Narrative:

I am a private pilot with 208 total hours flying time. I started flying in the local miami area in january of 1998 and received a check ride that same month. My total flying experience in the miami area as PIC is less than 20 hours. On aug/sat/98, I rented an airplane from opa locka airport to take a visiting friend flying around the local area. The WX was VMC, with reported convection activity to the west of the airport that was PIREP as no threat to local operations. Our departure from opf was without incident, and our flight path took us around the perimeter of the miami class B airspace, with our altitude in the local area being between 1500 ft and 800 ft MSL, flying over the miami beach and surrounding areas. After approximately 1 1/2 hours of flying I initiated a final leg approach into opf, runway 27R, after having received the ATIS information, and calling opf tower for advisories. I was 7 NM due east from the airport, heading 270 degrees at 1000 ft MSL, when the opf tower reported that an aircraft, a PA28, was behind me, heading 270 degrees and at 1400 ft MSL. I initiated a clearing turn to the left to try to ascertain the position of the unknown aircraft. Opf tower had reported that they did not have 2-WAY radio communications established with the aircraft. Opf communicated no further advisories regarding the aircraft. I continued my descent into opf on a heading of 270 degrees to runway 27R, without having established visual contact with the unknown aircraft. After descending through 800 ft MSL an aircraft appeared above my windscreen, heading 270 degrees, with approximately 75 ft vertical distance between us. The aircraft broke right, descending, with approximately 75 ft horizontal distance between us. The aircraft continued a descent to my right turning away from my airplane. Upon seeing the aircraft initially above me I broke into a descending turn to the left. I leveled off at around 500 ft MSL to see the aircraft making its turns to the right as described above. Opf tower came over the radio and asked what had just happened, and reported that miami approach had reported a near miss on their radar. I reported to opf tower that a near miss had just occurred and asked confirmation with opf tower that this was the aircraft initially reported as being 1400 ft MSL behind me in their earlier communication. Opf confirmed, and I continued my descent into opf runway 27R without incident after establishing that the unknown aircraft was of no further threat. Opf tower stated that miami controllers had the aircraft tagged for an inbound approach into mia international runway 27R, but that the aircraft had apparently called opf runway 27R in sight, thinking that opf was mia. Mia reported that it had, at all times, 2-WAY communications established with the aircraft. The problem arose in several respects: 1) I, as PIC, failed to establish visual contact with the aircraft, 2) the unknown aircraft failed to establish visual contact with me, 3) the unknown aircraft failed to establish visual contact with the correct airport, 4) mia controllers failed to ascertain that the aircraft was setting up a final on opf runway 27R, rather than mia runway 27R for which it was confirmed cleared to land, 5) the unknown aircraft failed to climb upon establishing visual contact with me at an altitude of less than 100 ft between us, instead the unknown aircraft descended in an improper attempt to avoid collision. Contributing factors may have been: 1) my inexperience in the local miami area, 2) flight instructors teaching students in the local area to avoid entering mia class B airspace so as to avoid establishing and maintaining 2-WAY radio communications when conducting local flts, 3) the unknown aircraft's pilot failing to recognize mia airport, 4) the unknown aircraft performing unsafe maneuvers. The problem was discovered almost too late. With class B airspace surrounding the entire area, it should follow that with aircraft flying mode C, these types of incidents should not happen. I made evasive actions, with the unknown aircraft following. I was flying a high wing aircraft, with an unknown low wing aircraft above me, the perfect set-up for a midair collision. Human performance factors: 1) I was prepared for the flight that day, but my inexperience in the local area may have added to my anxiety of flying with a new passenger, 2) I felt I acted in a manner consistent with the training I had received, 3) I did not think other possible outcomes, including the danger of such a near miss, until after I had landed at opf. I am still uncertain if I should have declared an 'emergency.' in future local flts, no matter the duration, I will initiate and maintain contact with ZMA, and I will share this experience with other local pilots to encourage them to do the same.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 AND PA28 HAD NMAC WHEN CHEROKEE PLT MADE AN APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT.

Narrative: I AM A PVT PLT WITH 208 TOTAL HRS FLYING TIME. I STARTED FLYING IN THE LCL MIAMI AREA IN JANUARY OF 1998 AND RECEIVED A CHK RIDE THAT SAME MONTH. MY TOTAL FLYING EXPERIENCE IN THE MIAMI AREA AS PIC IS LESS THAN 20 HRS. ON AUG/SAT/98, I RENTED AN AIRPLANE FROM OPA LOCKA ARPT TO TAKE A VISITING FRIEND FLYING AROUND THE LCL AREA. THE WX WAS VMC, WITH RPTED CONVECTION ACTIVITY TO THE W OF THE ARPT THAT WAS PIREP AS NO THREAT TO LCL OPS. OUR DEP FROM OPF WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND OUR FLT PATH TOOK US AROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE MIAMI CLASS B AIRSPACE, WITH OUR ALT IN THE LCL AREA BEING BTWN 1500 FT AND 800 FT MSL, FLYING OVER THE MIAMI BEACH AND SURROUNDING AREAS. AFTER APPROX 1 1/2 HRS OF FLYING I INITIATED A FINAL LEG APCH INTO OPF, RWY 27R, AFTER HAVING RECEIVED THE ATIS INFO, AND CALLING OPF TWR FOR ADVISORIES. I WAS 7 NM DUE E FROM THE ARPT, HDG 270 DEGS AT 1000 FT MSL, WHEN THE OPF TWR RPTED THAT AN ACFT, A PA28, WAS BEHIND ME, HDG 270 DEGS AND AT 1400 FT MSL. I INITIATED A CLRING TURN TO THE L TO TRY TO ASCERTAIN THE POS OF THE UNKNOWN ACFT. OPF TWR HAD RPTED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE 2-WAY RADIO COMS ESTABLISHED WITH THE ACFT. OPF COMMUNICATED NO FURTHER ADVISORIES REGARDING THE ACFT. I CONTINUED MY DSCNT INTO OPF ON A HDG OF 270 DEGS TO RWY 27R, WITHOUT HAVING ESTABLISHED VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE UNKNOWN ACFT. AFTER DSNDING THROUGH 800 FT MSL AN ACFT APPEARED ABOVE MY WINDSCREEN, HDG 270 DEGS, WITH APPROX 75 FT VERT DISTANCE BTWN US. THE ACFT BROKE R, DSNDING, WITH APPROX 75 FT HORIZ DISTANCE BTWN US. THE ACFT CONTINUED A DSCNT TO MY R TURNING AWAY FROM MY AIRPLANE. UPON SEEING THE ACFT INITIALLY ABOVE ME I BROKE INTO A DSNDING TURN TO THE L. I LEVELED OFF AT AROUND 500 FT MSL TO SEE THE ACFT MAKING ITS TURNS TO THE R AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. OPF TWR CAME OVER THE RADIO AND ASKED WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED, AND RPTED THAT MIAMI APCH HAD RPTED A NEAR MISS ON THEIR RADAR. I RPTED TO OPF TWR THAT A NEAR MISS HAD JUST OCCURRED AND ASKED CONFIRMATION WITH OPF TWR THAT THIS WAS THE ACFT INITIALLY RPTED AS BEING 1400 FT MSL BEHIND ME IN THEIR EARLIER COM. OPF CONFIRMED, AND I CONTINUED MY DSCNT INTO OPF RWY 27R WITHOUT INCIDENT AFTER ESTABLISHING THAT THE UNKNOWN ACFT WAS OF NO FURTHER THREAT. OPF TWR STATED THAT MIAMI CTLRS HAD THE ACFT TAGGED FOR AN INBOUND APCH INTO MIA INTL RWY 27R, BUT THAT THE ACFT HAD APPARENTLY CALLED OPF RWY 27R IN SIGHT, THINKING THAT OPF WAS MIA. MIA RPTED THAT IT HAD, AT ALL TIMES, 2-WAY COMS ESTABLISHED WITH THE ACFT. THE PROB AROSE IN SEVERAL RESPECTS: 1) I, AS PIC, FAILED TO ESTABLISH VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ACFT, 2) THE UNKNOWN ACFT FAILED TO ESTABLISH VISUAL CONTACT WITH ME, 3) THE UNKNOWN ACFT FAILED TO ESTABLISH VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE CORRECT ARPT, 4) MIA CTLRS FAILED TO ASCERTAIN THAT THE ACFT WAS SETTING UP A FINAL ON OPF RWY 27R, RATHER THAN MIA RWY 27R FOR WHICH IT WAS CONFIRMED CLRED TO LAND, 5) THE UNKNOWN ACFT FAILED TO CLB UPON ESTABLISHING VISUAL CONTACT WITH ME AT AN ALT OF LESS THAN 100 FT BTWN US, INSTEAD THE UNKNOWN ACFT DSNDED IN AN IMPROPER ATTEMPT TO AVOID COLLISION. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS MAY HAVE BEEN: 1) MY INEXPERIENCE IN THE LCL MIAMI AREA, 2) FLT INSTRUCTORS TEACHING STUDENTS IN THE LCL AREA TO AVOID ENTERING MIA CLASS B AIRSPACE SO AS TO AVOID ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING 2-WAY RADIO COMS WHEN CONDUCTING LCL FLTS, 3) THE UNKNOWN ACFT'S PLT FAILING TO RECOGNIZE MIA ARPT, 4) THE UNKNOWN ACFT PERFORMING UNSAFE MANEUVERS. THE PROB WAS DISCOVERED ALMOST TOO LATE. WITH CLASS B AIRSPACE SURROUNDING THE ENTIRE AREA, IT SHOULD FOLLOW THAT WITH ACFT FLYING MODE C, THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. I MADE EVASIVE ACTIONS, WITH THE UNKNOWN ACFT FOLLOWING. I WAS FLYING A HIGH WING ACFT, WITH AN UNKNOWN LOW WING ACFT ABOVE ME, THE PERFECT SET-UP FOR A MIDAIR COLLISION. HUMAN PERFORMANCE FACTORS: 1) I WAS PREPARED FOR THE FLT THAT DAY, BUT MY INEXPERIENCE IN THE LCL AREA MAY HAVE ADDED TO MY ANXIETY OF FLYING WITH A NEW PAX, 2) I FELT I ACTED IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE TRAINING I HAD RECEIVED, 3) I DID NOT THINK OTHER POSSIBLE OUTCOMES, INCLUDING THE DANGER OF SUCH A NEAR MISS, UNTIL AFTER I HAD LANDED AT OPF. I AM STILL UNCERTAIN IF I SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN 'EMER.' IN FUTURE LCL FLTS, NO MATTER THE DURATION, I WILL INITIATE AND MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH ZMA, AND I WILL SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER LCL PLTS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO THE SAME.

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.