Narrative:

Just after departing long island mac arthur airport, ATC gave us an altitude of 5000' and to proceed direct hto VOR. After being level at 5000' for a couple of mins, we were next told to climb and maintain 9000'. While passing through 6000', my copilot saw 2 fgts passing from right to left. They were level 6000' and in a bank to the left heading wnw-bnd. He pointed them out to me and when I saw them they were already passing my left windshield. They missed us by about 200'. I can't tell whether or not they saw us. After they passed us I heard on the frequency that they came close to a woman who was flying in a light airplane. We just never saw them because the visibility was very poor. I told ATC about it and they said they had no targets out in the vicinity of our aircraft. Just after they said that, they said that they just picked up 2 primary targets on their radar. By this time the fgt were already gone. My comments about this are that it's incredible that 2 high performance aircraft can be out there in poor visibility. On a clear day we may have seen them early enough, but can you imagine how surprised we were when--all of a sudden--2 aircraft just popped up in front of us when all along our eyes were scanning the outside--I mean there was nothing we saw anyway. Vertical visibility at 6000' that day was poor. Horizontal visibility was practically nil. ATC was mad and the controller said the supervisor was calling up the peconic tower in calverton to find out what was going on. Peconic airport is approximately 25 mi wnw of hto VOR. My recommendations about this are simple: during periods of low visibility, there should be some sort of coordination between military aircraft and commercial aircraft. In other words, if 2 fgt are going to be operating in the area, especially in low visibility. They should be assigned a transponder code and let ATC know they will be operating, so that the controllers can separate them from other aircraft. Plus, they should be in communication with ATC. Just because they are military doesn't mean they should be buzzing around west/O letting ATC know they are out there.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT HAD NMAC WITH FGT.

Narrative: JUST AFTER DEPARTING LONG ISLAND MAC ARTHUR ARPT, ATC GAVE US AN ALT OF 5000' AND TO PROCEED DIRECT HTO VOR. AFTER BEING LEVEL AT 5000' FOR A COUPLE OF MINS, WE WERE NEXT TOLD TO CLB AND MAINTAIN 9000'. WHILE PASSING THROUGH 6000', MY COPLT SAW 2 FGTS PASSING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT. THEY WERE LEVEL 6000' AND IN A BANK TO THE LEFT HDG WNW-BND. HE POINTED THEM OUT TO ME AND WHEN I SAW THEM THEY WERE ALREADY PASSING MY LEFT WINDSHIELD. THEY MISSED US BY ABOUT 200'. I CAN'T TELL WHETHER OR NOT THEY SAW US. AFTER THEY PASSED US I HEARD ON THE FREQ THAT THEY CAME CLOSE TO A WOMAN WHO WAS FLYING IN A LIGHT AIRPLANE. WE JUST NEVER SAW THEM BECAUSE THE VISIBILITY WAS VERY POOR. I TOLD ATC ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO TARGETS OUT IN THE VICINITY OF OUR ACFT. JUST AFTER THEY SAID THAT, THEY SAID THAT THEY JUST PICKED UP 2 PRIMARY TARGETS ON THEIR RADAR. BY THIS TIME THE FGT WERE ALREADY GONE. MY COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARE THAT IT'S INCREDIBLE THAT 2 HIGH PERFORMANCE ACFT CAN BE OUT THERE IN POOR VISIBILITY. ON A CLEAR DAY WE MAY HAVE SEEN THEM EARLY ENOUGH, BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW SURPRISED WE WERE WHEN--ALL OF A SUDDEN--2 ACFT JUST POPPED UP IN FRONT OF US WHEN ALL ALONG OUR EYES WERE SCANNING THE OUTSIDE--I MEAN THERE WAS NOTHING WE SAW ANYWAY. VERT VISIBILITY AT 6000' THAT DAY WAS POOR. HORIZ VISIBILITY WAS PRACTICALLY NIL. ATC WAS MAD AND THE CTLR SAID THE SUPVR WAS CALLING UP THE PECONIC TWR IN CALVERTON TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. PECONIC ARPT IS APPROX 25 MI WNW OF HTO VOR. MY RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THIS ARE SIMPLE: DURING PERIODS OF LOW VISIBILITY, THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF COORD BTWN MIL ACFT AND COMMERCIAL ACFT. IN OTHER WORDS, IF 2 FGT ARE GOING TO BE OPERATING IN THE AREA, ESPECIALLY IN LOW VISIBILITY. THEY SHOULD BE ASSIGNED A XPONDER CODE AND LET ATC KNOW THEY WILL BE OPERATING, SO THAT THE CTLRS CAN SEPARATE THEM FROM OTHER ACFT. PLUS, THEY SHOULD BE IN COM WITH ATC. JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE MIL DOESN'T MEAN THEY SHOULD BE BUZZING AROUND W/O LETTING ATC KNOW THEY ARE OUT THERE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.