AA5 EXPERIENCES NMAC OVER TOPANGA CANYON NW OF FIM VOR WITH CPR JET.

2004-08 · NASA ASRS report 628382

Date: 2004-08 · Aircraft: Cheetah; Tiger; Traveler AA5 Series · Phase: climb

Anomalies: conflict-nmac

Synopsis

AA5 EXPERIENCES NMAC OVER TOPANGA CANYON NW OF FIM VOR WITH CPR JET.

Narrative

DEPARTED FUL; CLBING TO 4500 FT TO CATCH THE SMO 132 DEG RADIAL FOR THE SFRA. TUNED 1201 ON THE MODE C XPONDER (RECENTLY CERTIFIED) AND MONITORED 128.55 PRIOR TO THE RADIAL FOR SITUATIONAL/TFC AWARENESS (WAS USING LOS ANGELES TERMINAL AREA CHART). INTERCEPTED AND TURNED ONTO THE RADIAL WHILE TALKING TO THE OTHER ACFT IN THE CORRIDOR (AT THE RPTING POINTS). RPTED EXITING THE CORRIDOR OVER SMO AND TURNED DIRECT FIM (VIA AN ON-BOARD VFR GPS). REMAINED AT 4500 FT UNTIL CLRING THE NORTHERN CLASS B SHELF. ATTEMPTED TO CALL SOCAL APCH ON 134.2 TO GET FLT FOLLOWING TO FIM. 'SOCAL APCH; GRUMMAN X VFR REQUEST.' 'GRUMMAN X; STAND BY; WILL GET BACK TO YOU WHEN I CAN.' REALIZED I WAS STILL SQUAWKING 1201; SO TUNED 1200. WAS AT THIS POINT APPROX OVER (OR A LITTLE N OF) THE WATER TANK AND 2126 FT PEAK JUST N OF PACIFIC PALISADES (AS NOTED ON THE TERMINAL AREA CHART). BEGAN CLBING AS I WISHED TO CROSS FIM AT 9000 FT. MY PAX WAS SCANNING FOR TFC AND POINTED AT OUR 5 O'CLOCK RELATIVE POS AND STATED 'LOOK.' I TURNED TO SEE A VERY RAPIDLY APCHING AND CLBING BIZJET. I ESTIMATE WE WERE LESS THAN 1 MI AT THIS POINT OF VISUAL CONTACT. AT THIS MOMENT; I SAW THE JET BEGIN A R BANK AND I TURNED INTO ITS PATH (R BANKING TURN) AND PUSHED MY NOSE DOWN TO GET UNDER THE APCHING JET. THE JET PASSED IN FRONT OF US APPROX 100-150 FT AWAY. IT WAS A JET; POSSIBLY 6-7 PAX WINDOWS; 2 ENGS. IN THE CHAOS; I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE TAIL NUMBER. I BELIEVE I HAD LEFT THE RADIO ON 134.2 AND WAS MONITORING THAT FREQ. HOWEVER; I MAY HAVE SWITCHED IT TO THE FREQ I WAS GIVEN TO PICK UP MY CLRNC OVER FIM (132.6) GIVEN THAT I HAD NO SUCCESS CONNECTING WITH ATC ON 134.2. I DID NOT HEAR ANY TFC CALLS REGARDING ANY ACFT AT MY ALT. ONCE I PICKED UP MY IFR CLRNC OVER FIM; I ASKED THE CTLR FOR A SUPVR'S PHONE NUMBER TO DISCUSS THIS SIT. I WAS GIVEN THE NUMBER FOR THE SCT AREA MGR AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD BE EXPECTING MY CALL WHEN I LANDED AT SQL. I CALLED THAT NUMBER AFTER LNDG. THE PERSON I TALKED TO WAS VERY NONCHALANT ABOUT THE SIT AND PROCEEDED TO ATTEMPT TO EDUCATE ME ON HOW THE SECTORS ARE LAID OUT AND WHAT FREQS CTL WHICH AREAS AND WHICH FREQ I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THEM ON FOR THE VARIOUS AREAS I WAS FLYING. SHE ALSO ESSENTIALLY SCOLDED ME FOR NOT CALLING THEM EARLIER (JUST AFTER PASSING OVER SMO) SO THEY COULD HAVE PROVIDED TFC SEPARATION WHILE TALKING TO BOTH ACFT INVOLVED. I REMINDED HER THAT THE AIRSPACE IN QUESTION WAS CLASS E AIRSPACE AND THAT I WASN'T REQUIRED TO TALK TO ATC (WORST CASE SCENARIO). SHE SAID SHE WOULD LISTEN TO THE TAPES IN THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE INCIDENT ON THE POSSIBLE FREQS AND WOULD CALL ME MONDAY MORNING. I WAS CALLED BACK AND SAID SHE BELIEVED SHE'D FOUND THE INCIDENT ON THE 134.2 TAPE. SHE HADN'T LISTENED FAR ENOUGH BACK TO HEAR MY VFR REQUEST; BUT SAID THAT SHE HAD HEARD THE CONVERSATION BTWN THE CTLR AND A FALCON JET THAT DEPARTED VAN NUYS FOR SANTA BARBARA. SHE STATED THAT A TA HAD BEEN ISSUED TO THE FALCON OF 11 O'CLOCK POS AND 4 MI; THEN A TFC ALERT WAS ISSUED AT 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 1 MI; TO WHICH THE FALCON REPLIED; 'BEGINNING HARD TURN TO THE R; TFC IN SIGHT.' SHE ALSO STATED THAT THE FALCON WAS ASSIGNED 270 DEGS AND CLB TO 6000 FT WHICH WAS THE USUAL ROUTING FOR THAT AREA. (MY COURSE AT THE TIME WAS APPROX 310-320 DEGS FROM SMO DIRECT FIM.) I ASKED IF SHE HAD ANY INDICATION OF ANY TA EQUIP (EG; TCASII) ON THE FALCON. SHE STATED THAT SOMETIMES ON LARGER COMMERCIAL ACFT; INDICATORS CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGND FROM TFC ALERT SYS; BUT THAT SHE DID NOT HEAR ANY DURING THE XMISSIONS FROM THE FALCON. SHE STATED THAT SHE FOUND NEITHER ERRORS NOR FAULT WITH MY ACTIONS; THE FALCON'S ACTIONS; NOR THE DIRECTIVES OF ATC. I REQUESTED THE TAIL NUMBER OF THE FALCON (SO I COULD TALK TO THE OTHER PLT AND UNDERSTAND HIS ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT) AND SHE STATED THAT THIS WOULD REQUIRE A REQUEST VIA THE FREEDOM OF INFO ACT REQUEST PROCESS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO EXPECT A CALL FROM MS X WHO WILL ASSIST ME IN FULFILLING THIS REQUEST.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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