DISTR BY A FAILED GPS; CLOSE PROX TO A CLASS D ARPT; MVMC CONDITIONS AND AN IRATE PAX; PLT OF C152 EXPERIENCES CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH OPPOSITE DIRECTION C172.

Narrative

PRIOR TO A FLT IN MVFR CONDITIONS THE GARMIN GPS III PLT WAS INITIALIZED. WHILE BEING CARRIED TO THE AIRPLANE; THE SCREEN WENT BLANK. THIS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A MALFUNCTION; POSSIBLY CAUSED BY DIRECT SUNLIGHT. THE GPS WAS CRITICAL TO PART OF THE MISSION THAT WOULD BE NEAR TO OR WITHIN CLASS B AIRSPACE; ALTHOUGH GND REF WAS AN OPTION IF THE VISIBILITY WAS SATISFACTORY. THE MISSION WAS CONDUCTED SATISFACTORILY UNTIL THE PORTION THAT WAS NEAR TO OR IN CLASS B AIRSPACE. I DETERMINED THAT THAT PORTION HAD TO BE ABORTED DUE TO HAZE AND LOW CEILINGS. WHEN I INFORMED THE PHOTOGRAPHER OF MY DECISION; HE BECAME VERY UPSET. AT THAT TIME I INFORMED HIM THAT; DUE TO THE SUSTAINED STRESS OF THE OP; I WAS TERMINATING THE FLT. THIS ONLY IRRITATED HIM MORE. AS WE WERE NEAR THE BOUNDARY OF SEE'S CLASS D AIRSPACE; I OBTAINED THE ATIS AND CALLED FOR LNDG. THE PHOTOGRAPHER BECAME MORE IRATE; RANTING CONSTANTLY. SINCE THE ISO SWITCH WAS IN AN INCONVENIENT LOCATION; I WAS UNABLE TO SHUT HIM OUT. HE BECAME INSISTENT THAT WE DO AN ADDITIONAL SHOOT WITHIN SEE'S CLASS D AIRSPACE. TO PLACATE HIM; I LEVELED OFF AT 1800 FT AND REQUESTED AN AMENDMENT TO MY LNDG CLRNC. BECAUSE OF THE DISTR CREATED BY PHOTOGRAPHER; I USED THE CALL SIGN OF THE PLANE I USUALLY FLY; INSTEAD OF THE ONE ACTUALLY BEING FLOWN. WHILE THE RESULTING CONFUSION WAS BEING RESOLVED; I TURNED ONTO THE COURSE FOR THE SHOOT. THE LCL CTLR; NOT REALIZING I WAS 500 FT ABOVE THE PATTERN; INTERPED IT AS AN UNAUTH TURN TO BASE LEG. LATER; WHEN THE SHOOT HAD BEEN AUTH; A COM FAILURE CONTRIBUTED TO A HEAD-ON NMAC WITH A C172 ON DOWNWIND. LATER IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE SYNCHRONOUS XMISSIONS.