Narrative:

We were aerial hunting southeast of gillette, wy. We decided to fuel up at gillette and continue hunting in that area. I tried to call control tower on 118.5. I got no response so I checked radio and switches on panel then tried again, with the same call except I believe I said I was 10 mi out, still no response at all. By now I was sure I was having radio problems, but in checking was still unable to find anything wrong so tried again with the same call, (which I should have established closer in). Shortly after this call I spotted the airport almost straight ahead and I was pretty much lined up with runway 34, so I decided to turn to the right and drop away from pattern altitude so I should be below and out of line with 34. Right after I made this move, I heard another plane mdt Y telling the tower they had found the small aircraft X about 4 mi out to the southeast instead of 10 mi out. I tried the tower. It answered clear that the other plane was down so I asked if I could be clear to land and they ok'ed me to land. The tower said something like, 'the mdt Y pilot probably really appreciated me telling I was 10 mi out when I was really 4.' I replied, 'I imagine and I am sure sorry.' the tower didn't ask to talk to me and they seemed all right so I gassed up and left with no problem. I figured it wasn't that close, as the tower said no more. Then, 3 days later, I was watching the evening tv news and saw where the FAA was investigating a near miss between an mdt airliner and a small plane. To be honest, me nor my gunner never saw or heard the other plane and I didn't know he was there at all until I heard him tell the tower he had found me. I now believe the FAA investigation has to do with the incident I was in. I found the problem to be the 'transmit/intercom' switch on the gunner lead was shorting out and when the switch on the panel was on intercom it worked fine for us to talk between ourselves, but when I switched to transmit, I think his microphone was breaking in and out hot and cold, thus completely stopping me from hearing and I don't think I was transmitting out part of the time or clear if I was. I worked on this when I was in that area the next day. All I had to do was unplug the gunner's lead off the panel and the problem was solved. I realize this doesn't help the incident at gillette. I want to say that I believe I did the best I could to contact the tower, figure out what was wrong and stay out of the air traffic area until I had contact with the tower. If there is anything more I can do to clarify this incident please contact me. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter said the visibility condition was 'legal, VFR but quite hazy'. He said that the haze did not prevent him from seeing the other aircraft, however. Reporter has not been contacted by the FAA regarding this occurrence in spite of its having been publicized in the tv news. He never did see the other aircraft so could not give miss distances or relative aircraft motions. His flight mission had to do with animal damage control work of the department of agriculture.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA, VFR ON APCH, INADVERTENTLY GIVES INCORRECT POSITION REPORT AND HAS NMAC WITH ACR ALSO ON APCH.

Narrative: WE WERE AERIAL HUNTING SE OF GILLETTE, WY. WE DECIDED TO FUEL UP AT GILLETTE AND CONTINUE HUNTING IN THAT AREA. I TRIED TO CALL CTL TWR ON 118.5. I GOT NO RESPONSE SO I CHECKED RADIO AND SWITCHES ON PANEL THEN TRIED AGAIN, WITH THE SAME CALL EXCEPT I BELIEVE I SAID I WAS 10 MI OUT, STILL NO RESPONSE AT ALL. BY NOW I WAS SURE I WAS HAVING RADIO PROBLEMS, BUT IN CHECKING WAS STILL UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG SO TRIED AGAIN WITH THE SAME CALL, (WHICH I SHOULD HAVE ESTABLISHED CLOSER IN). SHORTLY AFTER THIS CALL I SPOTTED THE ARPT ALMOST STRAIGHT AHEAD AND I WAS PRETTY MUCH LINED UP WITH RWY 34, SO I DECIDED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT AND DROP AWAY FROM PATTERN ALT SO I SHOULD BE BELOW AND OUT OF LINE WITH 34. RIGHT AFTER I MADE THIS MOVE, I HEARD ANOTHER PLANE MDT Y TELLING THE TWR THEY HAD FOUND THE SMA X ABOUT 4 MI OUT TO THE SE INSTEAD OF 10 MI OUT. I TRIED THE TWR. IT ANSWERED CLEAR THAT THE OTHER PLANE WAS DOWN SO I ASKED IF I COULD BE CLEAR TO LAND AND THEY OK'ED ME TO LAND. THE TWR SAID SOMETHING LIKE, 'THE MDT Y PLT PROBABLY REALLY APPRECIATED ME TELLING I WAS 10 MI OUT WHEN I WAS REALLY 4.' I REPLIED, 'I IMAGINE AND I AM SURE SORRY.' THE TWR DIDN'T ASK TO TALK TO ME AND THEY SEEMED ALL RIGHT SO I GASSED UP AND LEFT WITH NO PROBLEM. I FIGURED IT WASN'T THAT CLOSE, AS THE TWR SAID NO MORE. THEN, 3 DAYS LATER, I WAS WATCHING THE EVENING TV NEWS AND SAW WHERE THE FAA WAS INVESTIGATING A NEAR MISS BETWEEN AN MDT AIRLINER AND A SMALL PLANE. TO BE HONEST, ME NOR MY GUNNER NEVER SAW OR HEARD THE OTHER PLANE AND I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS THERE AT ALL UNTIL I HEARD HIM TELL THE TWR HE HAD FOUND ME. I NOW BELIEVE THE FAA INVESTIGATION HAS TO DO WITH THE INCIDENT I WAS IN. I FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE THE 'XMIT/INTERCOM' SWITCH ON THE GUNNER LEAD WAS SHORTING OUT AND WHEN THE SWITCH ON THE PANEL WAS ON INTERCOM IT WORKED FINE FOR US TO TALK BETWEEN OURSELVES, BUT WHEN I SWITCHED TO XMIT, I THINK HIS MICROPHONE WAS BREAKING IN AND OUT HOT AND COLD, THUS COMPLETELY STOPPING ME FROM HEARING AND I DON'T THINK I WAS XMITTING OUT PART OF THE TIME OR CLEAR IF I WAS. I WORKED ON THIS WHEN I WAS IN THAT AREA THE NEXT DAY. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS UNPLUG THE GUNNER'S LEAD OFF THE PANEL AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. I REALIZE THIS DOESN'T HELP THE INCIDENT AT GILLETTE. I WANT TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE I DID THE BEST I COULD TO CONTACT THE TWR, FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND STAY OUT OF THE ATA UNTIL I HAD CONTACT WITH THE TWR. IF THERE IS ANYTHING MORE I CAN DO TO CLARIFY THIS INCIDENT PLEASE CONTACT ME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH REPORTER REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: REPORTER SAID THE VISIBILITY CONDITION WAS 'LEGAL, VFR BUT QUITE HAZY'. HE SAID THAT THE HAZE DID NOT PREVENT HIM FROM SEEING THE OTHER ACFT, HOWEVER. REPORTER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY THE FAA REGARDING THIS OCCURRENCE IN SPITE OF ITS HAVING BEEN PUBLICIZED IN THE TV NEWS. HE NEVER DID SEE THE OTHER ACFT SO COULD NOT GIVE MISS DISTANCES OR RELATIVE ACFT MOTIONS. HIS FLT MISSION HAD TO DO WITH ANIMAL DAMAGE CONTROL WORK OF THE DEPT OF AGRICULTURE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.