CLOSE PROX ACR-MLG GA-SPN 20 S OF LAS AT THE EDGE OF THE TCA.

Narrative

WHILE THERMALING AT 10000 FT MSL; DIRECTLY OVERHEAD JEAN ARPT; I WAS IN A L TURN. AS MY HDG PASSED THROUGH APPROX 220-210 DEG MAG I SAW AN MLG FLOWN BY ACR COALT AND ON A RECIPROCAL HDG. THE MLG WAS ON A DSCNT INTO LAS VEGAS. AS I WAS ALREADY IN A STEEP BANK; I CONTINUED TO ROLL THE GLIDER TO INVERTED AND PULLED THE NOSE 40-60 DEG NOSE LOW. THE AIRLINER PASSED APPROX 100 FT OVER ME. MY IAS WAS 40 KTS. THE POINT IS; I SAW HIM AT A RANGE OF 3500- 4000 FT. HOWEVER; AT 40 KTS; MY ABILITY TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION WAS LIMITED TO SAY THE LEAST. I WAS IN A 45 DEG BANK; INSIDE HIS WING SPAN; AND ANOTHER 20-30 DEG OF TURN WOULD BRING US EXACTLY HEAD-ON. I BANKED TO 120-145 DEG AND PULLED THE NOSE 45-60 DEG NOSE DOWN. THE MLG PASSED 100 FT OVER ME WITH NO CHANGE IN BANK ANGLE OR PITCH ATTITUDE (HE NEVER SAW ME). HE WAS ALSO AT LEAST 10 NM W OF THE PUBLISHED JET DSCNT PROFILE INTO LAS. LAS VEGAS APCH INDICATED THAT 'SEVERAL AIR CARRIERS WERE DEVIATING DUE TO TWRING CUMULUS.' JEAN ARPT IS ANNOTATED ON BUT THE LAS SECTIONAL AND THE LAS VFR TERMINAL CHART AS AN ACTIVE GLIDER PORT. AT THE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT; WE HAD 3 GLIDERS ABOVE 10000 FT MSL WITHIN 3 TO 5 MI OF THE ARPT. LAS VEGAS APCH COULD AT LEAST INFORM AIR CARRIERS ARRIVING FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA; THAT THEY CAN EXPECT TO FIND GLIDERS AT ALTS UP TO 16000 FT MSL OR CLOUD BASE; WHICH EVER IS LOWER; IN THE VICINITY OF JEAN ARPT.