IF WE CAN HAVE CTLRS TAKING TIME TO REQUIRE READBACK OF TAXI INSTRUCTIONS THEN THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TIME FOR THEM TO BE REQUIRED TO ISSUE THE CORRECT FREQ ON A CHANGE OVER TO ADVISORY. THIS COULD ONLY BE REQUIRED IF THERE IS A RECENT CHANGE IN CTAF. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE DID TALK TO THE FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR REGARDING THIS INCIDENT WHO SAID HE WOULD DISCUSS IT WITH THE AFB ATC PERSONNEL. HOWEVER, RPTR WAS AT THIS ARPT 2 DAYS LATER AND WAS ISSUED THE SAME ERRONEOUS CLRNC TO CONTACT FSS. APPARENTLY THERE WAS SOME KIND OF GATHERING OF THE C130 PLTS SQUADRON THE NEXT NIGHT AND THE INCIDENT WAS BROUGHT UP. CONSEQUENTLY THE C130 PLT CONTACTED RPTR AND STATED YEAH, HE SAW HIM BUT THOUGHT HE WAS GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE. RPTR SAYS HE WONDERS WHAT THIS FELLOW THINKS A DOWNWIND IS??? RPTR ALSO FOUND THAT THE SQUADRONS AT THE AFB HAVE AGREED THAT THEY WILL NOT FLY THE CIRCLING APCH, USUALLY USED BY THE MIL, AT NON TWR ARPT, SO THE PLT ACTUALLY VIOLATED ONE OF THE MIL AGREEMENTS IN HIS APCH. RPTR ALSO QUERIED SEVERAL OTHER PLTS WHO HAD FLOWN INTO THIS ARPT AND THEY INDICATED THEY WERE GIVEN NO ADVISORY ABOUT THE CHANGE OR WERE TOLD TO CONTACT THE FSS (THE CLOSED ONE).

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.