A C172 PLT RECEIVING TA'S NEAR N68 SPOTTED A PARACHUTE JUMPER ACFT BANKING AND DSNDING NEARBY AFTER ATC HAD GIVEN JUMP ADVISORY.

Narrative

APCHED N68 AT 6500 FT MSL FROM NE; ENRTE FROM NS TO THS VOR; HENCE TO CBE. USED THIS RTE TO STAY WELL CLR OF CAMP DAVID AIRSPACE. WAS A LITTLE N OF COURSE AND ANGLING SOUTHWARD TO GET BACK ON. HEARD AN ACFT ANNOUNCE SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF 'JUMPERS AWAY; 10000 FT; OVER CHAMBERSBURG.' WAS USING VFR FLT FOLLOWING AND UNDER ADVISORY SVC AT HARRISBURG APCH. SOON AFTER JUMPER PLANE ANNOUNCEMENT; HARRISBURG APCH ASKED FOR MY HDG; WHICH WAS ABOUT 265 DEG HDG. HE ASKED ME TO TURN TO 290 DEGS TO PASS N OF N68 TO KEEP ARPT CLR FOR JUMPERS. I COMPLIED. SAW N68 ON MY 9 O'CLOCK POS; AT ABOUT 4 MI (OUR CLOSEST APCH TO N68) AS WE PASSED BY. SOON AFTERWARDS MY SON; RIDING IN THE R FRONT SEAT; EXCLAIMED SOMETHING LIKE 'LOOK AT THAT.' I LOOKED OVER HIS WAY AND SAW A PISTON TWIN BANKING AWAY FROM US; SAME ALT AND INITIALLY CLOSE TO SAME HDG; ABOUT 500 OR SO FT (MAYBE LESS) AWAY AT OUR 3 O'CLOCK POS. THE TWIN APPEARED TO HAVE AN OPEN L FUSELAGE DOOR AND WAS PRESUMABLY THE JUMPER PLANE. ABOUT THAT TIME HARRISBURG APCH CALLED AND ASKED IF WE HAD 2 XPONDERS ON BOARD. I ANSWERED NEGATIVE AND ADVISED THE CTLR THAT A TWIN JUST BANKED AWAY FROM US OFF OUR R WING. MY SON TOOK A PICTURE OF THE TWIN AFTER IT WAS ABOUT 1 MI FROM US; ON A NEARLY REVERSE HDG; AND A LITTLE LOWER THAN US. I SAW OR HEARD NOTHING MORE OF THE TWIN AFTER SEEING IT BANK AWAY FROM US. I DID NOT TAKE EVASIVE ACTION SINCE THE TWIN WAS ALREADY RAPIDLY SEPARATING FROM US. I HEARD NOTHING MORE FROM THE CTLR ABOUT THIS INCIDENT; AND THAT WAS THE END OF IT. WHAT CAUSED INCIDENT: TWIN PLT EITHER ACCIDENTALLY OR INTENTIONALLY PASSED CLOSE BY US. DO NOT KNOW WHY HARRISBURG APCH DID NOT SEE SITUATION DEVELOPING; ALTHOUGH I DO NOT BLAME THEM. I HAD NO WAY OF SEEING THE TWIN AS IT OVERTOOK US FROM R SIDE AND IT DID NOT ANNOUNCE ITS LOCATION AFTER JUMPERS LEFT THE ACFT. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: ALSO MONITOR N68 CTAF ON 122.8 WHEN IN AREA. ALSO; GIVE N68 A WIDE BERTH IF PARACHUTING ACTIVITY SUSPECTED. NOTE: I CONTACTED FLT SVC AT ABOUT XA30 BEFORE DEPARTING ON TRIP; AND AGAIN JUST BEFORE DEPARTING LNS ON HOMEWARD LEG. NEITHER BRIEFING MENTIONED ANYTHING ABOUT PARACHUTING ACTIVITY AT N68. ALSO; WHY COULD NOT THE JUMP PLANE PLT CONTACT HARRISBURG APCH PRIOR TO JUMPERS LEAVING THE PLANE? HE COULD ASK THE CTLR IF HE WAS PAINTING ANY ACFT IN THE AREA. I KNOW RADAR WILL NOT SHOW EVERYTHING; BUT THE CTLR WAS CERTAINLY AWARE OF OUR PRESENCE IN THE AREA.