NMAC BETWEEN GA-SMA AND A SMALL EMS HELICOPTER. OPERATIONAL ERROR.

Narrative

TWR CLRED MY ACFT FOR DEP; RWY 5R; RIGHT TURN TO 110 DEGS; CLB AND MAINTAIN 2000'; BEGIN RIGHT TURN AS SOON AS SPD AND ALT PERMIT. AT 200' AGL A RIGHT CLBING TURN WAS COMMENCED. AT AN INDICATED ALT OF BTWN 1000' AND 1500' MSL A HELI THAT WAS OVERFLYING THE ARPT E TO W (OPP DIRECTION) APPEARED OFF MY RIGHT WING AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 200' HORIZ AND AT MY ALT. HE MADE A SLIGHT EVASIVE MANEUVER AWAY FROM MY ACFT. A PVT PLT IN THE RIGHT SEAT OBSERVED THAT THE HELI WAS ALSO 100-200' FROM MY ACFT. I KEYED THE MIC AND SAID 'THAT WASN'T A VERY GOOD TFC CALL.' (THE HELI HAD NOT BEEN CALLED TO ME AS TFC.) I WAS THEN TURNED OVER AND RPTED IN TO DEP CTL WHO IMMEDIATELY CALLED ANOTHER ACFT TO ME AS TFC. MY PLT/PAX AND I LOOKED FOR THAT TFC AS THE CLB TO 2000' MSL CONTINUED. THE DEP CTLR WAS VERY BUSY. I THEN ASKED FOR A RIGHT TURN 'OUT OF HERE;' WHICH BROUGHT THE RESPONSE; 'RIGHT TURN TO 110 DEGS AT 2000'.' I RPTED LEVEL AND ESTABLISHED AND RE-REQUESTED A RIGHT TURN. AT THE NEXT XMISSION I REQUESTED 'RETURN TO TWR FREQ WHEN AVAILABLE.' I WAS ALLOWED TO GO TO TWR WHERE I RPTED 'A NEAR MISS WITH A HELI.' THAT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. I RETURNED TO DEP AND APOLOGIZED FOR NEEDING TO LEAVE THE FREQ; AS I HAD TO RPT A NEAR MISS WITH A HELI. I CONTINUED ALONG MY FLT PLAN ROUTE AS TO HDG AND ALT DIRECT AND UP TO 8000'. THEN DEP CTL AND I HAD A SERIES OF XMISSIONS ABOUT THE TWR NEEDING TO CALL ME VIA TELEPHONE TO DISCUSS THE INCIDENT. WE AGREED ON A TIME AND PHONE # FOR NEXT MORNING. AT THE APPOINTED TIME THE CTL WORKING ME; AND THE TWR SUPVR AT THAT TIME; CALLED TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS ERROR. HE SAID THAT I WAS IN NO WAY AT FAULT; THAT I HAD COMPLIED TOTALLY WITH HIS CLRNC. HIS APOLOGY WAS FOR NOT CALLING THE TFC; WHICH HE IDENTED AS A EMS HELI; AS HE WAS IN FULL KNOWLEDGE OF ITS POS AND DIRECTION OF FLT. HE WAS NOT IN COM WITH THE HELI. HE SAID HE WAS CHANGING RWYS AT THAT TIME; AND WAS TOO BUSY GETTING ACFT OFF FOR THE CHANGE AT THE TIME OF THE CONFLICT. HE SAID HE WAS SCARED FOR QUITE A LONG TIME AFTER THE EXPERIENCE; AS WAS I. HE REPEATED THAT I WAS NOT AT FAULT. HE SAID HE WOULD FILL OUT A RPT WITH THE TWR CHIEF ON MON MORNING. UPON RETURNING FROM MY TRIP I CALLED THE PRINCIPAL OPS INSPECTOR AT THE FAA TO GET THIS NASA FORM. HE ALSO TOOK A RPT OVER THE TELEPHONE AND HE ASSURED ME THAT THERE WOULD BE AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. ON MON AT MID-DAY; TWR CHIEF CAME UNANNOUNCED TO MY PLACE OF BUSINESS TO PERSONALLY APOLOGIZE FOR THE UNEXCUSED SERIOUSNESS OF THE INCIDENT. HE EXPLAINED THAT CTLR HAD BEEN DECERTIFIED; RETRAINED; RETESTED AND RECERTIFIED. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN PROCS: OVERFLYING HELIS WELL BEGIN A PROC CHANGE OF NOW TALKING TO THE TWR; NOT JUST APCH AND DEP ON OVERFLTS; AND WILL BE OVERFLYING THE APCH END OF THE ACTIVE RWY. HE ALSO SAID THE RADAR SCREEN DIDN'T SHOW THE CONFLICT AS WE WERE TOO CLOSE TO THE RADAR ANTENNA. HE SAID ALSO THAT I WAS NOT AT FAULT IN THIS INCIDENT; THAT I WAS NOT PROVIDED ANY SEP.