NMAC DURING AN AIR INTERCEPT OF A C150 AT 2000 FT BY AN F16 WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A NEWLY ESTABLISHED TFR 17 NM E OF TPA; FL.

Narrative

I WAS SHUTTLING THIS C150 FROM FD77 TO ZPH. THE WX WAS VFR WITH CIRCUMNAVIGATABLE TSTMS TO THE W AND ONE TO THE NE. I AM NOT FROM THE TAMPA AREA; BUT HAVE FLOWN IN THIS AIRSPACE BEFORE AND KNEW THAT I WAS OUTSIDE THE TAMPA CLASS B AIRSPACE. I FELT CONFIDENT THAT I COULD MAKE IT TO ZPH WITHOUT ENCOUNTERING EITHER OF THESE TSTMS AND WAS ANXIOUS TO GET THE PLANE TO ZPH. THE DISTANCE WAS ONLY 32 MI. I FIGURED ABOUT 20 MINS ENRTE AT 2000 FT. WHEN I WAS APPROX 2 MI N OF PLANT CITY ARPT; AN F16 FIGHTER PASSED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME IN PRACTICALLY A VERT POS. IT SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF ME; AS I HAD NO IDEA WHY THIS FIGHTER WOULD DO THIS. I WATCHED AS THE JET FLEW OFF TO THE E; THINKING THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN IN A PRACTICE AREA THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF. I TUNED TO 121.5 AND MONITORED THIS FREQ TO SEE IF ANYONE HAD ANY INSTRUCTIONS FOR ME AND I HEARD NOTHING. AT THIS POINT; I HAD ONLY ONE THOUGHT IN MIND AND THAT WAS TO GET TO ZPH; WHICH I COULD SEE STRAIGHT AHEAD. WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN; THE F16 AGAIN PASSED; THIS TIME NOT MORE THAN 75-100 FT IN FRONT OF ME. THE WAKE FROM THIS PASS STOOD THE C150 ON ITS SIDE. I STRUGGLED TO RECOVER THE AIRPLANE TO STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT. I WAS EVEN MORE FRIGHTENED THAN WHEN HE MADE THE FIRST PASS. UNFORTUNATELY; I HAD NOT OBTAINED A FLT BRIEFING PRIOR TO THIS FLT AND HAD NO IDEA UNTIL I HAD LANDED AND BEGAN TO MAKE SOME INQUIRIES THAT THE REASON FOR THE FIGHTER FLYBY WAS THAT THERE WAS A TFR IN EFFECT. I MUST SAY THAT I AM GRATEFUL THAT I WAS NOT SHOT DOWN; BUT THE SECOND PASS THAT THE F16 MADE NEARLY HAD THE SAME EFFECT. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL BE SURE TO OBTAIN A BRIEFING; NO MATTER HOW SHORT THE FLT. BUT ALSO; I MIGHT SUGGEST THAT THE F16 PLTS USE THE PUBLISHED PROC FOR INTERCEPT. AFTER REVIEWING THESE PROCS; I COULD FIND NOTHING ABOUT FLYING RIGHT IN FRONT OF AN AIRPLANE NEARLY CAUSING IT TO CRASH.