Narrative:

I was in the practice area north of fountain hills, which is northeast of phoenix, az. I was staying above 4000 ft MSL because of the fort mcdowell bald eagle breeding area and below 6000 ft MSL due to the overlying phx class B airspace. After reversing course from west to east while making a clearing turn to look for traffic, I made a practice departure stall. At the completion of the stall recovery I was about 4500 ft MSL, and I began a series of 2 steep turns - 1 to the left followed immediately by 1 to the right. When I had completed about 3/4 of the turn to the right, on a heading of approximately north, and at an altitude of about 4800-4900 ft MSL, a twin passed very close in front of me from east to west and slightly higher than I was. I suspect that the pilot of the other plane did not see me, based on the fact that the other plane appeared to be flying straight and level rather banked away from me or nose high to climb over me. I took no evasive action, partly because none was needed, partly because I was already in a steep turn, and partly because there was not time to react. Description of the other plane. Due to the combination of the close proximity of the 2 planes, my rapid turn rate from west to east, and the other plane's rapid speed from east to west, the time from when the other plane first appeared in my windshield (at the top right, due to my bank angle) until it disappeared (at the bottom left of my windshield) was very short. For this reason, coupled with my being surprised by its appearing, I did not notice exactly what type of twin it was. It was either a mid wing (like an aerostar) or a low wing. In either case, it was rather sleek. Tight airspace: the usable ht from the floor to the ceiling in the area of the incident is 2000 ft. This is a common practice area and also a transition region between the phoenix area and the northeast area around phoenix. I did not conduct a clearing turn between the completion of the departure stall and the start of the steep turns. I was not monitoring the air-to-air frequency to hear any announcements of other aircraft in the area. But I suspect that the other plane was listening to ATIS or talking with and/or listening to its destination tower rather than listening and/or announcing on the air-to-air frequency. Corrective action: move further east for conducting practice maneuvers. This will not provide a lower floor of the practice area, as the nesting area will be replaced with higher terrain. It will, however, provide, a higher ceiling, as the floor of the overlying class B airspace will be higher, and traffic transition to/from the phoenix area will tend to be higher. I plan on procuring a traffic proximity advisory system to alert me when other aircraft are close by. I will conduct a clearing turn immediately before each practice maneuver. I will monitor and announce my intentions on the air-to-air frequency when in the practice area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: M20P PLT AND A LIGHT TWIN HAD AN NMAC IN P50 CLASS E AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS IN THE PRACTICE AREA N OF FOUNTAIN HILLS, WHICH IS NE OF PHOENIX, AZ. I WAS STAYING ABOVE 4000 FT MSL BECAUSE OF THE FORT MCDOWELL BALD EAGLE BREEDING AREA AND BELOW 6000 FT MSL DUE TO THE OVERLYING PHX CLASS B AIRSPACE. AFTER REVERSING COURSE FROM W TO E WHILE MAKING A CLRING TURN TO LOOK FOR TFC, I MADE A PRACTICE DEP STALL. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE STALL RECOVERY I WAS ABOUT 4500 FT MSL, AND I BEGAN A SERIES OF 2 STEEP TURNS - 1 TO THE L FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY 1 TO THE R. WHEN I HAD COMPLETED ABOUT 3/4 OF THE TURN TO THE R, ON A HDG OF APPROX N, AND AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 4800-4900 FT MSL, A TWIN PASSED VERY CLOSE IN FRONT OF ME FROM E TO W AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN I WAS. I SUSPECT THAT THE PLT OF THE OTHER PLANE DID NOT SEE ME, BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE OTHER PLANE APPEARED TO BE FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL RATHER BANKED AWAY FROM ME OR NOSE HIGH TO CLB OVER ME. I TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTION, PARTLY BECAUSE NONE WAS NEEDED, PARTLY BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY IN A STEEP TURN, AND PARTLY BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT TIME TO REACT. DESCRIPTION OF THE OTHER PLANE. DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF THE CLOSE PROX OF THE 2 PLANES, MY RAPID TURN RATE FROM W TO E, AND THE OTHER PLANE'S RAPID SPD FROM E TO W, THE TIME FROM WHEN THE OTHER PLANE FIRST APPEARED IN MY WINDSHIELD (AT THE TOP R, DUE TO MY BANK ANGLE) UNTIL IT DISAPPEARED (AT THE BOTTOM L OF MY WINDSHIELD) WAS VERY SHORT. FOR THIS REASON, COUPLED WITH MY BEING SURPRISED BY ITS APPEARING, I DID NOT NOTICE EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF TWIN IT WAS. IT WAS EITHER A MID WING (LIKE AN AEROSTAR) OR A LOW WING. IN EITHER CASE, IT WAS RATHER SLEEK. TIGHT AIRSPACE: THE USABLE HT FROM THE FLOOR TO THE CEILING IN THE AREA OF THE INCIDENT IS 2000 FT. THIS IS A COMMON PRACTICE AREA AND ALSO A TRANSITION REGION BTWN THE PHOENIX AREA AND THE NE AREA AROUND PHOENIX. I DID NOT CONDUCT A CLRING TURN BTWN THE COMPLETION OF THE DEP STALL AND THE START OF THE STEEP TURNS. I WAS NOT MONITORING THE AIR-TO-AIR FREQ TO HEAR ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OF OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA. BUT I SUSPECT THAT THE OTHER PLANE WAS LISTENING TO ATIS OR TALKING WITH AND/OR LISTENING TO ITS DEST TWR RATHER THAN LISTENING AND/OR ANNOUNCING ON THE AIR-TO-AIR FREQ. CORRECTIVE ACTION: MOVE FURTHER E FOR CONDUCTING PRACTICE MANEUVERS. THIS WILL NOT PROVIDE A LOWER FLOOR OF THE PRACTICE AREA, AS THE NESTING AREA WILL BE REPLACED WITH HIGHER TERRAIN. IT WILL, HOWEVER, PROVIDE, A HIGHER CEILING, AS THE FLOOR OF THE OVERLYING CLASS B AIRSPACE WILL BE HIGHER, AND TFC TRANSITION TO/FROM THE PHOENIX AREA WILL TEND TO BE HIGHER. I PLAN ON PROCURING A TFC PROX ADVISORY SYS TO ALERT ME WHEN OTHER ACFT ARE CLOSE BY. I WILL CONDUCT A CLRING TURN IMMEDIATELY BEFORE EACH PRACTICE MANEUVER. I WILL MONITOR AND ANNOUNCE MY INTENTIONS ON THE AIR-TO-AIR FREQ WHEN IN THE PRACTICE AREA.

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.