Narrative:

Numerous arrs and departures were in progress at sedona airport, takeoffs on runway 21 and arrs on runway 3 with l-hand traffic to both runways -- a normal sunday morning. A cessna citation reported in on unicom as 15 mi northeast entering on the 45 degrees to runway 3. A T6 reported in 7 mi southwest entering for the 360 degrees overhead to runway 3. A cessna single reported 4 mi southeast for entry to land runway 3. I reported 6 mi northwest for entry on the 45 degrees to downwind to runway 3. Ground personnel on the sedona ramp were initiating calls to aircraft on the ground about parking, which took up frequency time from aircraft trying to make position reports. There were several blocked radio calls. I saw the citation enter from northeast straight into downwind ahead of me, not on the 45 degrees as had been announced, but once on downwind the pilot reported appropriate position. I saw the T6 entering on the 360 degrees overhead and talked with him about pattern spacing for my entry on the 45 degrees. I did not see the cessna single who had been entering from the southeast (which meant the aircraft was coming straight at me and the airport out of the morning sun), and did not hear any radio calls from that aircraft after its initial report. As I turned from 45 degree entry onto downwind, the T6 pilot saw the cessna single turning into me (his high wing, wing down -- my low wing, wing up) and broadcasted a warning to me. The cessna single had not entered on a pattern leg, but had flown directly across midfield at pattern altitude on a heading of about 340 degrees straight into the 45 degree entry (straight into me) and then started a left 135 degree turn to downwind. Warned, I leveled my wings and saw the cessna single, then continued my turn and avoided him. We came out of our turns about 2000 ft apart, same altitude, with me about 500 ft behind him. The ground personnel continued making radio calls about parking while the 3 aircraft in the pattern and the two taking off were trying to sequence themselves for traffic avoidance. I requested the ground personnel stop transmitting while the aircraft sorted out the pattern problems. They did not, so I left the pattern and reentered, as did the T6 behind me. When the ground personnel finally quieted down, we came back. This incident is the result of 2 long-standing problems at sedona airport. First, pilots do not fly standard aim traffic pattern entries for this airport. If the cessna single pilot had entered the pattern as depicted in the aim, or entered on crosswind rather than flying right across the airport at pattern altitude directly into the oncoming traffic from the 45 degree entry, there would have been no conflict. Second, sedona's ground personnel radio xmissions about parking and fueling continue to interfere with aircraft communications while pilots are trying to work around the first problem. In this case, I don't think we would have collided without the T6 radio warning, but I'm not sure. In the next case, we may not be so lucky. I've flown at sedona for many yrs, always fly very cautiously while pretending nobody has a radio, and hope for the best. What will it take to make people fly 'by the book' and shut up if they aren't talking about aircraft safety? Aluminum rain?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA HAS NMAC IN TFC PATTERN AT SEZ.

Narrative: NUMEROUS ARRS AND DEPS WERE IN PROGRESS AT SEDONA ARPT, TKOFS ON RWY 21 AND ARRS ON RWY 3 WITH L-HAND TFC TO BOTH RWYS -- A NORMAL SUNDAY MORNING. A CESSNA CITATION RPTED IN ON UNICOM AS 15 MI NE ENTERING ON THE 45 DEGS TO RWY 3. A T6 RPTED IN 7 MI SW ENTERING FOR THE 360 DEGS OVERHEAD TO RWY 3. A CESSNA SINGLE RPTED 4 MI SE FOR ENTRY TO LAND RWY 3. I RPTED 6 MI NW FOR ENTRY ON THE 45 DEGS TO DOWNWIND TO RWY 3. GND PERSONNEL ON THE SEDONA RAMP WERE INITIATING CALLS TO ACFT ON THE GND ABOUT PARKING, WHICH TOOK UP FREQ TIME FROM ACFT TRYING TO MAKE POS RPTS. THERE WERE SEVERAL BLOCKED RADIO CALLS. I SAW THE CITATION ENTER FROM NE STRAIGHT INTO DOWNWIND AHEAD OF ME, NOT ON THE 45 DEGS AS HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED, BUT ONCE ON DOWNWIND THE PLT RPTED APPROPRIATE POS. I SAW THE T6 ENTERING ON THE 360 DEGS OVERHEAD AND TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT PATTERN SPACING FOR MY ENTRY ON THE 45 DEGS. I DID NOT SEE THE CESSNA SINGLE WHO HAD BEEN ENTERING FROM THE SE (WHICH MEANT THE ACFT WAS COMING STRAIGHT AT ME AND THE ARPT OUT OF THE MORNING SUN), AND DID NOT HEAR ANY RADIO CALLS FROM THAT ACFT AFTER ITS INITIAL RPT. AS I TURNED FROM 45 DEG ENTRY ONTO DOWNWIND, THE T6 PLT SAW THE CESSNA SINGLE TURNING INTO ME (HIS HIGH WING, WING DOWN -- MY LOW WING, WING UP) AND BROADCASTED A WARNING TO ME. THE CESSNA SINGLE HAD NOT ENTERED ON A PATTERN LEG, BUT HAD FLOWN DIRECTLY ACROSS MIDFIELD AT PATTERN ALT ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 340 DEGS STRAIGHT INTO THE 45 DEG ENTRY (STRAIGHT INTO ME) AND THEN STARTED A L 135 DEG TURN TO DOWNWIND. WARNED, I LEVELED MY WINGS AND SAW THE CESSNA SINGLE, THEN CONTINUED MY TURN AND AVOIDED HIM. WE CAME OUT OF OUR TURNS ABOUT 2000 FT APART, SAME ALT, WITH ME ABOUT 500 FT BEHIND HIM. THE GND PERSONNEL CONTINUED MAKING RADIO CALLS ABOUT PARKING WHILE THE 3 ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND THE TWO TAKING OFF WERE TRYING TO SEQUENCE THEMSELVES FOR TFC AVOIDANCE. I REQUESTED THE GND PERSONNEL STOP XMITTING WHILE THE ACFT SORTED OUT THE PATTERN PROBS. THEY DID NOT, SO I LEFT THE PATTERN AND REENTERED, AS DID THE T6 BEHIND ME. WHEN THE GND PERSONNEL FINALLY QUIETED DOWN, WE CAME BACK. THIS INCIDENT IS THE RESULT OF 2 LONG-STANDING PROBS AT SEDONA ARPT. FIRST, PLTS DO NOT FLY STANDARD AIM TFC PATTERN ENTRIES FOR THIS ARPT. IF THE CESSNA SINGLE PLT HAD ENTERED THE PATTERN AS DEPICTED IN THE AIM, OR ENTERED ON XWIND RATHER THAN FLYING RIGHT ACROSS THE ARPT AT PATTERN ALT DIRECTLY INTO THE ONCOMING TFC FROM THE 45 DEG ENTRY, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO CONFLICT. SECOND, SEDONA'S GND PERSONNEL RADIO XMISSIONS ABOUT PARKING AND FUELING CONTINUE TO INTERFERE WITH ACFT COMS WHILE PLTS ARE TRYING TO WORK AROUND THE FIRST PROB. IN THIS CASE, I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE COLLIDED WITHOUT THE T6 RADIO WARNING, BUT I'M NOT SURE. IN THE NEXT CASE, WE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. I'VE FLOWN AT SEDONA FOR MANY YRS, ALWAYS FLY VERY CAUTIOUSLY WHILE PRETENDING NOBODY HAS A RADIO, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE PEOPLE FLY 'BY THE BOOK' AND SHUT UP IF THEY AREN'T TALKING ABOUT ACFT SAFETY? ALUMINUM RAIN?

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.