CLOSE PROX TFC BETWEEN ACR-SMT AND GA-SMA AT NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative

APCHING MHK FROM MCI IN COM WITH KANSAS CITY CENTER; ATC CALLED TFC; SMA A AT 12 O'CLOCK; 9 MI. CONTINUING INBND WE EVENTUALLY SPOTTED THE SMA A AT 12 O'CLOCK AND APPROX 4 MI. AT THAT TIME WE CANCELLED IFR AND DEVIATED LEFT TO ENTER THE TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 31 ON LEFT BASE AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 2 MI. BY THIS TIME OUR SPD WAS DOWN TO 180 KTS. WHILE WE WERE IN THE LEFT DEVIATION AN SMA B CALLED 2 MI FINAL FOR RWY 31. KEEPING THE SMA A IN SIGHT I INITIATED A RIGHT TURN TO JOIN THE LEFT BASE BEHIND HIM. DURING THE TURN I REDUCED SPD TO 160 KTS AND CALLED FOR 1/2 FLAPS AND GEAR. UPON ROLLING LEVEL THE CAPT AND I BOTH HAD THE SMA A IN SIGHT AHEAD AND I SPOTTED AND CALLED SMA B ON FINAL AHEAD OF THE SMA A. THE FIRST SMA B LANDED AND THE SMA A WAS ON ABOUT A 1/2 MI FINAL AS WE BEGAN OUR BASE TO FINAL TURN. DURING THIS TURN ANOTHER ACFT CALLED THAT; 'I SEE THE SMT AND I'M BREAKING OFF.' AT THIS TIME THE CAPT AND I BOTH OBSERVED A RED ACFT IN A LEFT TURN SLIGHTLY ABOVE OUR ALT AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 1 MI. THE REST OF THE APCH AND LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 83003: WHEN I ACQUIRED THE SMA C AGAIN DURING OUR TURN; HE WAS ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK AND MOVING TO OUR LEFT (WHICH WAS A FUNCTION OF HIS DIRECTION; SW; AND OUR TURN). AT THIS TIME I HEARD HIM CALL TO MHK TFC THAT HE SAW AN SMT TURNING INTO HIM; AND SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT HE WAS BREAKING OFF THE PATTERN. I THEN SAW HIM BEGIN A DSNDING LEFT HAND TURN TOWARDS US. HE WAS AT OUR ALT; 2500' MSL; AND APPROX 4000-6000' AWAY FROM US. WE ROLLED OUT OF OUR TURN ON A HDG FOR THE BASE LEG ENTRY FOR OUR APCH. THE SMA C PASSED WELL OFF TO OUR RIGHT. WE COMPLETED THE PATTERN AND LANDED W/O INCIDENT. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE SMA C; I HAD ASSUMED FROM HIS POS AND HIS CALLS ON CTAF THAT HE WAS ENTERING THE BASE LEG BEHIND THE SMA A; SO I CAN NEITHER EXPLAIN WHY HE WAS HDG SW AGAINST THE TFC FLOW THAT CLOSE TO THE ARPT; NOR WHY HE WAS AT 2500' MSL (1500' AGL); WHICH IS TURBINE ACFT PATTERN ALT. I AM ALSO PUZZLED BY THE FACT THAT HIS EVASIVE MANEUVER WAS A TURN TO HIS LEFT (IN EFFECT; TURNING INTO OUR TURN); BECAUSE THIS WAS THE SAFETY OF THE FLT IN QUESTION. I HAD THE SMA C IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES EXCEPT FOR THE 10 SECS OR SO WHEN WE STARTED OUR TURN; AND HE HAD NOT MOVED BY MORE THAN A FEW THOUSAND FT IN THAT TIME. THE SMA C FILED A NEAR MISS RPT; CLAIMING THAT WE HAD PASSED WITHIN 400' OF HIS ACFT; AND WAS ANGRY AT US; CLAIMING THAT WE HAD INTENTIONALLY CUT HIM OUT OF THE PATTERN. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE SMA C WAS HDG TO THE SW TO ENTER ON A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 21. HE WAS MUCH TOO CLOSE TO THE FIELD TO BE TRAVELING AGAINST THE TFC FLOW. BY POSITIONING HIMSELF AGAINST THE TFC FLOW; AND AT THE TURBINE ENG PATTERN ALT; HE WAS SETTING HIMSELF UP FOR TROUBLE. IF HE WOULD HAVE ENTERED THE BASE LEG LIKE ALL THE OTHER TFC WAS DOING; THIS WOULD HAVE SOLVED THE CONFLICT. LIKEWISE; IF HE WOULD HAVE EXTENDED HIS SWBND LEG FARTHER TO THE S OF THE ARPT SO AS TO ENTER THE DOWNWIND LEG AT THE RECOMMENDED 45 DEG ANGLE; THIS TOO WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS OCCURRENCE. IN THE SMA C DRIVERS ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE MHK PATTERN ON THE DOWNWIND LEG; HE DISREGARDED EVERY OTHER ACFT'S POS; AND COMMON SENSE. THE STANDARD ENTRY INTO THE MHK PATTERN FROM THE E IS A 45 DEG ENTRY INTO THE BASE LEG. THIS PLT FLIES OUT OF MHK; SO HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS FACT AS WELL AS I. MHK HAS BEEN BADLY IN NEED OF A CTL TWR FOR YRS. THE TFC IS MUCH TOO HEAVY FOR SEE AND AVOID TO WORK ALL THE TIME. MHK FSS IS DUE TO CLOSE SOMETIME SOON. THIS IS A HORRIBLE MISTAKE.