GA PILOT REPORTS BEING UNDERFLOWN BY MIL E2 OVER NFE 2500 FEET.

Narrative

I WAS RETURNING TO PVG FOLLOWING A 1-HR SIGHTSEEING FLT TO VICINITY OF ONX. WHILE AT 2500 FT; ON A HDG OF 300-DEGS AT APPROX 120 KTS AND OVERHEAD FENTRESS NALF (NFE); I WAS PREPARING FOR A TRAINING IFR GPS RWY 28 APCH TO PVG. I HAD JUST COMMENCED A GRADUAL DSCNT (APPROX 300 FPM) AND WAS TAKING VECTORS FROM MY SAFETY PLT WHEN A NAVY E2-C HAWKEYE FLEW DIRECTLY UNDER ME BY NO MORE THAN 300 FT AND ON A COURSE OF APPROX 210 DEGS AT APPROX 200 KTS. THE SAFETY PLT FIRST OBSERVED THE E2-C ONLY SECONDS BEFORE THE INCIDENT. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION ON MY PART WAS TAKEN NOR POSSIBLE DUE TO THE TIME FACTOR BTWN FIRST DETECTION AND THE UNDER FLT. I DID NOT OBSERVE THE E2-C TAKE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION EITHER. MY PERCEPTION IS THAT THE E2-C HAD EITHER JUST DEPARTED OCEANA NAS (NTU) OR FENTRESS AS THE E2-C SEEMED TO EXECUTE A NORMAL R TURN TO A BASE LEG AFTER UNDER-FLYING ME FOR A LINE-UP FOR A LNDG APCH TO FENTRESS. I LOST VISUAL ON THE E2-C PRIOR TO ITS (PROBABLE) TURN TO FINAL. MY NAV LIGHTS WERE ON THROUGHOUT THE FLT. I DID NOT OBSERVE ANY NAV LIGHTS ON THE E2-C. I WAS MONITORING NORFOLK APCH ATC THROUGHOUT THE FLT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) THE TIME OF DAY AND REDUCING DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS. 2) PROX TO THE MIL FLT TRAINING FIELD (NFE). 3) MY XING ALT AND FENTRESS TPA (UNKNOWN). 4) PROX OF NUMEROUS GA; MIL; PVT AND COMMERCIAL ARPTS IN THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA (IE; MANY IN A RELATIVELY SMALL AREA) AND OVERLAPPING IFR APCH PATHS. RECOMMENDED CORRECTIVE ACTIONS TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: 1) NORFOLK APCH ATC OR OCEANA APCH ATC ROUTINELY BROADCAST ALERT/WARNING ANNOUNCEMENT CALLS WHEN FENTRESS IS ACTIVE AND/OR WHEN VFR TFC IS OBSERVED IN THE AREA. BOTTOM LINE: 1) SITUATIONAL AWARENESS IS KEY. 2) SEE AND AVOID APPLIES AT ALL TIMES AND TO ALL PLTS IN VMC. 3) A COLLISION CAN OCCUR IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. 4) A MIDAIR COLLISION WILL COME OUT WELL VERY FEW TIMES IN A PLT'S (OR PAX'S) LIFE.