Narrative:

Baltimore approach was unable to hand me off to dulles approach. I was told to contact them on a discrete frequency. I was VFR, filed as such, at 8500' en route to west 66 and about 20 mi northeast when I was able to break in to pass my position and requested flight following and clearance. I was told to squawk 1200 and to stand by. After about 3 mins, I again called and was again told to stand by. I saw a large passenger jet at 2 O'clock high and approximately 6 mi. I told my wife to keep an eye on him as he was in a descent and on a constant bearing with us. I continued, not wanting to vacate 8500' to go down until cleared. When it was apparent that a collision would occur, I descended to 8000'and passed just in front of the jet. I do not think that he ever saw me. I was then (within 10 second of passing jet) contacted by approach and asked if I was still up the frequency. He then gave me a squawk and a frequency change. Before changing frequencys, I asked if he was aware that I had descended 500' to avoid a collision with a passenger jet. He said that my descent was observed and said that he had intended to give me a frequency shift but had forgotten. I switched frequencys and was cleared to descend. The remainder of the flight was unremarkable. I was squawking mode C. I am not sure in my mind that the controller even now recognizes how close we came to the passenger jet and that if I had done nothing or had not seen the jet, a collision would have occurred. The contributing factors or primary causes of this near miss were the controllers being too busy, my not being able to break into the flow of xmissions and my reluctance to descend into approach's airspace or to climb into a descending jet west/O a clearance. This whole sequence of events took less than 90 second and the jet was level to below me almost immediately after passing behind me. I know he was on the same frequency as me, because he turned left when the controller told him to about 30 second after passing me. At no time did I feel that a turn into the jet was a better solution because of his closure rate with me.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC BETWEEN ACR LGT DESCENDING AND GA SMA CRUISING.

Narrative: BALTIMORE APCH WAS UNABLE TO HAND ME OFF TO DULLES APCH. I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THEM ON A DISCRETE FREQ. I WAS VFR, FILED AS SUCH, AT 8500' ENRTE TO W 66 AND ABOUT 20 MI NE WHEN I WAS ABLE TO BREAK IN TO PASS MY POS AND REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING AND CLRNC. I WAS TOLD TO SQUAWK 1200 AND TO STAND BY. AFTER ABOUT 3 MINS, I AGAIN CALLED AND WAS AGAIN TOLD TO STAND BY. I SAW A LARGE PAX JET AT 2 O'CLOCK HIGH AND APPROX 6 MI. I TOLD MY WIFE TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM AS HE WAS IN A DSCNT AND ON A CONSTANT BEARING WITH US. I CONTINUED, NOT WANTING TO VACATE 8500' TO GO DOWN UNTIL CLRED. WHEN IT WAS APPARENT THAT A COLLISION WOULD OCCUR, I DSNDED TO 8000'AND PASSED JUST IN FRONT OF THE JET. I DO NOT THINK THAT HE EVER SAW ME. I WAS THEN (WITHIN 10 SEC OF PASSING JET) CONTACTED BY APCH AND ASKED IF I WAS STILL UP THE FREQ. HE THEN GAVE ME A SQUAWK AND A FREQ CHANGE. BEFORE CHANGING FREQS, I ASKED IF HE WAS AWARE THAT I HAD DSNDED 500' TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH A PAX JET. HE SAID THAT MY DSCNT WAS OBSERVED AND SAID THAT HE HAD INTENDED TO GIVE ME A FREQ SHIFT BUT HAD FORGOTTEN. I SWITCHED FREQS AND WAS CLRED TO DSND. THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS UNREMARKABLE. I WAS SQUAWKING MODE C. I AM NOT SURE IN MY MIND THAT THE CTLR EVEN NOW RECOGNIZES HOW CLOSE WE CAME TO THE PAX JET AND THAT IF I HAD DONE NOTHING OR HAD NOT SEEN THE JET, A COLLISION WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OR PRIMARY CAUSES OF THIS NEAR MISS WERE THE CTLRS BEING TOO BUSY, MY NOT BEING ABLE TO BREAK INTO THE FLOW OF XMISSIONS AND MY RELUCTANCE TO DSND INTO APCH'S AIRSPACE OR TO CLB INTO A DSNDING JET W/O A CLRNC. THIS WHOLE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS TOOK LESS THAN 90 SEC AND THE JET WAS LEVEL TO BELOW ME ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PASSING BEHIND ME. I KNOW HE WAS ON THE SAME FREQ AS ME, BECAUSE HE TURNED LEFT WHEN THE CTLR TOLD HIM TO ABOUT 30 SEC AFTER PASSING ME. AT NO TIME DID I FEEL THAT A TURN INTO THE JET WAS A BETTER SOLUTION BECAUSE OF HIS CLOSURE RATE WITH ME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.