Narrative:

IFR flight from M16 to avo to take my daughter back to college. Flight plan, WX and NOTAMS obtained from greenwood FSS on morning flight. On V56 past montgomery, we had been cleared down to 5000 ft by mgm approach. Approaching the tge VOR, I was shocked to see 3 skydivers drop past us at approximately 50-100 ft away. I immediately asked mgm approach if they were aware of skydivers in the area. The controller stated he was not. I informed him that several had just dropped past us. He then replied we should have been passed to columbus approach. I informed him I would contact columbus approach. As soon as I changed frequency to columbus approach, I heard a call 'jumpers away.' I checked in with columbus and nothing was said by the controller or myself. Neither my wife (who has 20 yrs of experience of listening to the radio and is very good at catching calls and recording clrncs) nor myself heard the montgomery controller call us to change frequency to columbus. I find it interesting when I contacted him that he didn't say, 'I changed you to columbus, but you should have been switched to columbus.' in the preflight briefing, there was no mention of skydivers in the tuskegee area. The columbus facility was apparently aware of the skydivers, but montgomery was apparently not aware. This seems to be the area near where columbus and montgomery change over and both should be aware of the NOTAM which I assume was made. I sincerely hope that I didn't miss a call. I would be very interested in listening to the tapes to see if a call was made and not heard or stepped on by other xmissions. It should be noted this was a very busy day for ATC and there were 4 of us with very similar calls, so I made an extra effort to hear the calls. Other contributing factors were a breakdown in the NOTAM system, montgomery not being aware of the jumpers, an apparent late call by the aircraft carrying the jumpers, the transport aircraft not clearing the area and apparently not being in contact with columbus approach early enough to be warned that another aircraft on an IFR flight plan under radar contact was in the area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT, ON AN IFR FLT PLAN, CAME WITHIN 50-100 FT OF 3 FALLING SKYDIVERS IN CSG CLASS E AIRSPACE.

Narrative: IFR FLT FROM M16 TO AVO TO TAKE MY DAUGHTER BACK TO COLLEGE. FLT PLAN, WX AND NOTAMS OBTAINED FROM GREENWOOD FSS ON MORNING FLT. ON V56 PAST MONTGOMERY, WE HAD BEEN CLRED DOWN TO 5000 FT BY MGM APCH. APCHING THE TGE VOR, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE 3 SKYDIVERS DROP PAST US AT APPROX 50-100 FT AWAY. I IMMEDIATELY ASKED MGM APCH IF THEY WERE AWARE OF SKYDIVERS IN THE AREA. THE CTLR STATED HE WAS NOT. I INFORMED HIM THAT SEVERAL HAD JUST DROPPED PAST US. HE THEN REPLIED WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED TO COLUMBUS APCH. I INFORMED HIM I WOULD CONTACT COLUMBUS APCH. AS SOON AS I CHANGED FREQ TO COLUMBUS APCH, I HEARD A CALL 'JUMPERS AWAY.' I CHKED IN WITH COLUMBUS AND NOTHING WAS SAID BY THE CTLR OR MYSELF. NEITHER MY WIFE (WHO HAS 20 YRS OF EXPERIENCE OF LISTENING TO THE RADIO AND IS VERY GOOD AT CATCHING CALLS AND RECORDING CLRNCS) NOR MYSELF HEARD THE MONTGOMERY CTLR CALL US TO CHANGE FREQ TO COLUMBUS. I FIND IT INTERESTING WHEN I CONTACTED HIM THAT HE DIDN'T SAY, 'I CHANGED YOU TO COLUMBUS, BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SWITCHED TO COLUMBUS.' IN THE PREFLT BRIEFING, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF SKYDIVERS IN THE TUSKEGEE AREA. THE COLUMBUS FACILITY WAS APPARENTLY AWARE OF THE SKYDIVERS, BUT MONTGOMERY WAS APPARENTLY NOT AWARE. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE AREA NEAR WHERE COLUMBUS AND MONTGOMERY CHANGE OVER AND BOTH SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE NOTAM WHICH I ASSUME WAS MADE. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT I DIDN'T MISS A CALL. I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN LISTENING TO THE TAPES TO SEE IF A CALL WAS MADE AND NOT HEARD OR STEPPED ON BY OTHER XMISSIONS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THIS WAS A VERY BUSY DAY FOR ATC AND THERE WERE 4 OF US WITH VERY SIMILAR CALLS, SO I MADE AN EXTRA EFFORT TO HEAR THE CALLS. OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE A BREAKDOWN IN THE NOTAM SYS, MONTGOMERY NOT BEING AWARE OF THE JUMPERS, AN APPARENT LATE CALL BY THE ACFT CARRYING THE JUMPERS, THE TRANSPORT ACFT NOT CLRING THE AREA AND APPARENTLY NOT BEING IN CONTACT WITH COLUMBUS APCH EARLY ENOUGH TO BE WARNED THAT ANOTHER ACFT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN UNDER RADAR CONTACT WAS IN THE 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.