NMAC. PVT GA PLT HAD INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH FLT OF MIL JETS. RPTR BELIEVES THEY WERE EXTREMELY CLOSE; BUT ALSO STATES SHE DOESN'T HAVE FAMILIARITY WITH MIL ACFT AND DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THEIR DISTANCE.

Date: 1996-07 · Aircraft: Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|other-unspecified

Synopsis

NMAC. PVT GA PLT HAD INFLT ENCOUNTER WITH FLT OF MIL JETS. RPTR BELIEVES THEY WERE EXTREMELY CLOSE; BUT ALSO STATES SHE DOESN'T HAVE FAMILIARITY WITH MIL ACFT AND DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THEIR DISTANCE.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING PITTSFIELD; MA; TO PORTLAND; ME; IN CESSNA 172 HAWK XP WITH 1 PAX. FLT PLAN; WAS FILED WITH BURLINGTON; DEPARTED PSF XA00 CLBED TO 5500 FT MSL; HEADING DIRECT TO KEENE VOR; ACTIVATED FLT PLAN; WAS LISTENING TO BRADLEY APCH; STROBES; NAV LIGHTS; AND BEACON WERE ON. VISIBILITY WAS UNLIMITED; AIR SMOOTH. AFTER REACHING ALT AND XING MOUNTAINS OUT OF BERKSHIRE VALLEY I ADJUSTED VOR DIAL TO CHK RADIAL; AND CHKED DME GETTING READY TO CALL BRADLEY FOR FLT FOLLOWING. I LOOKED OUT MY SIDE WINDOW TO SEE 3 MIL PLANES COMING TOWARD US FROM ABOUT 9 O'CLOCK AT AN ALT THAT APPEARED ONLY SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN OURS. I PUSHED IN FULL PWR AND STARTED A CLB; CALLED BRADLEY; GAVE MY POS. I HOPED THEY WOULD SEE THIS CRISIS. I DIDN'T ASK FOR HELP WITH THIS; THERE WAS NO TIME. THE PLANES PASSED BELOW US. THE FIRST 2 WERE SLIGHTLY IN FRONT OF US; THE THIRD WAS DIRECTLY UNDER US. I CANNOT GIVE ANY ACCURACY TO THE CLOSENESS IN FT. I WOULD ESTIMATE 50 PLUS OR MINUS VERT. I DON'T HAVE ANY FAMILIARITY WITH MIL ACFT; SO I CAN'T USE SIZE TO HELP DETERMINE DISTANCE. WHATEVER IT WAS; IT WAS WAY TOO CLOSE. AFTER THE PLANES HAD PASSED; BRADLEY APCH TOLD ME TO CONTACT ZBW AND SAID I WAS TOO FAR OUT FOR BRADLEY. WE CONTINUED OUR TRIP. CONTRIBUTING TO THE SIT WAS THE FACT THAT WHILE I WAS ADJUSTING INSTS I WAS MONITORING THE AIRSPACE IN FRONT OF ME BUT NOT AT MY SIDES; ALSO; I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TUNED INTO ZBW NOT BRADLEY. I WAS NOT IN A MIL OPS AREA. I DEFINITELY BELIEVE THAT THE MIL PLANES' PLTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF OUR PLANE AND ALTERED THEIR COURSE MILES BEFORE GETTING TO US. I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT GREAT BIG PLANES LIKE THAT ARE ALLOWED TO FLY VFR WITHOUT ATC GUIDANCE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.