Narrative:

I was approaching lakeland, fl, from the north for an air show convention. I was on an IFR plan but had reported lake parker in sight and had cancelled IFR. Approach told me to proceed direct lake parker and contact tower, which I did. (Lake parker is the initial approach fix for the special arrival procedure during the air show). Tower advised me to go direct lake parker and turn wbound after crossing lake parker. Tower also requested that I keep speed up because of a twin small transport in trail. I complied with all of this. Upon reaching lake parker I turned west. Upon rolling wings level, a blue and white small aircraft passed about 50' below me in the same direction of flight (overtaking). The small aircraft had his gear and flaps retracted and overtook me from behind at a high rate of speed (at least 180 KTS estimated). The small aircraft then turned right to broaden his arrival procedure and flew the procedure about 1 mi too wide. As I was turning base to final to runway 9L, the small aircraft cut me off. At this point tower noticed him and called him as traffic. The tower also shouted at him to lower his landing gear and slow to pattern speed. He answered the tower at this point and I believe this was his first communication with ATC. When flying into crowded airspace during a special event such as an air show (especially with a mix of aircraft types, experience levels, and levels of compliance with procedures) vigilance is not enough and luck is a big factor. If I attend another air show, I am going to fly into a neighboring city and rent a car!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF SMA APCHING LAL DURING AIRSHOW CONVENTION IS OVERTAKEN FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER SMA WHO WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE LAL TWR AND WHO WAS PROBABLY EXCEEDING THE SPEED LIMIT IN AN ATA.

Narrative: I WAS APCHING LAKELAND, FL, FROM THE N FOR AN AIR SHOW CONVENTION. I WAS ON AN IFR PLAN BUT HAD RPTED LAKE PARKER IN SIGHT AND HAD CANCELLED IFR. APCH TOLD ME TO PROCEED DIRECT LAKE PARKER AND CONTACT TWR, WHICH I DID. (LAKE PARKER IS THE INITIAL APCH FIX FOR THE SPECIAL ARR PROC DURING THE AIR SHOW). TWR ADVISED ME TO GO DIRECT LAKE PARKER AND TURN WBOUND AFTER XING LAKE PARKER. TWR ALSO REQUESTED THAT I KEEP SPD UP BECAUSE OF A TWIN SMT IN TRAIL. I COMPLIED WITH ALL OF THIS. UPON REACHING LAKE PARKER I TURNED W. UPON ROLLING WINGS LEVEL, A BLUE AND WHITE SMA PASSED ABOUT 50' BELOW ME IN THE SAME DIRECTION OF FLT (OVERTAKING). THE SMA HAD HIS GEAR AND FLAPS RETRACTED AND OVERTOOK ME FROM BEHIND AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD (AT LEAST 180 KTS ESTIMATED). THE SMA THEN TURNED R TO BROADEN HIS ARR PROC AND FLEW THE PROC ABOUT 1 MI TOO WIDE. AS I WAS TURNING BASE TO FINAL TO RWY 9L, THE SMA CUT ME OFF. AT THIS POINT TWR NOTICED HIM AND CALLED HIM AS TFC. THE TWR ALSO SHOUTED AT HIM TO LOWER HIS LNDG GEAR AND SLOW TO PATTERN SPD. HE ANSWERED THE TWR AT THIS POINT AND I BELIEVE THIS WAS HIS FIRST COM WITH ATC. WHEN FLYING INTO CROWDED AIRSPACE DURING A SPECIAL EVENT SUCH AS AN AIR SHOW (ESPECIALLY WITH A MIX OF ACFT TYPES, EXPERIENCE LEVELS, AND LEVELS OF COMPLIANCE WITH PROCS) VIGILANCE IS NOT ENOUGH AND LUCK IS A BIG FACTOR. IF I ATTEND ANOTHER AIR SHOW, I AM GOING TO FLY INTO A NEIGHBORING CITY AND RENT A CAR!

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.