C206 PLT HAS NMAC SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTING HOME BASE; TUPJ (BEEF ISLAND ARPT) ENRTE TO TIST (ST THOMAS; PR).

Narrative

I DEPARTED MY TIE-DOWN SPOT AND TAXIED TO RWY 8 OUTBOUND FOR ST THOMAS. BY THE TIME I HAD TAXIED TO RWY 8; I HAD ASCERTAINED THAT THERE WERE 3 OTHER ACFT ON THE UNICOM FREQ. I FELT THAT I HAD GOOD SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. 2 OF THE 3 ACFT HAD LANDED AND CLRED THE RWY AND THE THIRD WAS 'OVER THE COASTLINE' ABOUT 2 MI E OF THE FIELD INBOUND FOR LNDG. DURING MY CLBOUT TO 3500 FT; I MENTIONED TO THE FRONT SEAT PAX THAT THE REASON I WAS LOWERING MY NOSE PERIODICALLY WAS SO THAT WE COULD SCAN THE SKY AHEAD FOR INBOUND TFC THAT MIGHT BE S OF PALOMINO. I DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES. BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING DARK; I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT INBOUND TFC. I ADDED MY WING MOUNTED TAXI AND LNDG LIGHTS TO MY NAV; BEACON; AND STROBE LIGHTS TO IMPROVE MY CHANCES OF BEING SEEN. ABOUT 4 OR 5 MI E OF THE ARPT; I MADE A LAST CALL ON 122.7 RPTING MY POS AND ALT AND SAYING 'DEPARTING THE TFC AREA TO THE E.' 30 SECONDS LATER; I WAS JUST READY TO KEY THE PUSH-TO-TALK BUTTON TO CALL SJU CTL (FOR FLT FOLLOWING AND SEQUENCING INTO TIST) WHEN AN ACFT PASSED OFF MY R SIDE. THE ACFT WAS JUST A WHITE AND RED BLUR. IT WAS OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC AND IT WAS VERY CLOSE. I ESTIMATE THAT THE ACFT WAS WITHIN 10-20 FT AWAY HORIZLY AND BELOW MY R WINGTIP. THE THING THAT REALLY MAKES THIS INCIDENT MOST NOTABLE; IS THAT I WAS VERY COGNIZANT OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS TO OCCUR IN THIS IMMEDIATE VICINITY AND AS SUCH; WAS MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO SEE AND BE SEEN AT THE TIME. I BELIEVE THAT THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT: 1) THE LACK OF RELATIVE MOVEMENT TO ONE ANOTHER WHEREBY BOTH ACFT WERE ON A COLLISION COURSE FOR SOME TIME. 2) THE TIME OF DAY (DUSK) REDUCED VISIBILITY SOME. 3) THE FACT THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS S OF THE 'NORMAL' INBOUND TRACK (I WAS ABOUT 1 - 1 1/2 MI S OF PALOMINO ISLAND). THE OTHER PLT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THIS RULE OF THUMB. 4) LACK OF LCL ATC. 5) LACK OF PUBLISHED TRANSITION PROCS/VFR CORRIDORS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) COMPLACENCY AND POOR DISCIPLINE ON THE PART OF PLTS MAKING MULTIPLE FLTS INTO AND OUT OF FAJARDO ARPT ON A DAILY BASIS. FOR THOSE PLTS UNABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH; SITUATIONAL AWARENESS CAN BE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY BY THE FACT THAT UNICOM OPERATOR COMS ARE MADE IN SPANISH ON A ROUTINE BASIS. 2) I BELIEVE THAT THE OTHER ACFT DID NOT HAVE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHTS OR LNDG LIGHTS ON. 3) THE NMAC OCCURRED IN THE COMS RADIO TRANSITION AREA WHERE A FREQ CHANGE FROM SAN JUAN TO FAJARDO UNICOM OR VICE VERSA WOULD TYPICALLY TAKE PLACE. REMEDIES: I BELIEVE THAT A CTL TWR IS NECESSARY AT FAJARDO ARPT; AND SOME VFR CORRIDORS COULD BE ESTABLISHED. THE TFC THAT USES THIS VERY VALUABLE AND CONVENIENT FIELD IS PRIMARILY CONCENTRATED IN 1 AREA. MAYBE SOME KIND OF DEAL COULD BE MADE WITH ROOSEVELT ROADS CTL TWR.