NMAC BTWN A MOONEY MARK10 ENTERING A CLASS C AIRSPACE AND A SEL CESSNA ALSO ENTERING THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND APCHING TO LAND. THE MOONEY PLT MADE A R TURN TO AVOID THE CESSNA.

Date: 1997-10 · Aircraft: Cadet Mark 10

Anomalies: conflict-nmac|other-unspecified

Synopsis

NMAC BTWN A MOONEY MARK10 ENTERING A CLASS C AIRSPACE AND A SEL CESSNA ALSO ENTERING THE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND APCHING TO LAND. THE MOONEY PLT MADE A R TURN TO AVOID THE CESSNA.

Narrative

AT A DISTANCE OF 18 STATUTE MI FROM MY INTENDED LNDG SITE AT MANCHESTER; NH; I CONTACTED MHT APCH; ON A FREQ OF 124.9. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED; AND ISSUED ME A SQUAWK. HOWEVER; THERE WAS NO CONFIRMATION FOR A COUPLE OF MINS. I LISTENED AS THE CTLR WAS HAVING AN APPARENT COMS PROB WITH ANOTHER ACFT. THIS UNIDENTED ACFT HAD CALLED; AND THE CTLR RPTED THAT THE ACFT'S RADIO WAS SCRATCHY. AFTER A BREAK OF 1-2 MINS; THE ACFT CALLED AGAIN; AND WAS RPTED READABLE; BUT THE CTLR AND THE PLT WERE SEEMING TO BE HAVING A SMALL CONFUSION OVER WHAT INFO THE PLT WAS SEEKING AND HOW THE PLT WAS COMMUNICATING. MEANWHILE; I WAS APPROX 14 MI OUT FROM MHT WITH THE ARPT IN SIGHT; FLYING A HEADING OF APPROX 240-270 DEGS. AT THIS TIME I ASKED IF THE CTLR 'HAD MOONEY.' THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACFT BEING WORKED BY THIS CTLR; AND HE SEEMED QUITE BUSY. SINCE HE HAD GIVEN ME A SQUAWK CODE AND HAD NOT TOLD ME TO STAY OUT OF THE ARSA; I CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER MIN OR SO. THE CTLR THEN CAME BACK ON THE AIR; AND SEEMED TO BE READY TO GIVE ME ANOTHER SQUAWK CODE. 'MOONEY; SQUAWK...' AND HE GAVE ME 2 DIGITS; THEN SEEMED TO CHANGE HIS MIND AND REQUESTED THAT I 'IDENT.' I IMMEDIATELY DID AS REQUESTED. AFTER THE LIGHT ON MY XPONDER WENT OUT; I SQUAWKED ONCE AGAIN. AT THAT TIME; WHILE ABOUT 8 MI FROM MHT; MY PAX TAPPED ME ON THE SHOULDER AND POINTED TO MY 7 O'CLOCK POS. A SINGLE ENG CESSNA WAS AT THAT POS APPROX 250 FT BEHIND ME; AND 100 FT ABOVE ME. HE WAS HEADING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS WE WERE AT THE TIME. I TOOK EVASIVE ACTION TO THE R; TURNING APPROX TO A HDG OF 290 DEGS. I CONTACTED MHT APCH AND TOLD THEM THAT A CESSNA WAS RIGHT ON TOP OF ME; AND ASKED IF THEY WERE WORKING HIM. THE REPLY WAS; 'YEAH; THAT'S THE ONE I TOLD YOU ABOUT.' I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION WHATSOEVER OF HIM TELLING ME THAT THERE WAS TFC IN MY AREA. I WAS USING A LIGHTSPEED 20K NOISE CANCELING HEADSET; AND WOULD HAVE HEARD HIM SAY SOMETHING. HE THEN RADIOED THE CESSNA BEHIND AND ABOVE ME; TOLD HIM TO MAKE A L 360 DEG MANEUVER; AND FOLLOW ME IN. MY LNDG WAS WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE CTLR WAS EXTREMELY BUSY; AND THAT FACT MAY HAVE ADDED TO HIS CONFUSION. WHEN THERE IS A LOT OF ACTIVITY AROUND MHT; THINGS CAN GET HAIRY. AT NO TIME WERE EITHER MYSELF OR THE CESSNA IN IMMEDIATE DANGER. HOWEVER; LATER ON THE GND A PLT FRIEND STATED THAT HE HAD HEARD THE CTLR ASK THE CESSNA WHETHER OR NOT HE WANTED TO MAKE A 'NEAR MISS' RPT. THE CESSNA; ACCORDING TO THIS SOURCE; SAID THAT 'THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT IT.'

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