GA SMA ON ACFT FLT TEST PENETRATED ARSA WITHOUT AUTH WITH RESULTANT POTENTIAL AIRBOURNE CONFLICT.

Narrative

THIS INCIDENT BEGAN ON A CAVU DAY WHILE I WAS FLYING NEAR GEIST RESERVOIR; APPROX 25 MI NE OF IND; TESTING RADIO EQUIP AND A FLT DIRECTOR/AUTOPLT IN AN SMA. AT 2500' I SET THE HDG BUG TO INTERCEPT THE LOC FOR IND 22R. AFTER LOOKING FOR TFC I ALLOWED THE FLT DIRECTOR; WITH THE AUTOPLT ENGAGED; TO CAPTURE THE LOC AND BEGAN TRACKING INBND AT 2500' AND 150 KTS. THE G/S WAS IN THE ARM MODE SO; AFTER AGAIN CHKING FOR TFC; I INITIATED A CLB TO TEST THE G/S CAPTURE MODE. WHEN THE G/S CAPTURED AT APPROX 4500' I INTENDED TO TURN RIGHT TO A NORTHERLY HDG TO CLR THE AREA. WHEN I CHKED FOR TFC; I OBSERVED AN LTT AT MY 5 O'CLOCK POS APPROX 1/2 MI AWAY; AND SLIGHTLY LOWER; HDG IN APPROX THE SAME DIRECTION PASSING ME ON MY RIGHT. UPON OBSERVING HIM I MAINTAINED HDG AND ALT AND VISUAL SEP UNTIL HE WAS WELL IN FRONT OF ME. I THEN TURNED NORTHERLY TO CLR THE AREA. UPON LNDG AT METRO IND (4I8) I WAS ASKED; ON UNICOM; TO CALL THE IND TWR. HE ASKED IF I HAD RECENTLY BEEN FLYING NEAR THE IND DOWNTOWN AREA. I TOLD HIM I HAD; AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE LTT PLT WAS GOING TO FILE A NEAR MISS BECAUSE HE HAD TO BE VECTORED AROUND ME ON THE APCH. HE THEN ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE IND ARSA AND I TOLD HIM I WAS. I DO NOT BELIEVE; HOWEVER; THAT I ENTERED THE ARSA NOR WOULD I EVER DO SO INTENTIONALLY W/O MAKING RADIO CONTACT. HOWEVER; MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED FROM WHERE I WAS; GEOGRAPHICALLY; DURING THE TIME I WAS MAINTAINING VISUAL SEP FROM THE OTHER ACFT; SINCE I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING IF HE HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH ME. THE ONLY EVASIVE ACTION ON MY PART WAS TO MAINTAIN HDG AND ALT UNTIL I COULD TURN SAFELY BEHIND THE JET. I NOW REALIZE HOW VERY INAPPROPRIATE IT WAS FOR ME TO HAVE FLOWN; EVEN ON A CLEAR DAY; NEAR THE LOC OF A BUSY ARPT W/O BEING IN RADIO CONTACT WITH THE CTLING FAC. I CAN GUARANTEE IT WILL NEVER; UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE; HAPPEN AGAIN. I DO BELIEVE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS MY ATTENTIVENESS TO THE PROPER OPERATION OF THE FLT DIRECTOR I WAS TESTING. I WAS ALSO MADE AWARE OF HOW SOMETHING OF THIS NATURE; WHICH I HAVE HEARD ABOUT IN THE NUMEROUS SAFETY SEMINARS AND RECURRENT TRNING SESSIONS THAT I HAVE TAKEN; CAN HAPPEN EVEN THOUGH YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF TO BE A SAFETY CONSCIOUS PLT AND HAVE THOUGHT IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU. I HAVE APOLOGIZED; BY TELEPHONE; TO BOTH THE ATC CTLR; AND THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT; FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THEY MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR AGREES THAT AFTER G/S CAPTURE AND THEN DELAYING TURN BECAUSE OF TFC HE PROBABLY DID ACTUALLY ENTER THE ARSA. HE KNOWS THE PLT OF THE SMT AND HAD FLOWN WITH HIM IN THE SMT BUT UNFORTUNATELY WAS UNABLE TO GET HOLD OF HIM BEFORE HE FILED THE NMAC. HAS TALKED TO FAA AND THEY ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER TO FILE VIOLATION AGAINST PLT OF SMA FOR UNAUTH ENTRY INTO ARSA. THEY ARE NOT BLAMING HIM DIRECTLY FOR THE NMAC SINCE THE SMT WAS OVERTAKING THE SMA FROM BEHIND AND IT WAS SMT RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE AND AVOID. RPTR STATED HE JUST BECAME TOO ENGROSSED IN FLT TEST AND DID NOT REALIZE HE WAS SO CLOSE TO ARSA.