A PVT PLT FLIES INTO THE CLASS B AIRSPACE OF DFW; NEARLY HITTING AN MD80 WHO HAD TURNED INTO THE C172 WHILE DSNDING ON A TCASII RA 5 MI E OF DFW; TX.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING A C172 SKYHAWK VFR FROM BROOKS COUNTY; TX; TO TULSA; OK; AND THE RTE OF FLT WAS THROUGH DALLAS CLASS B AIRSPACE. I DEPARTED BROOKS COUNTY AND LANDED AT AUSTIN; TX; FOR FUEL; THEN I DEPARTED AUSTIN AND CLBED OUT THROUGH A CLRING OF BROKEN CLOUDS. WHEN WE CAME CLOSE TO DALLAS THE CEILING BEGAN GRADUALLY RISING AND I ASKED TO CLB FROM 9500 FT TO 11500 FT TO KEEP CLR OF CLOUDS. THE CTLR CLRED ME TO 11500 FT. I STARTED MY CLB; BUT THE PLANE'S PERFORMANCE DID NOT ALLOW FOR SUCH HIGH ALT DUE TO LACK OF PWR AND LEVELED OFF AT 11000 FT. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO CLB AS FAST AS I COULD TO 11500 FT. I REPLIED THAT I WAS UNABLE TO REACH THAT ALT AND CLRED ME TO DSND. THE CTLR HAD GIVEN ME A HDG OF 350 DEGS AND I ASKED IF I COULD TURN TO HDG 330 DEGS; BUT HE DECLINED THAT DUE TO TFC. AT THIS TIME I WAS ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE CLOUDS. (IF I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE HDG I ASKED FOR; I WOULD HAVE BEEN CLR OF THE CLOUDS.) AS I KEPT MY HDG OF 350 DEGS; I ENTERED THE CLOUDS AT 10500 FT AND WAS IMC. I GOT A CALL FROM THE CTLR AND AT THAT TIME I TOLD HIM I WAS IMC AND I ASKED FOR A DSCNT TO VFR CONDITIONS. THE CTLR ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO FILE AN IFR FLT PLAN; AND I REPLIED 'YES.' THEN HE ASKED ME IF I WAS PROPERLY RATED FOR IFR FLT. MY ANSWER WAS 'NEGATIVE.' MY INITIAL ANSWER OF 'YES' WAS DUE TO A MISUNDERSTANDING AND STRESS TO GET MYSELF OUT OF THESE IMC CONDITIONS. THEN HE CLRED ME TO DSND TO VFR CONDITIONS AND I IMMEDIATELY STARTED MY DSCNT AND WAS DSNDING ABOUT 1000 FPM. AS I WAS DSNDING; THE CTLR ASKED ME TO TURN TO THE R ON A NEW HDG BECAUSE OF TFC AHEAD. THE CTLR TALKED SO FAST THAT I DID NOT GET THE HDG HE HAD GIVEN ME; SO I TURNED IMMEDIATELY 30 DEGS TO THE R AND ASKED THE CTLR TO REPEAT THE HDG; BUT I NEVER GOT THE HDG FROM HIM. AS WE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT 9000 FT; WE SAW AN MD80 TO OUR L ABOUT 1 MI AND 100 FT BELOW IN A 45 DEG TURN TO THE R. AFTER THAT; I ASKED TO DSND FURTHER DOWN TO BE ABLE TO REMAIN VFR. AFTER WE WERE THROUGH THE AIRSPACE; I WAS ASKED TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER CTLR AND HE ASKED ME TO CALL HIM AS SOON AS I LANDED IN TULSA. AT THAT POINT WE DID NOT KNOW HOW SERIOUS THE SIT WAS. AS I LANDED IN TULSA; I CALLED DALLAS ATC AND WAS INFORMED THAT WE ALMOST HAD A MIDAIR COLLISION WITH AN MD80 AND THAT THE TCASII OF THAT AIRPLANE HAD WARNED THE PLT OF POSSIBLE COLLISION AND THE CAPT OF THAT AIRPLANE HAD ENTERED A 45 DEG TURN TO THE R TO AVOID A COLLISION. THE CTLR THAT I SPOKE TO INFORMED ME THAT THE CTLR COVERING MY AREA OF FLT WAS A FAIRLY NEW EMPLOYEE AND THAT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THE SIT; BUT THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH HIS AREA. THIS CTLR ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO FREE HIM OF HIS AREA SO HE COULD MOVE OVER TO THE AREA I WAS FLYING IN SO HE COULD TAKE THE RIGHT ACTION; BUT HE WAS TOO BUSY TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FROM HIS SCREEN; AND HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE CTLR DID NOT WANT TO FRIGHTEN ME BY TELLING ME ABOUT THE MD80. I UNDERSTAND THAT MY MISTAKE WAS TO ENTER THE CLOUDS INSTEAD OF MAKING A 180 DEG TURN BEFORE ENTERING THE CLOUDS AND AVOID IMC AT ALL COST; AS I AM NOT AN INST RATED PLT. HOWEVER; I HAVE GOTTEN ABOUT 25 INST LESSONS AS I AM WORKING ON MY INST RATING AND THE REASON I DID NOT MAKE THAT TURN WAS BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO MAKE ANY DEVS ON MY HDG BECAUSE THE CTLR HAD ASSIGNED ME THE HDG OF 350 DEGS AND DECLINED ANY DEV DUE TO OTHER TFC. IT IS CLR THAT THE NEAR COLLISION WAS DUE TO THE CTLR CLRING ME TO DSND INTO VFR CONDITIONS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE MD80. ALSO; AFTER I DEPARTED THE CLASS B AIRSPACE; 2 OF MY PAX INFORMED ME THEY HEARD HIM GIVE ME A 10 DEG HDG CHANGE TO THE R; IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT IF I HAD NOT MADE A 30 DEG TURN TO THE R THE PATH OF THE 2 PLANES WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT CLOSER. I AM A FOREIGN PLT AND I HAVE NOTICED THAT SOME CTLRS ARE ALMOST UNREADABLE AND IN THIS CASE HE GOT SO TENSE WHEN HE SAW THAT THE PLANES WERE ON A COLLIDING COURSE HE STARTED TALKING FAST AND UNCLR. I ALSO WANT TO INFORM YOU THAT THE CTLR NEVER ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO DECLARE AN EMER; WHICH THE SIT WAS NOT UNTIL HE CLRED ME TO DSND IN FRONT OF THE MD80. HE SHOULD HAVE WAITED FOR ME TO PASS THE MD80 AND HAVE ME DSND AFTER WE PASSED THE MD80. MY QUESTION IS; WHY IS AN ATC CTLR NOT FULLY CAPABLE OF HANDLING SITS LIKE THIS CTLING IN CLASS B AIRSPACE? I AM FULLY AWARE OF MY MISTAKE OF ENTERING THE CLOUDS AND THAT IS AN EXPERIENCE THAT I WILL PUT TO GOOD USE IN MY FLYING CAREER AS A PVT PLT; AS THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED I AM 1/2 WAY THROUGH MY INST TRAINING WITH AROUND 25 INST HRS AND WILL FINISH THE WRITTEN WITHIN THE NEXT 2 MONTHS.