NMAC BTWN AN LTT TURBOPROP ACR MAKING A VFR CLBOUT FROM A NON CTLED ARPT; GOING THROUGH 4000 FT; AND 2 MIL FIGHTER A4 ACFT; DSNDING TO AN ADJACENT NEARBY MIL ARPT APPROX 4 MI AWAY.

Date: 1996-10 · Aircraft: Commercial Fixed Wing · Phase: climb

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|other-unspecified

Synopsis

NMAC BTWN AN LTT TURBOPROP ACR MAKING A VFR CLBOUT FROM A NON CTLED ARPT; GOING THROUGH 4000 FT; AND 2 MIL FIGHTER A4 ACFT; DSNDING TO AN ADJACENT NEARBY MIL ARPT APPROX 4 MI AWAY.

Narrative

CLBING OUT OF IPL MY FO AND I NOTED 2 TARGETS ON THE TCASII AT 10-11 O'CLOCK AND 4 1/2 MI; DSNDING. AS WE BEGAN OUR TURN TO INTERCEPT THE AIRWAY THE TCASII STOPPED PAINTING THE TARGETS. AS WE BECAME ESTABLISHED ON THE AIRWAY THE TCASII SHOWED TFC AT 300 FT THEN 200 FT (1 TARGET) AT OUR LOCATION AND ISSUED AN ALERT. I TOLD THE FO TO PUSH THE NOSE DOWN BUT HE HESITATED BECAUSE HE WAS OVERLY CONCERNED ABOUT PAX COMFORT. HE DID SLOW HIS CLB. CONTEMPORANEOUSLY; 2 A4'S PASSED RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR WINDSHIELD IN A DSCNT. THEY WERE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT WE COULD HEAR THEIR ENGS OVER THE DIN OF THE VERY NOISY TPE331-10 ENGS ON OUR PLANE. ALTHOUGH THIS EVENT DID NOT HAPPEN IN IPL AIRSPACE; IT MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THE IMPERIAL TWR WERE REOPENED. THE EVENT OCCURRED AFTER GETTING A XPONDER CODE FROM ATC BUT BEFORE THEY ESTABLISHED RADAR CONTACT. FLT OPS IN AND AROUND THE IMPERIAL ARPT ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF SUPERVISION BECAUSE OF THE MIX OF MIL AND CIVILIAN ACFT THAT USE THE ARPT. IT HAS BEEN POSTULATED BY SOME PLTS AT OUR COMPANY THAT THE MIL PLTS MADE A LOW PASS OVER OUR AIRPLANE ON PURPOSE. THE FACT THAT THE JETS COULD HAVE GOTTEN ANY CLOSER WITHOUT ACTUALLY HITTING US WOULD SEEM TO SUPPORT THIS HYPOTHESIS. IF THIS IS THE CASE; THEN THE NEED TO REOPEN THE IMPERIAL TWR IS EVEN MORE COMPELLING.

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