Near midair collision between 2 C172's at a non tower airport at night.

Attributes
ACN	399356
Time
Date	199804
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mgy
State Reference	OH
Altitude	agl bound lower : 300 agl bound upper : 400
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach other
Flight Plan	VFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 11 flight time total : 843 flight time type : 157
ASRS Report	399356
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time total : 100
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : far other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 0 vertical : 300
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Returning to my home airport (mgy) on a night VFR flight, I canceled my flight plan and then entered a left base for runway 20 about 5 mi out. I called my position and made contact with a plane just turning downwind from crosswind. I told him I had him in sight and he said he saw me. When I was about 1 mi final, he turned base, setting up a conflict. I warned him by radio and he went around, passing directly over me with 200-300 ft vertical separation. On speaking with him on the ground, I found he had limited experience (about 100 hours) and few night hours. He admitted that he was actually confused about my position and had not actually seen me until he turned into my path. This incident was partly due to the other pilot's relative inexperience and my somewhat nonstandard traffic pattern entry.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC BTWN 2 C172'S AT A NON TWR ARPT AT NIGHT.

Narrative: RETURNING TO MY HOME ARPT (MGY) ON A NIGHT VFR FLT, I CANCELED MY FLT PLAN AND THEN ENTERED A L BASE FOR RWY 20 ABOUT 5 MI OUT. I CALLED MY POS AND MADE CONTACT WITH A PLANE JUST TURNING DOWNWIND FROM XWIND. I TOLD HIM I HAD HIM IN SIGHT AND HE SAID HE SAW ME. WHEN I WAS ABOUT 1 MI FINAL, HE TURNED BASE, SETTING UP A CONFLICT. I WARNED HIM BY RADIO AND HE WENT AROUND, PASSING DIRECTLY OVER ME WITH 200-300 FT VERT SEPARATION. ON SPEAKING WITH HIM ON THE GND, I FOUND HE HAD LIMITED EXPERIENCE (ABOUT 100 HRS) AND FEW NIGHT HRS. HE ADMITTED THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY CONFUSED ABOUT MY POS AND HAD NOT ACTUALLY SEEN ME UNTIL HE TURNED INTO MY PATH. THIS INCIDENT WAS PARTLY DUE TO THE OTHER PLT'S RELATIVE INEXPERIENCE AND MY SOMEWHAT NONSTANDARD TFC PATTERN ENTRY.

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.