Narrative:

I was flying a PA18 with an instructor pilot in the rear seat. I was being instructed on the proper procedures used to conduct a specific type of survey. We departed alexander lake in galena and proceeded to the first waypoint on the survey 15 mi nne. Once at the first waypoint, we assessed the survey conditions. WX was approximately 2000 ft broken and 20 mi with enough sunlight to see the animals. Once established on course, I attempted to determine a proper wind correction angle and keep the airplane at the 1000 ft AGL required for the survey. This particular portion of the survey was over some low rolling hills so the instructor and I decided to maintain an altitude of 1500 ft MSL. I was aware that we would be east of the VFR flight route from galena to huslia on the first couple of lines. I ensured that our communication radio was set to huslia's CTAF. Unfortunately, at this point, I must have been more concerned about the survey, because I forgot to self-announce our position relative to the airway. The instructor also forgot to remind me to self-announce. By the time we were nearing VFR flight route we noticed that the broken layer of clouds was becoming an overcast with 'flat' lighting conditions, which are less desirable for the survey. Towards the end of the third survey, I had not made a blind traffic call, but was still monitoring the CTAF. We were crossing the VFR flight route at about 1100 ft AGL and approximately 23 NM south of huslia. At this time during my scan out the left side of the airplane looking for animals on the surface, I caught a glimpse of some movement in my peripheral vision at our 8 O'clock position. I saw that it was a commuter plane which I recognized as being from galena. It happened so fast, I had no time to take evasive action. I called the instructor's attention to it and by this time it was directly in front of us by about 1000 ft and rapidly decreasing in size relative to our windshield. The instructor wanted me to call him on CTAF, but I felt a little ashamed because I had not done my job properly by self announcing all along. I called him anyway. It turned out, I knew the pilot. I explained what just happened and told him of our position which was no longer a threat to him. The instructor wanted to know if he saw us and I told him I didn't think he did, but he wanted me to ask him just to be sure. I asked the other pilot and he indicated that he did not see us. He said he would be returning via this route shortly, so I informed him that we were probably still going to be somewhere in the vicinity. By the time we left the survey area, I had already begun to monitor the galena CTAF because we were now closer to galena than huslia. But again, I was complacent in giving our position 'in the blind' on the CTAF. We proceeded to do the first 2 patterns, but could not see the tracks on the third pass and so opted to go around and continue to galena. By this time, I heard the other aircraft on the galena CTAF and simultaneously made visual contact with him again. I then realized that we were again under the VFR flight route, and again had made no effort to report our position. He was already past us inbound to galena as well. I reported our position and intention to land alexander lake on the CTAF. We landed without further incident. The pilot of the other airplane later said that he was self-announcing on the huslia CTAF on his return leg and was also actively watching for us. He spotted us while we were in our pattern. He said he had to alter course to avoid entering the area where we were maneuvering. Although I was watching for traffic, I did not see him until he was well past us. In hindsight, perhaps 4 overlooked items would have helped prevent our near miss incident: 1) during our preflight, we should have included a discussion about responsibilities for crew members including searching for traffic and self announcing during aerial wildlife surveys. 2) I should have frequently reported our position 'in the blind' on each of the galena and huslia CTAF's as part of my traffic avoidance responsibilities. 3) I should have been assertive withthe instructor pilot, and excused myself from lesson discussions on intercom to allow self-announcements on CTAF. 4) although it would have been impossible to see an airplane overtaking us until it was too late, we should have both been more vigilant in watching for traffic, especially when on or near a flight route.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC BTWN A GOV OPERATED SUPER CUB ON A SURVEY AND A SCHEDULED CARGO PIPER LANCE WHILE IN CLASS E AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A PA18 WITH AN INSTRUCTOR PLT IN THE REAR SEAT. I WAS BEING INSTRUCTED ON THE PROPER PROCS USED TO CONDUCT A SPECIFIC TYPE OF SURVEY. WE DEPARTED ALEXANDER LAKE IN GALENA AND PROCEEDED TO THE FIRST WAYPOINT ON THE SURVEY 15 MI NNE. ONCE AT THE FIRST WAYPOINT, WE ASSESSED THE SURVEY CONDITIONS. WX WAS APPROX 2000 FT BROKEN AND 20 MI WITH ENOUGH SUNLIGHT TO SEE THE ANIMALS. ONCE ESTABLISHED ON COURSE, I ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE A PROPER WIND CORRECTION ANGLE AND KEEP THE AIRPLANE AT THE 1000 FT AGL REQUIRED FOR THE SURVEY. THIS PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE SURVEY WAS OVER SOME LOW ROLLING HILLS SO THE INSTRUCTOR AND I DECIDED TO MAINTAIN AN ALT OF 1500 FT MSL. I WAS AWARE THAT WE WOULD BE E OF THE VFR FLT RTE FROM GALENA TO HUSLIA ON THE FIRST COUPLE OF LINES. I ENSURED THAT OUR COM RADIO WAS SET TO HUSLIA'S CTAF. UNFORTUNATELY, AT THIS POINT, I MUST HAVE BEEN MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SURVEY, BECAUSE I FORGOT TO SELF-ANNOUNCE OUR POS RELATIVE TO THE AIRWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR ALSO FORGOT TO REMIND ME TO SELF-ANNOUNCE. BY THE TIME WE WERE NEARING VFR FLT RTE WE NOTICED THAT THE BROKEN LAYER OF CLOUDS WAS BECOMING AN OVCST WITH 'FLAT' LIGHTING CONDITIONS, WHICH ARE LESS DESIRABLE FOR THE SURVEY. TOWARDS THE END OF THE THIRD SURVEY, I HAD NOT MADE A BLIND TFC CALL, BUT WAS STILL MONITORING THE CTAF. WE WERE XING THE VFR FLT RTE AT ABOUT 1100 FT AGL AND APPROX 23 NM S OF HUSLIA. AT THIS TIME DURING MY SCAN OUT THE L SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE LOOKING FOR ANIMALS ON THE SURFACE, I CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF SOME MOVEMENT IN MY PERIPHERAL VISION AT OUR 8 O'CLOCK POS. I SAW THAT IT WAS A COMMUTER PLANE WHICH I RECOGNIZED AS BEING FROM GALENA. IT HAPPENED SO FAST, I HAD NO TIME TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. I CALLED THE INSTRUCTOR'S ATTN TO IT AND BY THIS TIME IT WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US BY ABOUT 1000 FT AND RAPIDLY DECREASING IN SIZE RELATIVE TO OUR WINDSHIELD. THE INSTRUCTOR WANTED ME TO CALL HIM ON CTAF, BUT I FELT A LITTLE ASHAMED BECAUSE I HAD NOT DONE MY JOB PROPERLY BY SELF ANNOUNCING ALL ALONG. I CALLED HIM ANYWAY. IT TURNED OUT, I KNEW THE PLT. I EXPLAINED WHAT JUST HAPPENED AND TOLD HIM OF OUR POS WHICH WAS NO LONGER A THREAT TO HIM. THE INSTRUCTOR WANTED TO KNOW IF HE SAW US AND I TOLD HIM I DIDN'T THINK HE DID, BUT HE WANTED ME TO ASK HIM JUST TO BE SURE. I ASKED THE OTHER PLT AND HE INDICATED THAT HE DID NOT SEE US. HE SAID HE WOULD BE RETURNING VIA THIS RTE SHORTLY, SO I INFORMED HIM THAT WE WERE PROBABLY STILL GOING TO BE SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY. BY THE TIME WE LEFT THE SURVEY AREA, I HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO MONITOR THE GALENA CTAF BECAUSE WE WERE NOW CLOSER TO GALENA THAN HUSLIA. BUT AGAIN, I WAS COMPLACENT IN GIVING OUR POS 'IN THE BLIND' ON THE CTAF. WE PROCEEDED TO DO THE FIRST 2 PATTERNS, BUT COULD NOT SEE THE TRACKS ON THE THIRD PASS AND SO OPTED TO GO AROUND AND CONTINUE TO GALENA. BY THIS TIME, I HEARD THE OTHER ACFT ON THE GALENA CTAF AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH HIM AGAIN. I THEN REALIZED THAT WE WERE AGAIN UNDER THE VFR FLT RTE, AND AGAIN HAD MADE NO EFFORT TO RPT OUR POS. HE WAS ALREADY PAST US INBOUND TO GALENA AS WELL. I RPTED OUR POS AND INTENTION TO LAND ALEXANDER LAKE ON THE CTAF. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE PLT OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE LATER SAID THAT HE WAS SELF-ANNOUNCING ON THE HUSLIA CTAF ON HIS RETURN LEG AND WAS ALSO ACTIVELY WATCHING FOR US. HE SPOTTED US WHILE WE WERE IN OUR PATTERN. HE SAID HE HAD TO ALTER COURSE TO AVOID ENTERING THE AREA WHERE WE WERE MANEUVERING. ALTHOUGH I WAS WATCHING FOR TFC, I DID NOT SEE HIM UNTIL HE WAS WELL PAST US. IN HINDSIGHT, PERHAPS 4 OVERLOOKED ITEMS WOULD HAVE HELPED PREVENT OUR NEAR MISS INCIDENT: 1) DURING OUR PREFLT, WE SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED A DISCUSSION ABOUT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CREW MEMBERS INCLUDING SEARCHING FOR TFC AND SELF ANNOUNCING DURING AERIAL WILDLIFE SURVEYS. 2) I SHOULD HAVE FREQUENTLY RPTED OUR POS 'IN THE BLIND' ON EACH OF THE GALENA AND HUSLIA CTAF'S AS PART OF MY TFC AVOIDANCE RESPONSIBILITIES. 3) I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASSERTIVE WITHTHE INSTRUCTOR PLT, AND EXCUSED MYSELF FROM LESSON DISCUSSIONS ON INTERCOM TO ALLOW SELF-ANNOUNCEMENTS ON CTAF. 4) ALTHOUGH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE AN AIRPLANE OVERTAKING US UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE, WE SHOULD HAVE BOTH BEEN MORE VIGILANT IN WATCHING FOR TFC, ESPECIALLY WHEN ON OR NEAR A FLT RTE.

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.