A PA32 PLT MISSES A COLLISION WITH A PARACHUTE JUMPER BY 50 FT.

Narrative

TODAY FLYING AT 9000 FT NEAR MSV ON AN IFR FLT PLAN I SAW 2 PARACHUTERS DROP PAST WITHIN 100 FT. THE FIRST AT MY 11 O'CLOCK POS; BTWN 50 FT AND 100 FT AWAY; SAW THAT ONE; BUT DIDN'T COMPREHEND WHAT IT WAS; WENT BY TOO FAST. I THOUGHT IT WAS SOME KIND OF COLLAPSED BALLOON AT FIRST; THEN ANOTHER AT MY 2:30-3 O'CLOCK POS; LESS THAN 50 FT OFF MY WING. JUST AFTER THAT; ATC TOLD ME TO TURN TO AN IMMEDIATE 160 DEG HDG (I HAD BEEN ON A 90 DEG HDG). I TOLD THEM WHAT I HAD JUST SEEN; AND HE SAID YEAH; THERE WAS A JUMP ACFT ABOVE ME. ONLY MENTION OF PARA JUMPING IN THE FSS BRIEFING WAS NW OF WILKES-BARRE; AND ATC HADN'T SAID A PEEP BEFORE THE INCIDENT. I WAS IN AND OUT OF CUMULUS AT THAT ALT; AND HAD ONLY BEEN OUT OF A CLOUD FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS BEFORE. THE JUMPERS PASSED THROUGH MY ALT TOO FAST FOR ME TO ATTEMPT ANY EVASIVE ACTION. THEIR PARACHUTES WERE NOT DEPLOYED; BUT A SMALL PARACHUTE OR AN UNRELEASED PARACHUTE TRAILED EACH BY A FEW FT. THE JUMPERS WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE CLRLY THAT THEY WERE WEARING HELMETS WITH VISORS. IT TOOK ME A GOOD 1/2 HR TO CALM DOWN. SKY CONDITION WAS TWRING CUMULUS WITH COVERAGE OF AROUND 50%. ACCORDING TO THE BREAD-CRUMB TRAIL ON MY GPS; THE TURN DIRECTED BY ATC OCCURRED 6 NM E OF HELON; 2 NM NW OF N45. A SUBSEQUENT SEARCH ON WX BRIEF WEBSITE REVEALED A PARACHUTE JUMPING NOTAM FOR 1 NM RADIUS OVER N45. THIS NOTAM WAS NOT PASSED ON BY WILLIAMSPORT FSS DURING MY TELEPHONE BRIEFING PRIOR TO MY DEP FROM IPT.