IFR pilot reports near miss with VFR traffic.

Attributes
ACN	437677
Time
Date	199905
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	navaid : hln.vortac
State Reference	MT
Altitude	msl single value : 14700
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zlc.artcc tower : ewr.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Airliner 99
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Navigation In Use	other vortac
Flight Plan	None
Aircraft 2
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zlc.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	SA-227 AC Metro III
Flight Phase	climbout : initial
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 75 flight time total : 5358 flight time type : 1230
ASRS Report	437677
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : radar
Qualification	controller : radar
Events
Anomaly	conflict : airborne less severe inflight encounter : vfr in imc non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Miss Distance	horizontal : 9000 vertical : 600
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Weather Flight Crew Human Performance ATC Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

I was VFR from bil to mso. Near hln I was in a climb to stay VFR at 16500 ft. I called ATC (ZLC) and asked for an IFR clearance to mso because I was having a hard time staying VFR. They gave me an IFR to mso. After landing at mso and unloading, I went to eat. When I got back to the airport, I was told that the tower called and wanted to talk to me. I called them and they told me ZLC wanted to talk to me. I called them and they told me that when I was VFR at 14700 ft, an SA227 was climbing out of hln going to FL210. When he was at 15300 and I was at 14700 ft, he could not see me and we were 1.5 mi apart and 600 ft vertical. At that time he told ATC he wanted to report a near miss because he was IMC.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IFR PLT RPTS NEAR MISS WITH VFR TFC.

Narrative: I WAS VFR FROM BIL TO MSO. NEAR HLN I WAS IN A CLB TO STAY VFR AT 16500 FT. I CALLED ATC (ZLC) AND ASKED FOR AN IFR CLRNC TO MSO BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A HARD TIME STAYING VFR. THEY GAVE ME AN IFR TO MSO. AFTER LNDG AT MSO AND UNLOADING, I WENT TO EAT. WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE ARPT, I WAS TOLD THAT THE TWR CALLED AND WANTED TO TALK TO ME. I CALLED THEM AND THEY TOLD ME ZLC WANTED TO TALK TO ME. I CALLED THEM AND THEY TOLD ME THAT WHEN I WAS VFR AT 14700 FT, AN SA227 WAS CLBING OUT OF HLN GOING TO FL210. WHEN HE WAS AT 15300 AND I WAS AT 14700 FT, HE COULD NOT SEE ME AND WE WERE 1.5 MI APART AND 600 FT VERT. AT THAT TIME HE TOLD ATC HE WANTED TO RPT A NEAR MISS BECAUSE HE WAS IMC.

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.