SMA PLT RPTS THAT HE ENCOUNTERED JUMPERS WHO WERE APPARENTLY OUTSIDE THE JUMP AREA. FURTHER; THE JUMP ACFT; A CESSNA CARAVAN; SEEMED TO BE FLYING FORMATION WITH HIM AND HERDING HIM AWAY FROM THE JUMPERS.

Narrative

I DEPARTED SAGINAW FIELD; TX (F04) AT XA45L ENRTE TO SHREVEPORT; LA (DTN). MY DEP TOOK ME STRAIGHT W UNTIL PASSING COPELAND THEN NW UNTIL CONTACTING REGIONAL DEP CTL. I DEPARTED F04 IN CONTACT WITH FTW TWR. MY FLT PATH TOOK ME ABOUT 3 MI E OF 8F7. APPROX 4 MI SE OF 8F7; I SPOTTED PARACHUTISTS DSNDING AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS AND ABOUT 1/2 MI. I TURNED W TO AVOID AND; DURING CLRING FOR THE TURN; I SPOTTED A HIGH WING CESSNA JUST BELOW ME (I WAS AT 3500 FT AND CLBING) AT LESS THAN 1/2 MI. I TURNED FURTHER L TO GAIN ADDITIONAL SEPARATION. DURING MY SECOND L TURN; I SPOTTED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CESSNA CARAVAN A FEW HUNDRED FT ABOVE ME APPEARING LIKE HE WAS TRYING TO FLY FORMATION ON ME AT MY 4 O'CLOCK POS. I THEN STARTED A THIRD L TURN TO AVOID HIS FLT PATH. HE APPEARED TO FOLLOW. AT THIS POINT; I MADE CONTACT WITH REGIONAL APCH CTL ON FREQ 118.1. THE CARAVAN ACFT WAS STILL TRYING TO FLY FORMATION ON MY ACFT. APCH CTL CONFIRMED THE ACFT WAS FOLLOWING MY FLT PATH AND STATED HE WAS OUTSIDE OF HIS DESIGNATED JUMP AREA. I ASSUME HE WAS THE JUMP ACFT; HIS L CARGO DOOR WAS OPEN. THE CARAVAN WAS NOT TALKING TO APCH. APCH CTL DID NOT KNOW OF ANY ONGOING JUMPS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE. I WAS AWARE OF THE JUMP AREA AND MY POS WAS CONFIRMED BY A CURRENT TERMINAL AREA CHART; GPS; AND LORAN. MY CONCERN IS THE JUMP PLANE'S ACTIONS TOOK TIME AWAY FROM FLYING MY ACFT; LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL JUMPERS; ALL IN A BUSY TFC AREA. I'M SURE HE FELT I WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE JUMP AREA; BUT APCH CTL; GPS; AREA CHART; AND LORAN CONFIRMED I WAS PROVIDING PROPER CLRNC. I SUSPECT WINDS MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR BLOWING THE PARACHUTISTS OFF COURSE. I DID NOT HAVE A WIND READOUT. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT ABOUT 3500-4000 FT MSL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REITERATED THAT HE CALLED APCH CTL IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SIGHTING AND WAS ASSURED THAT HE WAS NOT IN THE JUMP AREA AND THAT ATC KNEW NOTHING ABOUT ANY PENDING JUMPS. HE FEELS THAT THE CARAVAN SEEMED TO BE HERDING HIM TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THE JUMPERS. HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER THE JUMP ACFT TOOK OFF AND LANDED AT DECATUR OR BISHOP.