HELI PLT DESCRIBED CONFLICT AT 5500 INBOUND TO AMA WHEN APCH CTL HANDLING REPORTEDLY CONTRIBUTED TO INCIDENT.

Date: 2007-08 · Aircraft: Robinson R44 · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: conflict-airborne-conflict

Synopsis

HELI PLT DESCRIBED CONFLICT AT 5500 INBOUND TO AMA WHEN APCH CTL HANDLING REPORTEDLY CONTRIBUTED TO INCIDENT.

Narrative

I CONTACTED AMA APCH CTL AT ERICA INTXN (4200 FT MSL -- HELI) INBOUND TO AMA WITH REQUEST TO OVERFLY RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION (FUTURE LNDG ZONE) LOCATED ON LOOP 335 NEAR RACE TRACK (APPROX 3-4 NM S OF ARPT) AND RETURN TO ARPT FOR RAMP LNDG. APCH CTL ADVISED REMAIN CLR OF CLASS C; PROCEED TOWARD RECONNAISSANCE AREA. I ADVISED APCH CTLR LOCATION OF RECONNAISSANCE AREA WITH CLASS C AIRSPACE. APCH CTLR ISSUED PROCEED TO RECONNAISSANCE AREA REMAIN CLR OF RWY 31 APCH PATH. I ADVISED APCH CTLR RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION WAS 12 O'CLOCK POS; 3 MI AND WOULD REQUIRE XING RWY 31 APCH PATH. APCH CTLR REPLIED 'UNABLE' WITH NO FURTHER INSTRUCTION. I BROUGHT HELI TO HOVER AT 4200 FT MSL AND REQUESTED CROSS AMA MIDFIELD AND PROCEED PARALLEL RWY 22 (CLOSED FOR TXWY REPAIR). AFTER APPROX 30-45 SECOND DELAY; APCH CTLR ISSUED CLB TO 5500 FT MSL OR ABOVE AND PROCEED DIRECT TO RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION. I CLBED INITIALLY TO 5700 FT AND PROCEEDED DIRECT RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION AT 5500 FT MSL. APCH CTLR ISSUED CITATION TFC INBOUND FROM W AT 6000 FT MSL. I RESPONDED SEARCHING. CITATION RESPONDED DO NOT HAVE TFC. I OBSERVED CITATION APPROX 1 MI W ON COLLISION COURSE SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE HELI. I ADVISED CTLR CITATION WAS IN SIGHT AND I WAS DSNDING FOR CONFLICT. I TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY ENTERING RAPID DSCNT TO 4800 FT MSL. CTLR ADVISED DELETE ALT RESTR. UPON REACHING RECONNAISSANCE AREA I MADE 2 ORBITS AT 4200 FT MSL; ADVISED APCH CTLR READY TO PROCEED TO ARPT RAMP; I WAS ADVISED CONTACT TWR; AND WAS CLRED BY TWR FOR DIRECT RETURN TO RAMP FOR LNDG. THE APCH CTLR WAS WORKING SEVERAL MIL TRAINING ACFT AND LIMITED TO A SINGLE RWY 31/13 DUE TO CONSTRUCTION CLOSING RWY 22/4. DUE TO THE RECONNAISSANCE NATURE OF THE OVERFLT; I WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A 'RADAR SCREEN OR OVERLAY IDENTIFIABLE' SPECIFIC LOCATION OTHER THAN A CULTURAL (ROAD/LANDMARK) REF AND AN APPROX BEARING AND DISTANCE FROM MY ACFT. IN MY OPINION; THE BEST PROC WAS TO HAND MY ACFT OFF TO THE TWR CTLR UPON REACHING THE INNER CLASS C AIRSPACE WITH CONTINUED LOW LEVEL FLT (4200 FT MSL) ACROSS THE FIRST THIRD OR MIDFIELD POINT OF RWY 31/13 DIRECT TO THE RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION TO AVOID FIXED WING TFC FLOW. I BELIEVE THE APCH CTLR WAS FRUSTRATED WITH PRESSURE OF MULTIPLE MIL TRAINING FLTS COMPRESSED ONTO RWY 31 AS WELL AS THE POS OF MY ACFT WHICH WAS DICTATED BY THE INITIAL INSTRUCTION TO REMAIN CLR OF THE INNER CLASS C AIRSPACE AND THE RESULTING NEED TO CROSS THE APCH PATH FOR RWY 31 TO PROCEED TO THE RECONNAISSANCE LOCATION.

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