NMAC IN PROX OF CLASS E AIRSPACE. TFC NOT SIGHTED UNTIL LAST MOMENT. EVASIVE ACTION DSCNT.

Narrative

THE VISIBILITY WAS 10 MI AND WINDS WERE OUT OF THE NW AT 10-15 KTS. I WAS FOLLOWING THE WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS VOR (108.4 SSU) FROM S OF BLUEFIELD AND N OF PETERS MOUNTAIN TO INGALLS ARPT NEAR HOT SPRINGS; VA; AT AN ALT OF 3500 FT MSL. MY APPROX COURSE WAS 50 DEGS. I ALSO KEPT TRACK OF MY POS BY IDENTING LCL TERRAIN FEATURES AND I ALSO HAD A LORAN UNIT SET FOR INGALLS ARPT. THE WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS VOR IS SW OF GREENBRIER VALLEY ARPT WHICH IS CLASS D WITH A CLASS E AIRSPACE SURROUNDING THE OUTER PERIMETER. NEAR THE SSU VOR I TUNED IN THE GREENBRIER VALLEY; CT; FREQ TO MONITOR TFC; BUT I CHANGED MY MIND AFTER A FEW SECONDS; SWITCHED TO INGALLS UNICOM BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT MADE MORE SENSE TO LISTEN TO INGALLS SINCE I WAS CLR OF GREENBRIER VALLEY ARPT. I MADE A POINT OF PASSING S OF THE SSU VOR SO THAT I WOULD REMAIN CLR OF THE GREENBRIER CTL ZONES. ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF DEVIATING SLIGHTLY S OF THE SSU VOR WAS BEING ABLE TO FLY OVER VALLEYS AND KEEP GOOD EMER LNDG SITES WITHIN EASY GLIDING DISTANCE. SOMEWHERE AROUND XX35 PM (LCL) I WAS SE OF THE GREENBRIER ARPT ON AN APPROX HEADING OF 65 DEGS WHEN A WHITE AND BLUE CESSNA APPEARED TO MY L HAND SIDE IN FRONT OF ME AND ABOVE ME. THE CESSNA WAS AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT ABOVE ME AND APPEARED TO BE ON A SWESTERLY HEADING BECAUSE IT CROSSED APPROX 90 DEGS TO ME FROM L TO R. I PUSHED THE YOKE FORWARD UPON SEEING THE CESSNA AND LOST A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS QUITE APPARENT THAT THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER OF COLLISION. THE R WING OF THE CESSNA DIPPED IN MY DIRECTION AS I PERFORMED THIS ACTION; WHICH INDICATED TO ME THAT THE PLT OF THE CESSNA ALSO HAD ME IN SIGHT. I HAD THE CESSNA IN VIEW FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. I ASSUMED THAT WE BOTH HAD SEEN ONE ANOTHER AND TAKEN APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO AVOID A COLLISION. AFTER SCANNING THE HORIZON I STARTED CLBING AGAIN TO MY ORIGINAL ALT OF 3500 FT MSL. ABOUT A MIN OR 2 LATER; THE SAME BLUE AND WHITE CESSNA FLEW WITHIN A HUNDRED FT OF MY R SIDE PARALLEL TO MY FLT PATH AT A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER SPD. I KNEW SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN WRONG SO I IMMEDIATELY TUNED BACK INTO GREENBRIER VALLEY TWR ON 118.9. THE CESSNA BROKE TO THE R SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS IN FRONT OF ME AND I HEARD THE LAST PART OF A XMISSION SAYING 'I THINK IT WAS ABCD.' I ASKED THE TWR IF THERE WAS A PROB. THE SAME VOICE WHICH RPTED MY TAIL NUMBER TO THE TWR SNAPPED AT ME OVER THE RADIO THAT I HAD COME WITHIN 75 FT OF HITTING HIS ACFT. I WAS THEN INFORMED BY A VERY CALM VOICE OF THE TWR THAT I HAD NEARLY COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER ACFT. GREENBRIER VALLEY TWR THEN ASKED FOR MY TAIL NUMBER AND MY DEST. I PROVIDED ALL OF THIS INFO; APOLOGIZED FOR ANY TROUBLES I MAY HAVE CAUSED. I ALSO ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY FURTHER ACTIONS I SHOULD TAKE WITH REGARDS TO THE MATTER. THE TWR RESPONDED THAT NO FURTHER ACTIONS ON MY PART WERE NECESSARY. HOWEVER; THE FACT REMAINS THAT THE WHITE AND BLUE CESSNA WAS TO MY L AND CONVERGING ON ME AT APPROX A 90 DEG ANGLE FROM L TO R. ACCORDING TO THE FARS; I HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. COMMON SENSE AND A DESIRE FOR LONGEVITY DICTATES THAT WE SHOULD BOTH TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO AVOID A COLLISION. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW OF THE SIT; I REALIZE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PRUDENT TO CONTACT GREENBRIER VALLEY TWR PRIOR TO MY ARR IN THE AREA AND INFORM THEM OF MY POS AND COURSE EVEN THOUGH I WAS OUTSIDE OF THEIR AIRSPACE.