 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
A mooney private pilot has an near midair collision with a cessna type aircraft southeast of bjc airport at 7000 ft MSL. The cessna was a traffic watch aircraft. Both aircraft under the class B airspace of den, co.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 460939 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200001 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : bjc.airport |
| State Reference | CO |
| Altitude | msl single value : 7000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : d10.tracon |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | M-20 B/C Ranger |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Route In Use | enroute : direct |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tracon : d01.tracon |
| Operator | general aviation : corporate |
| Make Model Name | Cessna Single Piston Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Navigation In Use | other |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Route In Use | enroute : direct |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : private |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 130 flight time total : 398 flight time type : 215 |
| ASRS Report | 460939 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : corporate |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : nmac non adherence : far other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : took evasive action |
| Consequence | Other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 100 vertical : 30 |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Flight Crew Human Performance Environmental Factor Airspace Structure Aircraft |
| Primary Problem | Environmental Factor |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
On jan/xa/00 at approximately XB00, my plane and another came relatively close to one another. I was flying a mooney and the other traffic was a high wing cessna that appeared to be of the 172 or 182 family of models. The other plane converged on me from the right side. When I did notice him he was approximately 100 ft to my right and 30 ft below. At this point we were nearly abeam each other and the other plane banked towards me and passed behind. I pitched up to make sure he didn't hit me as he banked. Contributing factors were as follows: neither plane had strobe lights on. The cessna was lower, thus his navigation lights were mixed in with all the lights of the denver metropolitan area. It was dusk, so navigation lights aren't as apparent as at night, and aircraft are more difficult to pick out against a darkening sky. I was flying solo and was still monitoring centennial tower, so I had little to distract my attention from looking outside. The only suggestion I have for greater safety in the future is to require strobe lights at times such as this -- within a certain proximity of metropolitan areas during times of darkness. As I was on 5 mi final for landing at jeffco airport, traffic watch aircraft asked tower for my n-number indicating that he had followed me from the point of near miss, so apparently he was the other aircraft.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A MOONEY PVT PLT HAS AN NMAC WITH A CESSNA TYPE ACFT SE OF BJC ARPT AT 7000 FT MSL. THE CESSNA WAS A TFC WATCH ACFT. BOTH ACFT UNDER THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OF DEN, CO.
Narrative: ON JAN/XA/00 AT APPROX XB00, MY PLANE AND ANOTHER CAME RELATIVELY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. I WAS FLYING A MOONEY AND THE OTHER TFC WAS A HIGH WING CESSNA THAT APPEARED TO BE OF THE 172 OR 182 FAMILY OF MODELS. THE OTHER PLANE CONVERGED ON ME FROM THE R SIDE. WHEN I DID NOTICE HIM HE WAS APPROX 100 FT TO MY R AND 30 FT BELOW. AT THIS POINT WE WERE NEARLY ABEAM EACH OTHER AND THE OTHER PLANE BANKED TOWARDS ME AND PASSED BEHIND. I PITCHED UP TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN'T HIT ME AS HE BANKED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE AS FOLLOWS: NEITHER PLANE HAD STROBE LIGHTS ON. THE CESSNA WAS LOWER, THUS HIS NAV LIGHTS WERE MIXED IN WITH ALL THE LIGHTS OF THE DENVER METRO AREA. IT WAS DUSK, SO NAV LIGHTS AREN'T AS APPARENT AS AT NIGHT, AND ACFT ARE MORE DIFFICULT TO PICK OUT AGAINST A DARKENING SKY. I WAS FLYING SOLO AND WAS STILL MONITORING CENTENNIAL TWR, SO I HAD LITTLE TO DISTRACT MY ATTN FROM LOOKING OUTSIDE. THE ONLY SUGGESTION I HAVE FOR GREATER SAFETY IN THE FUTURE IS TO REQUIRE STROBE LIGHTS AT TIMES SUCH AS THIS -- WITHIN A CERTAIN PROX OF METRO AREAS DURING TIMES OF DARKNESS. AS I WAS ON 5 MI FINAL FOR LNDG AT JEFFCO ARPT, TFC WATCH ACFT ASKED TWR FOR MY N-NUMBER INDICATING THAT HE HAD FOLLOWED ME FROM THE POINT OF NEAR MISS, SO APPARENTLY HE WAS THE OTHER ACFT.
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.