Narrative:

I had cleared air carrier X to land on runway 32. Air carrier X turned from a right base to a 3 mi final. Small aircraft Y was operating a banner tow operation in the arsa. Small aircraft Y is not transponder equipped, and operates under a waiver. Small aircraft Y had reported 9 mins prior to the incident over downtown sarasota (5 mi south of the field and well west of the approach corridor for runway 32). 1-1/2 mins prior to the incident, small aircraft Y called over unintelligible inbound banner drop and landing. I informed small aircraft Y I didn't know where that was and asked for another landmark. I saw air carrier X on final but couldn't see small aircraft Y. Air carrier X reported another aircraft in close proximity on final just after he landed. Both aircraft landed safely. I believe if the banner tow aircraft had been transponder equipped, this would not have occurred. We will be making changes to the procedure under which the banner tow aircraft operate. I should have taken more positive actions to ascertain exactly where small aircraft Y was so I could have provided TA's to both aircraft in a timely and beneficial manner. Supplemental information from acn 203424: air carrier X on approach to srq experienced a near midair collision. While on ILS localizer and GS to runway 32 at approximately 500 ft AGL, small aircraft was observed at our 9 O'clock position in a right descending turn. The small aircraft was less than 500 ft horizontal and less that 100 vertical from our aircraft. It appeared the small aircraft was making an evasive maneuver to avoid hitting our airplane. The small aircraft was only in view for an instant and we took no evasive action. The WX was clear with good visibility. The flight landed routinely without injuries. The tower controller was talking to him, but because of no transponder, I don't believe the controller had a positive visual contact with the aircraft. It would appear a more standard practice for small aircraft entry into the traffic pattern would help this from happening again. It may have been the pilot of the small aircraft was not entering/holding where he said he was, and got disoriented. Why was he inside the air traffic area, talking to tower, yet tower did not really know his location? Supplemental information from acn 203618: on mar/sun/92, I was towing a banner on a heading of north. I was inbound to sarasota for a banner drop and landing. I had made a position report over the white sox ballpark, stating this, at about XA55 hours. I received what I thought was an acknowledgement from the tower, and replied with my call sign. Due to the amount of traffic, I monitored the tower as I progressed toward the airport. I heard the tower talk to air carrier X. I looked for them. When I saw them pass in front of me, they were above me. At this time I was about 3 mi from the sarasota bradenton airport, and southwest of the extended centerline of runway 32. Since at this time, I saw no problems of clearance between us, I maintained my flight nward for banner drop and landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA Y CROSSED RWY FINAL APCH COURSE WITHOUT CLRNC HAD NMAC WITH ACR X. PLTDEV.

Narrative: I HAD CLRED ACR X TO LAND ON RWY 32. ACR X TURNED FROM A R BASE TO A 3 MI FINAL. SMA Y WAS OPERATING A BANNER TOW OP IN THE ARSA. SMA Y IS NOT TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED, AND OPERATES UNDER A WAIVER. SMA Y HAD RPTED 9 MINS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT OVER DOWNTOWN SARASOTA (5 MI S OF THE FIELD AND WELL W OF THE APCH CORRIDOR FOR RWY 32). 1-1/2 MINS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, SMA Y CALLED OVER UNINTELLIGIBLE INBOUND BANNER DROP AND LNDG. I INFORMED SMA Y I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THAT WAS AND ASKED FOR ANOTHER LANDMARK. I SAW ACR X ON FINAL BUT COULDN'T SEE SMA Y. ACR X RPTED ANOTHER ACFT IN CLOSE PROX ON FINAL JUST AFTER HE LANDED. BOTH ACFT LANDED SAFELY. I BELIEVE IF THE BANNER TOW ACFT HAD BEEN TRANSPONDER EQUIPPED, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. WE WILL BE MAKING CHANGES TO THE PROC UNDER WHICH THE BANNER TOW ACFT OPERATE. I SHOULD HAVE TAKEN MORE POSITIVE ACTIONS TO ASCERTAIN EXACTLY WHERE SMA Y WAS SO I COULD HAVE PROVIDED TA'S TO BOTH ACFT IN A TIMELY AND BENEFICIAL MANNER. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 203424: ACR X ON APCH TO SRQ EXPERIENCED A NMAC. WHILE ON ILS LOC AND GS TO RWY 32 AT APPROX 500 FT AGL, SMA WAS OBSERVED AT OUR 9 O'CLOCK POS IN A R DSNDING TURN. THE SMA WAS LESS THAN 500 FT HORIZ AND LESS THAT 100 VERT FROM OUR ACFT. IT APPEARED THE SMA WAS MAKING AN EVASIVE MANEUVER TO AVOID HITTING OUR AIRPLANE. THE SMA WAS ONLY IN VIEW FOR AN INSTANT AND WE TOOK NO EVASIVE ACTION. THE WX WAS CLR WITH GOOD VISIBILITY. THE FLT LANDED ROUTINELY WITHOUT INJURIES. THE TWR CTLR WAS TALKING TO HIM, BUT BECAUSE OF NO TRANSPONDER, I DON'T BELIEVE THE CTLR HAD A POSITIVE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ACFT. IT WOULD APPEAR A MORE STANDARD PRACTICE FOR SMALL ACFT ENTRY INTO THE TFC PATTERN WOULD HELP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE PLT OF THE SMA WAS NOT ENTERING/HOLDING WHERE HE SAID HE WAS, AND GOT DISORIENTED. WHY WAS HE INSIDE THE ATA, TALKING TO TWR, YET TWR DID NOT REALLY KNOW HIS LOCATION? SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 203618: ON MAR/SUN/92, I WAS TOWING A BANNER ON A HDG OF N. I WAS INBOUND TO SARASOTA FOR A BANNER DROP AND LNDG. I HAD MADE A POS RPT OVER THE WHITE SOX BALLPARK, STATING THIS, AT ABOUT XA55 HRS. I RECEIVED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE TWR, AND REPLIED WITH MY CALL SIGN. DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF TFC, I MONITORED THE TWR AS I PROGRESSED TOWARD THE ARPT. I HEARD THE TWR TALK TO ACR X. I LOOKED FOR THEM. WHEN I SAW THEM PASS IN FRONT OF ME, THEY WERE ABOVE ME. AT THIS TIME I WAS ABOUT 3 MI FROM THE SARASOTA BRADENTON ARPT, AND SW OF THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF RWY 32. SINCE AT THIS TIME, I SAW NO PROBLEMS OF CLRNC BTWN US, I MAINTAINED MY FLT NWARD FOR BANNER DROP AND LNDG.

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.