 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
C172 repeatedly harassed in-flight by pilot of unidented homebuilt aircraft. Repeated passes within 50 ft vertically and 200 ft horizontally qualifies as purposeful near midair collision.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 575654 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200303 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : 0a6.airport |
| State Reference | MO |
| Altitude | msl single value : 2300 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Aircraft 2 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Amateur (Home) Built |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 75 flight time total : 3300 flight time type : 3200 |
| ASRS Report | 575654 |
| Person 2 | |
| Function | observation : passenger |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | conflict : nmac non adherence : far non adherence : required legal separation non adherence other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other other : person 2 |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : unable |
| Consequence | other |
| Miss Distance | horizontal : 200 vertical : 50 |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Aircraft Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
On mar/mon/03, I was PIC of a cessna 172, rented by a photographer I have flown many times. I was orbiting, at 2300 ft MSL, a building about 1/2 mi west of airport, 0a6, in order for the photographer to take his pictures. WX was good VFR with no ceiling, and better than 10 mi visibility with some haze. I had called 0a6 on unicom, 123.0, and advised of my intentions as I approached the photo site. As I was flying north along the west side of the building, a small white experimental aircraft, also headed north, passed my aircraft very close on my right side. Once ahead of my airplane, this small airplane made a turn to wbound and passed in front of my airplane. The airplane then turned south and passed off my left side, again fairly close. The small white aircraft apparently turned back northbound behind me and again passed off my right side and again turned across my flight path in front of me. The plane made 1 more circle around my airplane, and on the last pass across my flight path, turned very steeply and was headed straight at my plane. The plane pulled up sharply and passed, sbound, over my plane. After that last pass, I did not see the plane anymore. My passenger, a photographer is a friend. He is not a good passenger in that rough handling makes him nauseated, so I treat him with kid gloves while flying. He was so unnerved by this airplane's harassment that he took out a sick-sack. While he never used the receptacle, he was very uncomfortable during the rest of our flight. The offending aircraft was a low wing, white experimental, very slick shaped like a fighter plane, with a tinted canopy, and very high performance. There were no registration numbers visible on the plane. As this plane flew the circles around me, I would estimate separation at times around 200 ft or less, except when he climbed above me. On his last pass, separation deteriorated to around 50 ft or less.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: C172 REPEATEDLY HARASSED INFLT BY PLT OF UNIDENTED HOMEBUILT ACFT. REPEATED PASSES WITHIN 50 FT VERTLY AND 200 FT HORIZLY QUALIFIES AS PURPOSEFUL NMAC.
Narrative: ON MAR/MON/03, I WAS PIC OF A CESSNA 172, RENTED BY A PHOTOGRAPHER I HAVE FLOWN MANY TIMES. I WAS ORBITING, AT 2300 FT MSL, A BUILDING ABOUT 1/2 MI W OF ARPT, 0A6, IN ORDER FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO TAKE HIS PICTURES. WX WAS GOOD VFR WITH NO CEILING, AND BETTER THAN 10 MI VISIBILITY WITH SOME HAZE. I HAD CALLED 0A6 ON UNICOM, 123.0, AND ADVISED OF MY INTENTIONS AS I APCHED THE PHOTO SITE. AS I WAS FLYING N ALONG THE W SIDE OF THE BUILDING, A SMALL WHITE EXPERIMENTAL ACFT, ALSO HEADED N, PASSED MY ACFT VERY CLOSE ON MY R SIDE. ONCE AHEAD OF MY AIRPLANE, THIS SMALL AIRPLANE MADE A TURN TO WBOUND AND PASSED IN FRONT OF MY AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE THEN TURNED S AND PASSED OFF MY L SIDE, AGAIN FAIRLY CLOSE. THE SMALL WHITE ACFT APPARENTLY TURNED BACK NBOUND BEHIND ME AND AGAIN PASSED OFF MY R SIDE AND AGAIN TURNED ACROSS MY FLT PATH IN FRONT OF ME. THE PLANE MADE 1 MORE CIRCLE AROUND MY AIRPLANE, AND ON THE LAST PASS ACROSS MY FLT PATH, TURNED VERY STEEPLY AND WAS HEADED STRAIGHT AT MY PLANE. THE PLANE PULLED UP SHARPLY AND PASSED, SBOUND, OVER MY PLANE. AFTER THAT LAST PASS, I DID NOT SEE THE PLANE ANYMORE. MY PAX, A PHOTOGRAPHER IS A FRIEND. HE IS NOT A GOOD PAX IN THAT ROUGH HANDLING MAKES HIM NAUSEATED, SO I TREAT HIM WITH KID GLOVES WHILE FLYING. HE WAS SO UNNERVED BY THIS AIRPLANE'S HARASSMENT THAT HE TOOK OUT A SICK-SACK. WHILE HE NEVER USED THE RECEPTACLE, HE WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE DURING THE REST OF OUR FLT. THE OFFENDING ACFT WAS A LOW WING, WHITE EXPERIMENTAL, VERY SLICK SHAPED LIKE A FIGHTER PLANE, WITH A TINTED CANOPY, AND VERY HIGH PERFORMANCE. THERE WERE NO REGISTRATION NUMBERS VISIBLE ON THE PLANE. AS THIS PLANE FLEW THE CIRCLES AROUND ME, I WOULD ESTIMATE SEPARATION AT TIMES AROUND 200 FT OR LESS, EXCEPT WHEN HE CLBED ABOVE ME. ON HIS LAST PASS, SEPARATION DETERIORATED TO AROUND 50 FT OR LESS.
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.