Narrative:

The incident occurred while climbing out after making a downwind departure off of runway 22 at santa paula airport, santa paula, ca. During the climb clearing turns and a lowering of the nose were used to verify clear airspace ahead. Parachutes were being worn by both pilots due to large pitch and bank angles experienced during the all attitude flight training program. We were monitoring 122.85 on the radio and had announced our position and intentions to enter the area. There was no response to our transmission and request to have other aircraft identify themselves in the area. The lesson began with a planned 45 degree heading change to the left to enter waivered airspace in the santa paula aerobatic area between santa paula and fillmore. The balcom canyon box is frequently used by small, fast aerobatic aircraft practicing for competition. Being in the back seat hinders forward visibility while in a climb. At this point, to initiate a turn toward the north side a simulated aileron failure was executed and immediately corrected by the student in the front seat which placed the aircraft in a 30 degree banked slip. Both of us noticed another aircraft, also climbing in our 11 O'clock position, 2 mi and 500-700 ft lower than our estimated altitude of 3200 ft MSL. At this point, we stopped the lesson, leveled the wings and picked up another aircraft headed east in our 8 O'clock approximately 4 mi and lower. I took the controls of the airplane and told the student we would maneuver behind the first aircraft and keep him in sight as we transitioned to the north side. The second aircraft's flight path appeared to be along the edge of the mountain range and would not be a factor. Our approximately altitude was 3400 ft MSL and climbing as I completed the remaining 25 degrees of heading change to alter our current flight path and maneuver us behind the first aircraft when the near midair occurred. A third, small, low wing, twin engine aircraft crossed our nose from our 7:30 to 1:30 position. This aircraft was estimated at 150 ft horizontal and 20 ft vertical separation. My immediate reaction was to push the plane over, but it had already passed as we hit a small portion of it's wake. Immediately looking to the right I sighted the aircraft and determined it was a twin and was headed toward the fim VORTAC. Realizing what had just happened, both of us were quite shaken up. I turned the aircraft toward the east and we were now over the 126 highway. Aircraft #1 was in our left and no factor heading in the same direction. I inquired about the status of my student. He said, that he was okay. Looking outside the aircraft in the direction of the VORTAC I noticed the twin had just completed an 180 degree turn and was heading back straight toward us from our 1-7 O'clock position. We wondered what he was trying to do. Was this an intentional close pass and he was coming back for another? What his intentions were at this point were unknown and we prepared for evasive action. As he drew closer I turned left to avoid his flight path across our nose. As he came around us in a close right hand turn I turned back to the right to pass behind him. Having aircraft #1 on our left I chose a right hand turn to known clear airspace to the south. The twin continued around in a right hand turn chasing us. As he drew nearer in our 6 O'clock it appeared that he would attempt a pass again on the right side of the aircraft. I made a heading change to the left approximately 10 degrees and told the student that we were going to enter an intentional spin to the left because of the unknown intentions of the other pilot. We executed a 3/4 turn spin in a descending left hand turn. After recovering from the spin on a heading of santa paula we noticed that the twin continued on in a left hand turn toward the VORTAC. We were still both shaken up by the near miss and angered by his aggressive return to chase us. What his exact intentions were, are still unknown. He was probably trying to obtain our north numbers we concluded. However, flying in such close proximity was extreme and kept us on the edge of our seats wondering what his projected flight path would be. I believe that the high cruise speed of the twin allowed him to enter the proximity of our aircraft rapidly between our efforts to assure that our area was clear. In addition, there are four victor airways that cross through aerobatic areas. The twin was probably in transit along V386, heading 087 degrees at 3500 ft MSL when our flight paths crossed. When the area is in operation, information regarding this type of flight is available over ATIS at camarillo and oxnard airports, point mugu approach, santa barbara flight service and the AFD. A possible solution to aid collision avoidance in this region might be to publish the air to air frequency on the sectional or designate it as an alert area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR WITH SPI ABOARD HAS NMAC WITH TWIN ACFT WHO THEN MAKES A SECOND PASS.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE CLBING OUT AFTER MAKING A DOWNWIND DEP OFF OF RWY 22 AT SANTA PAULA ARPT, SANTA PAULA, CA. DURING THE CLB CLRING TURNS AND A LOWERING OF THE NOSE WERE USED TO VERIFY CLR AIRSPACE AHEAD. PARACHUTES WERE BEING WORN BY BOTH PLTS DUE TO LARGE PITCH AND BANK ANGLES EXPERIENCED DURING THE ALL ATTITUDE FLT TRAINING PROGRAM. WE WERE MONITORING 122.85 ON THE RADIO AND HAD ANNOUNCED OUR POS AND INTENTIONS TO ENTER THE AREA. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE TO OUR XMISSION AND REQUEST TO HAVE OTHER ACFT IDENT THEMSELVES IN THE AREA. THE LESSON BEGAN WITH A PLANNED 45 DEG HDG CHANGE TO THE L TO ENTER WAIVERED AIRSPACE IN THE SANTA PAULA AEROBATIC AREA BTWN SANTA PAULA AND FILLMORE. THE BALCOM CANYON BOX IS FREQUENTLY USED BY SMALL, FAST AEROBATIC ACFT PRACTICING FOR COMPETITION. BEING IN THE BACK SEAT HINDERS FORWARD VISIBILITY WHILE IN A CLB. AT THIS POINT, TO INITIATE A TURN TOWARD THE N SIDE A SIMULATED AILERON FAILURE WAS EXECUTED AND IMMEDIATELY CORRECTED BY THE STUDENT IN THE FRONT SEAT WHICH PLACED THE ACFT IN A 30 DEG BANKED SLIP. BOTH OF US NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT, ALSO CLBING IN OUR 11 O'CLOCK POS, 2 MI AND 500-700 FT LOWER THAN OUR ESTIMATED ALT OF 3200 FT MSL. AT THIS POINT, WE STOPPED THE LESSON, LEVELED THE WINGS AND PICKED UP ANOTHER ACFT HEADED E IN OUR 8 O'CLOCK APPROX 4 MI AND LOWER. I TOOK THE CTLS OF THE AIRPLANE AND TOLD THE STUDENT WE WOULD MANEUVER BEHIND THE FIRST ACFT AND KEEP HIM IN SIGHT AS WE TRANSITIONED TO THE N SIDE. THE SECOND ACFT'S FLT PATH APPEARED TO BE ALONG THE EDGE OF THE MOUNTAIN RANGE AND WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR. OUR APPROX ALT WAS 3400 FT MSL AND CLBING AS I COMPLETED THE REMAINING 25 DEGS OF HDG CHANGE TO ALTER OUR CURRENT FLT PATH AND MANEUVER US BEHIND THE FIRST ACFT WHEN THE NEAR MIDAIR OCCURRED. A THIRD, SMALL, LOW WING, TWIN ENG ACFT CROSSED OUR NOSE FROM OUR 7:30 TO 1:30 POS. THIS ACFT WAS ESTIMATED AT 150 FT HORIZ AND 20 FT VERT SEPARATION. MY IMMEDIATE REACTION WAS TO PUSH THE PLANE OVER, BUT IT HAD ALREADY PASSED AS WE HIT A SMALL PORTION OF IT'S WAKE. IMMEDIATELY LOOKING TO THE R I SIGHTED THE ACFT AND DETERMINED IT WAS A TWIN AND WAS HEADED TOWARD THE FIM VORTAC. REALIZING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED, BOTH OF US WERE QUITE SHAKEN UP. I TURNED THE ACFT TOWARD THE E AND WE WERE NOW OVER THE 126 HWY. ACFT #1 WAS IN OUR L AND NO FACTOR HDG IN THE SAME DIRECTION. I INQUIRED ABOUT THE STATUS OF MY STUDENT. HE SAID, THAT HE WAS OKAY. LOOKING OUTSIDE THE ACFT IN THE DIRECTION OF THE VORTAC I NOTICED THE TWIN HAD JUST COMPLETED AN 180 DEG TURN AND WAS HDG BACK STRAIGHT TOWARD US FROM OUR 1-7 O'CLOCK POS. WE WONDERED WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO. WAS THIS AN INTENTIONAL CLOSE PASS AND HE WAS COMING BACK FOR ANOTHER? WHAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE AT THIS POINT WERE UNKNOWN AND WE PREPARED FOR EVASIVE ACTION. AS HE DREW CLOSER I TURNED L TO AVOID HIS FLT PATH ACROSS OUR NOSE. AS HE CAME AROUND US IN A CLOSE R HAND TURN I TURNED BACK TO THE R TO PASS BEHIND HIM. HAVING ACFT #1 ON OUR L I CHOSE A R HAND TURN TO KNOWN CLR AIRSPACE TO THE S. THE TWIN CONTINUED AROUND IN A R HAND TURN CHASING US. AS HE DREW NEARER IN OUR 6 O'CLOCK IT APPEARED THAT HE WOULD ATTEMPT A PASS AGAIN ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. I MADE A HDG CHANGE TO THE L APPROX 10 DEGS AND TOLD THE STUDENT THAT WE WERE GOING TO ENTER AN INTENTIONAL SPIN TO THE L BECAUSE OF THE UNKNOWN INTENTIONS OF THE OTHER PLT. WE EXECUTED A 3/4 TURN SPIN IN A DSNDING L HAND TURN. AFTER RECOVERING FROM THE SPIN ON A HDG OF SANTA PAULA WE NOTICED THAT THE TWIN CONTINUED ON IN A L HAND TURN TOWARD THE VORTAC. WE WERE STILL BOTH SHAKEN UP BY THE NEAR MISS AND ANGERED BY HIS AGGRESSIVE RETURN TO CHASE US. WHAT HIS EXACT INTENTIONS WERE, ARE STILL UNKNOWN. HE WAS PROBABLY TRYING TO OBTAIN OUR N NUMBERS WE CONCLUDED. HOWEVER, FLYING IN SUCH CLOSE PROX WAS EXTREME AND KEPT US ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS WONDERING WHAT HIS PROJECTED FLT PATH WOULD BE. I BELIEVE THAT THE HIGH CRUISE SPD OF THE TWIN ALLOWED HIM TO ENTER THE PROX OF OUR ACFT RAPIDLY BTWN OUR EFFORTS TO ASSURE THAT OUR AREA WAS CLR. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE FOUR VICTOR AIRWAYS THAT CROSS THROUGH AEROBATIC AREAS. THE TWIN WAS PROBABLY IN TRANSIT ALONG V386, HDG 087 DEGS AT 3500 FT MSL WHEN OUR FLT PATHS CROSSED. WHEN THE AREA IS IN OP, INFO REGARDING THIS TYPE OF FLT IS AVAILABLE OVER ATIS AT CAMARILLO AND OXNARD ARPTS, POINT MUGU APCH, SANTA BARBARA FLT SVC AND THE AFD. A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO AID COLLISION AVOIDANCE IN THIS REGION MIGHT BE TO PUBLISH THE AIR TO AIR FREQ ON THE SECTIONAL OR DESIGNATE IT AS AN ALERT AREA.

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.