1988-02 · NASA ASRS report 82500
SMA AND LGT HAD NMAC IN VICINITY OF POM VORTAC; LGT ON SID AND SMA VFR NON MODE C PROCEEDING TO VNY.
AT APPROX XA:42 PM LOCAL TIME I WAS INVOLVED IN A NEAR MISS WITH WHAT THE NEWS RPTS SAY WAS AN ACR LGT Y. I WAS IN LEVEL FLT AT 6500' OVER THE POMONA VOR. MY FLT WAS FROM SAN DIEGO GILLESPIE (SEE) TO VAN NUYS (VNY). I FOLLOWED THE 310 RADIAL OF THE POMONA VOR AND TURNED LEFT TO FOLLOW THE 270 RADIAL OF THE VAN NUYS VOR. APPROX 1 MINUTE AFTER TURNING TO 270 DEG THE NEAR MISS OCCURRED. THE LGT Y APCHED FROM BELOW AND TO MY L REAR; APPROX 7 O'CLOCK LOW; IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN. THE LGT Y WAS FIRST SEEN BY THE PAX IN MY RIGHT FRONT SEAT WHO HAD TURNED TO LOOK BACK AT OUR ROUTE OF FLT. ON HER WARNING I LOOKED BACK TO THE L AND SAW THE LIGHTS OF THE APCHING LGT Y. I MADE AN IMMEDIATE; HARD CLBING L HAND TURN AND SAW THE LGT Y LOWER HIS NOSE (I THINK HE ALSO TURNED R BUT I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE). I RESUMED LEVEL FLT AND RETURNED TO MY HDG AT WHICH TIME MY WATCH SAID IT WAS XA:43 PM. AFTER THE LGT Y REAPPEARED ON THE RI SIDE OF MY AIRPLANE I SAW THE TAIL SECTION JUST LONG ENOUGH IN THE DARK TO TELL THAT IT WAS AN LGT. VISIBILITY AT 6500' WAS AT LEAST 20 NM. ONTARIO ATIS REPORTED 2.5 AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND EL MONTE REPORTED 3 MILES. PRIMARY CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS FAILURE OF LGT Y TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION. MY FEELING IS THAT LGT Y WAS PROBABLY USING INSTRUMENT PROCS IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. SECONDARY CAUSE IS FAILURE OF THE FAA TO CREATE IFR CORRIDORS THROUGH VFR AIRSPACE TO ALLOW LARGE INSTRUMENT ACFT TO TRANSIT SAFELY THROUGH VFR AIRSPACE WHILE IN CLIMB OR DSCNT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 82715. AFTER TKOF FROM ONT ON DEP OVER POMONA VOR BETWEEN 6 AND 7000' (ON POM #1 DEP) THE ACFT WE INITIALLY CAME IN CONFLICT WITH WAS NE OF US (1 TO 2 O'CLOCK) AFTER WHICH HE TURNED INTO US AND CAME TOWARD US IN THE (1-TO-2 O'CLOCK) RELATIVE POSITION. AT THAT TIME I STARTED EVASIVE ACTION BY DIVING OUR ACFT NOSE; PASSING UNDER THE CONFLICTING ACFT WITH AN ESTIMATED VERTICAL SEP OF 100'; DEPT CTL INFORMED US THAT THE CONFLICTING TFC HAD NO MODE 'C'. ATC HAD ALSO INFORMED US OF TWO TARGETS IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. WE BELIEVE THAT THE OTHER SMA WAS A SINGLE ENG HIGH WING; MAYBE A XING ALT RESTRICTION OVER POM VOR OR PUT A TCA AROUND ONT. WE MADE ALSO THE SAME RPT TO COMPANY ON OUR FORM. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 82711: IT APPEARS TO ME THAT IN ORDER TO PRECLUDE THE ABOVE INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING AGAIN TWO THINGS SHOULD BE DONE TO ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF THE DEP OUT OF ONT. FIRST THE DEP CORRIDOR ON THE SID FOR TURBOJET ACFT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED IN SOME WAY; EITHER BY A TCA OR ENCODING TRANSPONDERS ON ALL ACFT OPERATING WITHIN THAT AIRSPACE. SECOND MANDATORY XING ALT FOR VFR ACFT XING THE DEP CORRIDOR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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