Narrative:

I departed provo, ut, for portland, or, in clear and visibility unlimited sky conditions, with the transponder on, mode C selected and squawking 12000 and well south of the slc class B airspace. During the climb out I started listening to slc approach. After climbing out of 13000 ft MSL, I contacted approach with my position, altitude, and a request to pick up my filed IFR flight plant to portland. The controller gave me a squawk code and I proceeded to dial in the requested squawk code. At this time, I heard an air carrier airliner pilot state that they would have to be below 13000 ft to miss this guy in front of them. I had been looking for aircraft since departure and had noted none that were anywhere near us. The controller then cleared the air carrier to descend to 9000 ft. The air carrier then asked what kind of airplane that was, the controller's response was 'a merlin.' I then assumed, being that I was probably the only merlin near 13000 ft on that frequency, that there had been a conflict between me and the air carrier. The air carrier wanted to know why they were not told about us and the controller said we had just popped up on the scope. I found this hard to believe, since in previous flts they have always picked me up on the scope around 8500 ft. The controller then issued me my IFR clearance to portland and off we went. About an hour later ZLC advised us to call slc approach when we got on the ground. When we called, they informed us that the air carrier pilot filed a near midair collision report on us. They also stated that the air carrier did not see us until their TCASII offered a conflict resolution and then they followed what TCASII said to do and then they saw us at their 10 O'clock and above them, we had already flown through their flight path and were no longer a conflict. I never saw, nor did an instrument rated private pilot that was sitting in the right seat, ever see the air carrier. Some of the reasons we believe we never saw the air carrier was that after discussing what happened with slc approach we learned that before the conflict the air carrier would have been at our 10 O'clock position, which happened to be right into the sun. Also as the conflict took place the air carrier passed under us from our 9 to 8 O'clock position to our 4 to 5 O'clock position, which puts them under our wing and behind us making it impossible for us to see them. I believe something that could have helped avoid this problem would have been possibly more attentiveness on controllers part, better scanning on the air carrier's part, considering we were at their 12 O'clock position and they were not being blinded by the sun, also on our part if we had picked up VFR flight following or our IFR sooner, it would have brought more attention to us and maybe the controller would have seen the conflict sooner.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT HAS NMAC WITH ACR.

Narrative: I DEPARTED PROVO, UT, FOR PORTLAND, OR, IN CLR AND VISIBILITY UNLIMITED SKY CONDITIONS, WITH THE XPONDER ON, MODE C SELECTED AND SQUAWKING 12000 AND WELL S OF THE SLC CLASS B AIRSPACE. DURING THE CLBOUT I STARTED LISTENING TO SLC APCH. AFTER CLBING OUT OF 13000 FT MSL, I CONTACTED APCH WITH MY POS, ALT, AND A REQUEST TO PICK UP MY FILED IFR FLT PLANT TO PORTLAND. THE CTLR GAVE ME A SQUAWK CODE AND I PROCEEDED TO DIAL IN THE REQUESTED SQUAWK CODE. AT THIS TIME, I HEARD AN ACR AIRLINER PLT STATE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE BELOW 13000 FT TO MISS THIS GUY IN FRONT OF THEM. I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR ACFT SINCE DEP AND HAD NOTED NONE THAT WERE ANYWHERE NEAR US. THE CTLR THEN CLRED THE ACR TO DSND TO 9000 FT. THE ACR THEN ASKED WHAT KIND OF AIRPLANE THAT WAS, THE CTLR'S RESPONSE WAS 'A MERLIN.' I THEN ASSUMED, BEING THAT I WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY MERLIN NEAR 13000 FT ON THAT FREQ, THAT THERE HAD BEEN A CONFLICT BTWN ME AND THE ACR. THE ACR WANTED TO KNOW WHY THEY WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT US AND THE CTLR SAID WE HAD JUST POPPED UP ON THE SCOPE. I FOUND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE, SINCE IN PREVIOUS FLTS THEY HAVE ALWAYS PICKED ME UP ON THE SCOPE AROUND 8500 FT. THE CTLR THEN ISSUED ME MY IFR CLRNC TO PORTLAND AND OFF WE WENT. ABOUT AN HR LATER ZLC ADVISED US TO CALL SLC APCH WHEN WE GOT ON THE GND. WHEN WE CALLED, THEY INFORMED US THAT THE ACR PLT FILED A NMAC RPT ON US. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THE ACR DID NOT SEE US UNTIL THEIR TCASII OFFERED A CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND THEN THEY FOLLOWED WHAT TCASII SAID TO DO AND THEN THEY SAW US AT THEIR 10 O'CLOCK AND ABOVE THEM, WE HAD ALREADY FLOWN THROUGH THEIR FLT PATH AND WERE NO LONGER A CONFLICT. I NEVER SAW, NOR DID AN INST RATED PVT PLT THAT WAS SITTING IN THE R SEAT, EVER SEE THE ACR. SOME OF THE REASONS WE BELIEVE WE NEVER SAW THE ACR WAS THAT AFTER DISCUSSING WHAT HAPPENED WITH SLC APCH WE LEARNED THAT BEFORE THE CONFLICT THE ACR WOULD HAVE BEEN AT OUR 10 O'CLOCK POS, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE RIGHT INTO THE SUN. ALSO AS THE CONFLICT TOOK PLACE THE ACR PASSED UNDER US FROM OUR 9 TO 8 O'CLOCK POS TO OUR 4 TO 5 O'CLOCK POS, WHICH PUTS THEM UNDER OUR WING AND BEHIND US MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO SEE THEM. I BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE HELPED AVOID THIS PROB WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLY MORE ATTENTIVENESS ON CTLRS PART, BETTER SCANNING ON THE ACR'S PART, CONSIDERING WE WERE AT THEIR 12 O'CLOCK POS AND THEY WERE NOT BEING BLINDED BY THE SUN, ALSO ON OUR PART IF WE HAD PICKED UP VFR FLT FOLLOWING OR OUR IFR SOONER, IT WOULD HAVE BROUGHT MORE ATTN TO US AND MAYBE THE CTLR WOULD HAVE SEEN THE CONFLICT SOONER.

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.