A UNITED STATES CUSTOMS KING AIR 200 RPTS AN NMAC WITH AN F18 NW OF TUS AT 16500 FT MSL.

Narrative

WE HAD JUST BEGAN OUR DSCNT FROM CRUISE ALT OF 17500 FT; WHEN A MIL FA18 HORNET PASSED DIRECTLY FROM BEHIND; DSNDING IN FRONT OF AND OVER THE TOP OF OUR ACFT. THE PF MANEUVERED OUR ACFT LATERALLY TO AVOID WAKE TURB AND TO DECONFLICT WITH A POSSIBLE WINGMAN THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN TRAIL OF THE FA18. NO FURTHER INCIDENT OCCURRED AND WE LANDED NORMALLY. AFTER SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION AND PHONE CALLS WITH THE FAA (ZAB) IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FA18 WAS OPERATING UNDER IFR; UNDER THE CTL OF ZAB. BOTH ACFT WERE OBSERVED ON FAA RADAR BUT NO TFC ALERT WAS ISSUED TO THE FA18. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED ON CALLBACK THAT HE WAS NOT ON ZAB FREQ; RATHER HE WAS ON HIS COMPANY CUSTOMS FREQ. HE WAS VFR ON V66 TUS TO GBN DSNDING FROM 17500 FT; AND AT 16500 FT IS WHEN THE NMAC OCCURRED. RPTR FURTHER STATES THAT HE SAW THE F18 AFTER HE APCHED FROM BEHIND AND DSNDED FROM OVER THE TOP AND BELOW IN FRONT OF THEM. THE CUSTOMS SUPVR CALLED ZAB AND WAS TOLD THAT THE F18 RPTED A 100 FT - 200 FT NMAC.