Narrative:

On approach to saratoga springs airport, WX good VFR. 10 mi from airport, I asked alb approach for a frequency change, called saratoga springs unicom, and was informed that they were using runway 32 with calm winds. We entered on a 45 degree entry, reporting '4 mi out on the 45' then reported turning downwind, reported base, and then reported turning final. Up until we reported turning final, there was no other traffic reporting in the traffic pattern. When we turned final, another aircraft, a pawnee tow plane, reported entering the downwind on a crosswind entry. On short final, less than 30 seconds later, as we flew over the airport boundary at an altitude of approximately 50 ft, I heard someone on unicom yell 'look out.' my wife from the rear seats then yelled 'oh god' and then suddenly an aircraft appeared above and slightly to the left of our aircraft in a left turn toward the runway. Separation was no more than 50 ft. I lowered the nose, banked slightly right and then added power and somehow averted a disaster. As I initiated a go around, the other pilot spoke on the unicom, stating that he understood that he might have cut off another aircraft. I asked if we might continue the conversation on the ground. I then flew another pattern and this time landed on runway 5 away from the glider activity. After polling my passenger who included my wife, another instrument rated pilot and his wife, the consensus was that the aircraft had been separated by no more than 5 ft from the propeller of our saratoga to the bottom rear fuselage of the other aircraft. This near disaster arose because the pilot of the other aircraft did not follow the proper airport traffic pattern and failing to listen to other aircraft position reports on unicom. He flew above the airport on a crosswind entry over the approach end of the runway, then rolled left into a 270 degree descending turn and rolled out on final directly above our aircraft. He failed to see and avoid another aircraft. Possibly contributing to my not seeing his aircraft was that he was approaching from an area I would not have expected an aircraft to be. Additionally, on short final, our attention is usually focused on the runway. The only way to avoid this type of accident is to make sure that each of us flies the traffic pattern as we were taught. It only takes a few more mins to fly a standard traffic pattern. Also, listening to the radio is at least as important as talking. We gave 5 position reports on unicom and yet this pilot stated later that he never heard us. 10 witnesses (glider pilots) stated that they heard us report our position. Later in the afternoon it occurred to me that he was dragging a tow rope behind his aircraft and so if we had been a little farther behind him, we could have been hit with the tow rope or worse, it could easily have become entangled in our propeller. In more than 26 yrs of flying, I have never been this close to another aircraft in flight. We are all in command and responsible for the aircraft we fly and so I must assume some responsibility in not seeing this aircraft until it was almost too late. Today I came within 5 ft of ending the lives of myself and 3 passenger in my aircraft, another pilot and at least 10 people on the ground. Even having TCASII on board probably would not have helped. We still need to see and avoid.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA32 PLT MAKING ALL THE CORRECT CALLS FOR A NON TWRED ARPT WAS FORCED TO MAKE A GAR BY SOMEONE WHO WASN'T.

Narrative: ON APCH TO SARATOGA SPRINGS ARPT, WX GOOD VFR. 10 MI FROM ARPT, I ASKED ALB APCH FOR A FREQ CHANGE, CALLED SARATOGA SPRINGS UNICOM, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE USING RWY 32 WITH CALM WINDS. WE ENTERED ON A 45 DEG ENTRY, RPTING '4 MI OUT ON THE 45' THEN RPTED TURNING DOWNWIND, RPTED BASE, AND THEN RPTED TURNING FINAL. UP UNTIL WE RPTED TURNING FINAL, THERE WAS NO OTHER TFC RPTING IN THE TFC PATTERN. WHEN WE TURNED FINAL, ANOTHER ACFT, A PAWNEE TOW PLANE, RPTED ENTERING THE DOWNWIND ON A XWIND ENTRY. ON SHORT FINAL, LESS THAN 30 SECONDS LATER, AS WE FLEW OVER THE ARPT BOUNDARY AT AN ALT OF APPROX 50 FT, I HEARD SOMEONE ON UNICOM YELL 'LOOK OUT.' MY WIFE FROM THE REAR SEATS THEN YELLED 'OH GOD' AND THEN SUDDENLY AN ACFT APPEARED ABOVE AND SLIGHTLY TO THE L OF OUR ACFT IN A L TURN TOWARD THE RWY. SEPARATION WAS NO MORE THAN 50 FT. I LOWERED THE NOSE, BANKED SLIGHTLY R AND THEN ADDED PWR AND SOMEHOW AVERTED A DISASTER. AS I INITIATED A GAR, THE OTHER PLT SPOKE ON THE UNICOM, STATING THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THAT HE MIGHT HAVE CUT OFF ANOTHER ACFT. I ASKED IF WE MIGHT CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ON THE GND. I THEN FLEW ANOTHER PATTERN AND THIS TIME LANDED ON RWY 5 AWAY FROM THE GLIDER ACTIVITY. AFTER POLLING MY PAX WHO INCLUDED MY WIFE, ANOTHER INST RATED PLT AND HIS WIFE, THE CONSENSUS WAS THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN SEPARATED BY NO MORE THAN 5 FT FROM THE PROP OF OUR SARATOGA TO THE BOTTOM REAR FUSELAGE OF THE OTHER ACFT. THIS NEAR DISASTER AROSE BECAUSE THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT DID NOT FOLLOW THE PROPER ARPT TFC PATTERN AND FAILING TO LISTEN TO OTHER ACFT POS RPTS ON UNICOM. HE FLEW ABOVE THE ARPT ON A XWIND ENTRY OVER THE APCH END OF THE RWY, THEN ROLLED L INTO A 270 DEG DSNDING TURN AND ROLLED OUT ON FINAL DIRECTLY ABOVE OUR ACFT. HE FAILED TO SEE AND AVOID ANOTHER ACFT. POSSIBLY CONTRIBUTING TO MY NOT SEEING HIS ACFT WAS THAT HE WAS APCHING FROM AN AREA I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED AN ACFT TO BE. ADDITIONALLY, ON SHORT FINAL, OUR ATTN IS USUALLY FOCUSED ON THE RWY. THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF US FLIES THE TFC PATTERN AS WE WERE TAUGHT. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW MORE MINS TO FLY A STANDARD TFC PATTERN. ALSO, LISTENING TO THE RADIO IS AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT AS TALKING. WE GAVE 5 POS RPTS ON UNICOM AND YET THIS PLT STATED LATER THAT HE NEVER HEARD US. 10 WITNESSES (GLIDER PLTS) STATED THAT THEY HEARD US RPT OUR POS. LATER IN THE AFTERNOON IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT HE WAS DRAGGING A TOW ROPE BEHIND HIS ACFT AND SO IF WE HAD BEEN A LITTLE FARTHER BEHIND HIM, WE COULD HAVE BEEN HIT WITH THE TOW ROPE OR WORSE, IT COULD EASILY HAVE BECOME ENTANGLED IN OUR PROP. IN MORE THAN 26 YRS OF FLYING, I HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS CLOSE TO ANOTHER ACFT IN FLT. WE ARE ALL IN COMMAND AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACFT WE FLY AND SO I MUST ASSUME SOME RESPONSIBILITY IN NOT SEEING THIS ACFT UNTIL IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE. TODAY I CAME WITHIN 5 FT OF ENDING THE LIVES OF MYSELF AND 3 PAX IN MY ACFT, ANOTHER PLT AND AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE ON THE GND. EVEN HAVING TCASII ON BOARD PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HELPED. WE STILL NEED TO SEE AND AVOID.

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.