Narrative:

We were on a local aerial photo flight; operating within class B airspace. Tower cleared us to proceed to our photo site and descend pilot's discretion. We began a steep descent; as our site was just 1-2 mi away and approximately 1500 ft below us. On leveling off from the descent and rolling out of a turn; we were nearly head-to-head with an airliner on final to ZZZ. At that same moment; tower called us and advised us of traffic at our 11 O'clock position and less than a mi. We told him we had the traffic in sight. Our evasive action was to continue in a straight path; to get out of the way of the final approach. Once the plane passed; which we could see to be a DC9; we turned left 90 degrees; so we could keep him in sight. The DC9 crew complained that we had cut across their final; and they had been given a TCAS RA. We could see that they had indeed pitched up as if initiating a climb; and then leveled off as we passed them. The tower controller apologized. I think he forgot about the plane on final when he cleared us to our site.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C152 ON PHOTO MISSION EXPERIENCED CONFLICT WITH ACR ON FINAL AFTER ATC APPROVAL FOR DESCENT; ALLEGING ATC ERROR.

Narrative: WE WERE ON A LCL AERIAL PHOTO FLT; OPERATING WITHIN CLASS B AIRSPACE. TWR CLRED US TO PROCEED TO OUR PHOTO SITE AND DSND PLT'S DISCRETION. WE BEGAN A STEEP DSCNT; AS OUR SITE WAS JUST 1-2 MI AWAY AND APPROX 1500 FT BELOW US. ON LEVELING OFF FROM THE DSCNT AND ROLLING OUT OF A TURN; WE WERE NEARLY HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH AN AIRLINER ON FINAL TO ZZZ. AT THAT SAME MOMENT; TWR CALLED US AND ADVISED US OF TFC AT OUR 11 O'CLOCK POS AND LESS THAN A MI. WE TOLD HIM WE HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT. OUR EVASIVE ACTION WAS TO CONTINUE IN A STRAIGHT PATH; TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE FINAL APCH. ONCE THE PLANE PASSED; WHICH WE COULD SEE TO BE A DC9; WE TURNED L 90 DEGS; SO WE COULD KEEP HIM IN SIGHT. THE DC9 CREW COMPLAINED THAT WE HAD CUT ACROSS THEIR FINAL; AND THEY HAD BEEN GIVEN A TCAS RA. WE COULD SEE THAT THEY HAD INDEED PITCHED UP AS IF INITIATING A CLB; AND THEN LEVELED OFF AS WE PASSED THEM. THE TWR CTLR APOLOGIZED. I THINK HE FORGOT ABOUT THE PLANE ON FINAL WHEN HE CLRED US TO OUR SITE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.