A DSNDING PIPER AZTEC CPR PLT HAS AN NMAC WITH A CLBING DHC6 SKYDIVING ACFT 16 MI W OF IGN; NY.

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THIS INCIDENT HAD THE CLASSIC INGREDIENTS OF MIDAIR COLLISIONS AS I HAVE READ OF THEM: GOOD VFR WX; A LOW WING ACFT (AZTEC) DSNDING; AND A HIGH WING ACFT (TWIN OTTER) CLBING. I WAS IN AN EXTENDED DSCNT APPROX 20 MI FROM MY ARPT OF INTENDED LNDG; AND HAD BEEN MONITORING CTR FREQ FOR TFC. I HAD JUST SWITCHED OVER TO APCH FREQ TO CONTINUE MONITORING AS I DSNDED INTO THEIR AIRSPACE. I WAS ENTERING A CHARTED PARACHUTE JUMP AREA (WITH WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR BECAUSE IT IS IN MY LCL AREA); AND HAD HEARD A PARACHUTE JUMP ACFT IN A DSCNT ON CTR FREQ A FEW MINS BEFORE. THEREFORE; ALTHOUGH I WAS SCANNING FOR TFC IN THIS AREA; I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE JUMP ACFT TO BE A FACTOR FOR ME. AS IT TURNED OUT; MY ASSUMPTION WAS FAULTY; FOR WHEN I SWITCHED TO APCH FREQ; I HEARD THE CTLR POINTING OUT A TARGET TO THE JUMP ACFT AS IT CHKED ON IN A CLB -- AND THE ALT AND LOCATION OF THE TARGET FIT MY AIRPLANE. SURE ENOUGH; AS I LOOKED DOWN; I SPOTTED THE TWIN OTTER CLBING ALMOST DIRECTLY BELOW ME. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED MY DSCNT AND BEGAN A TURN TO CLR THE ACFT. I ESTIMATE THAT WE WERE WITHIN 200 FT VERTLY OF EACH OTHER; AND MY ACFT WAS SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF AND PULLING AWAY SLOWLY FROM THE ACFT. THIS WAS FAR TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT! I CANNOT SAY WITH CERTAINTY WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I HAD NOT BEEN MONITORING THE APCH FREQ; BUT THE NEAR MISS MAY HAVE BEEN EVEN CLOSER. LESSONS LEARNED: ON THE RARE OCCASIONS UNDER VMC WHEN I DO NOT FILE IFR FOR SAFETY; I ALMOST ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO RECEIVE VFR ADVISORIES FROM ATC FACILITIES. IN THIS CASE I DID NOT. I'M SURE THAT THIS SIT WOULD NOT HAVE DEVELOPED IF I HAD BEEN. ALTHOUGH THE OTHER ACFT WAS RECEIVING ADVISORIES; I BELIEVE HE HAD CHKED ON WITH APCH CTL SO RECENTLY THAT THERE WAS LITTLE TIME FOR THE CTLR TO APPRAISE HIM OF ME AS TFC BEFORE A POTENTIAL NMAC SIT DEVELOPED. THE FACT THAT CTLRS SOMETIMES ARE 'TOO BUSY' TO ISSUE ADVISORIES IS NO REASON NOT TO MAKE THE REQUEST. I WILL NEVER AGAIN FAIL TO. THE JUMP ACFT; PAINTED A DARK COLOR; WAS HARD TO SPOT FROM ABOVE. NEVERTHELESS; THE PROC OF MAKING SHALLOW TURNS WHILE IN A DSCNT (AS RECOMMENDED IN THE AIM) MIGHT HAVE HELPED ME TO SPOT THIS TFC SOONER; ALTHOUGH I SUSPECT THAT THE GEOMETRY OF OUR CLOSING WAS VERY BAD IN THIS RESPECT. LASTLY; SINCE I WAS NOT RECEIVING ADVISORIES; IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WISE OF ME SIMPLY TO CIRCUMNAV THE PARACHUTE JUMP AREA. FAMILIARITY WITH THE LCL AREA AND PROX TO MY HOME PLATE DEST PERHAPS BRED SOME COMPLACENCY -- POTENTIALLY FATAL INGREDIENTS. THIS INCIDENT MADE A VERY STRONG IMPRESSION ON ME.