SFO ATCT EXCHANGES TA WITH INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR A TFC WATCH C172 TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION FROM A DEPARTING MD11.

Narrative

THIS IS AN NMAC INCIDENT BTWN A C172 (ACFT X) AND AN MD11 (ACFT Y). LOCATION WAS THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF SFO RWY 28L/R OVER UNITED STATES HWY 101. AS I WAS APCHING THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; I CONTACTED BAY APCH NEAR THE GOLDEN GATE AREA FOR A 'SOUTH RTE ALPHA' CLRNC. THIS 'SOUTH RTE ALPHA' CLRNC IS COMMON ROUTING TERM USED BY TFC RPT ACFT. ON INITIAL CONTACT (I CANNOT REMEMBER WHETHER IT WAS ON INITIAL CONTACT OR SUBSEQUENT RADIO CALLS); I ADVISED BAY APCH THAT WE WERE GOING TO MANEUVER OVER SAN FRANCISCO. BAY APCH ACKNOWLEDGED AND TOLD ME TO ADVISE HIM WHEN READY TO PROCEED THROUGH CLASS B. AFTER THE TFC RPTR WAS FINISHED OBSERVING THE AUTOMOBILE TFC ON VAN NESS AVENUE; I CALLED BAY APCH AND ADVISED THE CTLR WE WERE READY TO ENTER CLASS B VIA 'SOUTH RTE ALPHA.' MY CURRENT ALT WAS BTWN 1400-1500 FT. HE IMMEDIATELY CLRED US THROUGH WITH AN ALT RESTR (I BELIEVE IT WAS AT OR BELOW 2000 FT). AS ALWAYS; WHEN I FLY THROUGH THAT AREA; I PROCEED WITH EXTRA CAUTION AND VIGILANCE DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF TFC RANGING FROM SMALL TO LARGE CATEGORY ACFT; THUS MAKING SURE I WOULD NAV AROUND/AWAY FROM POSSIBLE WAKE TURB AND MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. WHEN PASSING MT SAN BRUNO; I CHKED FOR ACFT THAT MAY BE TAXIING; HOLDING SHORT; OR IN POS AND HOLD FOR RWYS 28L/R. AFTER NOTICING THERE WERE NONE; I PROCEEDED WITH MY NORMAL PATTERN OF SCAN FOR TFC STARTING AT MY 3 O'CLOCK POS. WHEN I REACHED MY 12 O'CLOCK SCAN AREA; THROUGH MY PERIPHERAL VISION; MY EYE I SAW A MOVING TARGET TO MY L (AN MD11 THAT JUST DEPARTED ON EITHER RWY 28L OR RWY 28R). BY THIS TIME I WAS EITHER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEP CORRIDORS OF RWYS 28L/R OR JUST S OF IT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN 500-150 FT OFF TO MY L AROUND MY 8:30 - 9:00 O'CLOCK POS AT MY ALT. I TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTION BECAUSE JUDGING FROM THE MD11 FLT PATH IT WAS GOING TO PASS BEHIND AND ABOVE ME. SHORTLY AFTER SFO TWR ADVISED ME OF THE TFC AND I CALLED 'TFC IN SIGHT.' IT WAS TOO LATE TO TAKE ANY ACTION THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED BOTH ACFT TO COME ANY CLOSER TO EACH OTHER OR TO AVOID BEING AN NMAC. THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT; THE MD-11 STATED; 'HE WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE SIT.' FROM THAT POINT ON; MY FLT ENCOUNTERED NO FURTHER INCIDENT. THE TFC RPTR'S BROADCAST RADIO WAS MALFUNCTIONING; SO WE LANDED AT HAYWARD ARPT TO GET A REPLACEMENT RADIO. THAT WAS WHEN HAYWARD TWR ADVISED ME SFO TWR WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO ME. THE SUPERVISING CTLR REQUESTED I MAKE A STATEMENT SO THAT THEY CAN FILE A RPT. I GAVE MY BEST NARRATIVE BEING IN THE NERVOUS STATE I WAS IN. I MADE A FOLLOW-UP CALL THE NEXT DAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT I HAD MADE AN INCORRECT STATEMENT SAYING THERE WAS NO TA'S GIVEN IN REF TO THE MD11; WHICH WAS NOT TRUE; DUE TO THE FACT THERE WAS ONE CALLED OUT IN REF TO THE MD11 SHORTLY AFTER I MADE VISUAL CONTACT. THE EVENT THAT DID NOT OCCUR WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A 'HVY' TFC TO DEPART FROM RWY 28L/R TO ME AND MY POS TO THE MD11. IF THERE WAS ANY ISSUED I DID NOT HEAR IT. EVERY TIME I HAVE FLOWN THE RTE; A TFC ALERT WAS ALWAYS ISSUED FOR ACFT DEPARTING RWY 28L/R. ALSO VISUAL SIGHTING OF TFC ON THE ROLL OR THAT HAVE JUST LIFTED OFF OF RWY 28L/R IS HARD TO DETECT SINCE THE ACFT IS FLYING ALMOST DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE GENERAL AREA WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. SINCE THE RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE MD11 IS MINIMAL AT BEST; IN RELATION TO MY POS; THE EYE HAS THE HARDEST TIME DETECTING THIS TYPE OF MOVING TARGET.