Narrative:

Two light aircraft, were heading for renton airport for landing. Both aircraft intended to land, one at the airfield and the other at the wiley post memorial seaplane facility to the north or renton airfield. The paths of the two aircraft intersected near magnuson park over lake washington. The float plane was overtaking the land plane from the land planes left rear quarter while descending. The intercept angle was about 30 degrees. The float plane xed above the land plane with an altitude difference of less than 100'. The land plane pilot became aware of the sea plane when it passed overhead and slightly to the right as the image of the sea plane filled up the land planes windshield. Both planes continued their dscnts. No evasive action was taken by either pilot. The sea plane pilot remained unaware of the incident until contacted by the pilot of the land plane. When questioned on the ground the pilot of the float plane expressed no surprise at such an incident and admitted that he did not see the land plane while in flight. The float plane pilot expressed no concern over the incident. The pilot of the following float plane did, however, witness the near miss. Both float plane pilots were contacted at the north end of renton airfield. Summary: the float pilot did not look outside the cockpit adequately. The float plane pilot should have been especially diligent in surveying below the flight path when descending. The float pilot needs corrective 'see and avoid' training. The land plane pilot will be more diligent in looking over his shoulder for traffic on future flts. He will also accept flight following when offered so nicely by the lady air traffic controller after passing through the whidbey arsa. Especially in busy flight areas such as seattle. Another contributor to this incident is the 'crunching down' of VFR aircraft operating under a TCA. This tends to compress the traffic into a denser vertical dimension and takes on most of the hazards of airport pattern operations. Conclusion: for future renton operations one should note that sea and land traffic paths can cross over lake washington during normal operations. Most local sea plane pilots check in with renton tower and operate as a airport of the pattern until over the water at the wiley post memorial. Both sea plane pilots in this incident made downwind lndgs to the south against the prevailing northerly traffic at renton field.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLOSE PROX TWO GA SMA ACFT BOTH IN DESCENT ON A TRACK TO RNT AREA.

Narrative: TWO LIGHT ACFT, WERE HDG FOR RENTON ARPT FOR LNDG. BOTH ACFT INTENDED TO LAND, ONE AT THE AIRFIELD AND THE OTHER AT THE WILEY POST MEMORIAL SEAPLANE FAC TO THE N OR RENTON AIRFIELD. THE PATHS OF THE TWO ACFT INTERSECTED NEAR MAGNUSON PARK OVER LAKE WASHINGTON. THE FLOAT PLANE WAS OVERTAKING THE LAND PLANE FROM THE LAND PLANES L REAR QUARTER WHILE DSNDING. THE INTERCEPT ANGLE WAS ABOUT 30 DEGS. THE FLOAT PLANE XED ABOVE THE LAND PLANE WITH AN ALT DIFFERENCE OF LESS THAN 100'. THE LAND PLANE PLT BECAME AWARE OF THE SEA PLANE WHEN IT PASSED OVERHEAD AND SLIGHTLY TO THE R AS THE IMAGE OF THE SEA PLANE FILLED UP THE LAND PLANES WINDSHIELD. BOTH PLANES CONTINUED THEIR DSCNTS. NO EVASIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY EITHER PLT. THE SEA PLANE PLT REMAINED UNAWARE OF THE INCIDENT UNTIL CONTACTED BY THE PLT OF THE LAND PLANE. WHEN QUESTIONED ON THE GND THE PLT OF THE FLOAT PLANE EXPRESSED NO SURPRISE AT SUCH AN INCIDENT AND ADMITTED THAT HE DID NOT SEE THE LAND PLANE WHILE IN FLT. THE FLOAT PLANE PLT EXPRESSED NO CONCERN OVER THE INCIDENT. THE PLT OF THE FOLLOWING FLOAT PLANE DID, HOWEVER, WITNESS THE NEAR MISS. BOTH FLOAT PLANE PLTS WERE CONTACTED AT THE N END OF RENTON AIRFIELD. SUMMARY: THE FLOAT PLT DID NOT LOOK OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT ADEQUATELY. THE FLOAT PLANE PLT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY DILIGENT IN SURVEYING BELOW THE FLT PATH WHEN DSNDING. THE FLOAT PLT NEEDS CORRECTIVE 'SEE AND AVOID' TRNING. THE LAND PLANE PLT WILL BE MORE DILIGENT IN LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER FOR TFC ON FUTURE FLTS. HE WILL ALSO ACCEPT FLT FOLLOWING WHEN OFFERED SO NICELY BY THE LADY AIR TFC CTLR AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE WHIDBEY ARSA. ESPECIALLY IN BUSY FLT AREAS SUCH AS SEATTLE. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS INCIDENT IS THE 'CRUNCHING DOWN' OF VFR ACFT OPERATING UNDER A TCA. THIS TENDS TO COMPRESS THE TFC INTO A DENSER VERTICAL DIMENSION AND TAKES ON MOST OF THE HAZARDS OF ARPT PATTERN OPS. CONCLUSION: FOR FUTURE RENTON OPS ONE SHOULD NOTE THAT SEA AND LAND TFC PATHS CAN CROSS OVER LAKE WASHINGTON DURING NORMAL OPS. MOST LCL SEA PLANE PLTS CHK IN WITH RENTON TWR AND OPERATE AS A ARPT OF THE PATTERN UNTIL OVER THE WATER AT THE WILEY POST MEMORIAL. BOTH SEA PLANE PLTS IN THIS INCIDENT MADE DOWNWIND LNDGS TO THE S AGAINST THE PREVAILING NORTHERLY TFC AT RENTON FIELD.

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.