Narrative:

While on a maintenance flight around the pattern of an uncontrolled airport, I took off with an a&P flight in r-hand seat. The purpose was to monitor oil pressure on a newly installed engine. I flew a square but wider pattern than usual. 3 mi from airport, I called in the blind my position, downwind, base, lining final (over the interstate) and 1 mi final. There were 2 other aircraft in the pattern -- 1 ahead and the C172 behind me. I flew the downwind to base varying power setting from maximum to cruise to approach all within a minute. Each of us took a turn watching the oil pressure gauge. The C172 called downwind I think behind my aircraft, since I was passing the runway end (abeam). The radio call was very weak. This was the last transmission from the C172 that I heard. At a 1/2 mi final, the landing aircraft in front of me was clearing the runway. I heard a call that 'the landing aircraft ahead of me had just passed after he had cut me off' and he wanted to talk to me on the ground. After landing, I went up to the C172. The pilot was very mad and emotional. He exited the C172 from the r-hand seat. A young boy was in the l-hand seat, a woman in the back seat of the rented skyhawk. He said I cut him off on his final approach passing him on his l-hand side. The sun was in my face. I never saw this C172. My right seat passenger said he saw him as we passed, but never heard his radio calls without the downwind call. The pilot was loud and very angry. I explained I would discuss this further when he was not so hot. He said that might be good. He asked the a&P from my r-hand seat about what happened and he said the radio calls were weak or non existent. The pilot asked him for my name and address. I believe I did not cut him off but flew a wide pattern and he flew one slower and closer -- not aligning on final but to the right of final. The setting sun and lack of loud radio calls caused me to not look further for an aircraft, still believing the C172 was behind me. I made the radio calls to express I was flying a longer pattern. I believe this will not go further but just in case I wanted to place this report on file.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC OCCURS AT A NON TWR ARPT BTWN A C172 AND AN OVERTAKING PA32 WHICH HAD BEEN ON THE FINAL BEFORE THE C172 TURNED AN EARLIER BASE THAN EXPECTED AT BUY, NC.

Narrative: WHILE ON A MAINT FLT AROUND THE PATTERN OF AN UNCTLED ARPT, I TOOK OFF WITH AN A&P FLT IN R-HAND SEAT. THE PURPOSE WAS TO MONITOR OIL PRESSURE ON A NEWLY INSTALLED ENG. I FLEW A SQUARE BUT WIDER PATTERN THAN USUAL. 3 MI FROM ARPT, I CALLED IN THE BLIND MY POS, DOWNWIND, BASE, LINING FINAL (OVER THE INTERSTATE) AND 1 MI FINAL. THERE WERE 2 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN -- 1 AHEAD AND THE C172 BEHIND ME. I FLEW THE DOWNWIND TO BASE VARYING PWR SETTING FROM MAX TO CRUISE TO APCH ALL WITHIN A MINUTE. EACH OF US TOOK A TURN WATCHING THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE. THE C172 CALLED DOWNWIND I THINK BEHIND MY ACFT, SINCE I WAS PASSING THE RWY END (ABEAM). THE RADIO CALL WAS VERY WEAK. THIS WAS THE LAST XMISSION FROM THE C172 THAT I HEARD. AT A 1/2 MI FINAL, THE LNDG ACFT IN FRONT OF ME WAS CLRING THE RWY. I HEARD A CALL THAT 'THE LNDG ACFT AHEAD OF ME HAD JUST PASSED AFTER HE HAD CUT ME OFF' AND HE WANTED TO TALK TO ME ON THE GND. AFTER LNDG, I WENT UP TO THE C172. THE PLT WAS VERY MAD AND EMOTIONAL. HE EXITED THE C172 FROM THE R-HAND SEAT. A YOUNG BOY WAS IN THE L-HAND SEAT, A WOMAN IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE RENTED SKYHAWK. HE SAID I CUT HIM OFF ON HIS FINAL APCH PASSING HIM ON HIS L-HAND SIDE. THE SUN WAS IN MY FACE. I NEVER SAW THIS C172. MY R SEAT PAX SAID HE SAW HIM AS WE PASSED, BUT NEVER HEARD HIS RADIO CALLS WITHOUT THE DOWNWIND CALL. THE PLT WAS LOUD AND VERY ANGRY. I EXPLAINED I WOULD DISCUSS THIS FURTHER WHEN HE WAS NOT SO HOT. HE SAID THAT MIGHT BE GOOD. HE ASKED THE A&P FROM MY R-HAND SEAT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND HE SAID THE RADIO CALLS WERE WEAK OR NON EXISTENT. THE PLT ASKED HIM FOR MY NAME AND ADDRESS. I BELIEVE I DID NOT CUT HIM OFF BUT FLEW A WIDE PATTERN AND HE FLEW ONE SLOWER AND CLOSER -- NOT ALIGNING ON FINAL BUT TO THE R OF FINAL. THE SETTING SUN AND LACK OF LOUD RADIO CALLS CAUSED ME TO NOT LOOK FURTHER FOR AN ACFT, STILL BELIEVING THE C172 WAS BEHIND ME. I MADE THE RADIO CALLS TO EXPRESS I WAS FLYING A LONGER PATTERN. I BELIEVE THIS WILL NOT GO FURTHER BUT JUST IN CASE I WANTED TO PLACE THIS RPT ON FILE.

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.