Narrative:

The pensacola, fl (pns) class C airspace is centered over pns regional airport. Adjacent to it on the northeast and southwest side are 2 other class C airspaces, thus forming an approximately line of 'C' airspace 30 mi long oriented northeast to southwest with pns at the center. Due east adjacent to the pns is class D airspace centered on choctaw nolf. To accommodate local civil training, there is a designated training area. It is roughly rectangular in shape 10 X 4 NM oriented with 10 mi length north/south and the western edge 4.5 NM east of pns. An extension of pns runway 8 bisects the area with the northern half being named area 1 and the southern half area 2. The altitude of the area is from 1400 ft to 3000 ft MSL. Often altitudes below the floor are used and most of the area is in the outer ring of the pns class C airspace. I was conducting a student's 4TH hour of flight training, i.e., stalls, slow flight, radio procedures and ironically, collision avoidance procedures. We departed peter prince airport (2r4) milton, fl, at about XA30 CDT. The visibility was outstanding. You could see 30 mi plus and there were no clouds or haze. There was some smoke to the northeast due to forest fires. 2r4 is northeast at about 6 NM from the practice area. We received acknowledgement from pns approach control to enter the airspace and use the practice area. Approach control idented a C-152 working in the area and we acknowledged seeing the aircraft. Initially we performed airwork from 2500 to 3000 ft and worked to the south end of the area. We then worked north at 1800 ft to 2200 ft doing climbing descending stalls and turns. We frequently received radio calls on crossing traffic above and through the practice area, however, we never received another call on the whereabouts of the c- 152. There were other radio xmissions to the C-152 that indicated they were doing air work at 3000 ft in the north portion first officer the area. When we arrived in the northern 1/3 of the area, the student performed a clearing turn of 180 degrees to a heading of south at an altitude of 1800 ft. He then did a left 45 degree bank and demonstrated an accelerated stall. I then took the controls and did a demonstration. There was no change of altitude and we completed the 2 stalls on a heading of 160 degrees. I gave the controls back to the student and made a couple of comments to the student and told him to climb sbound to 2800 ft. He very promptly started the climb at 70K. At approximately 2100 ft he abruptly pushed forward on the stick and said something about an aircraft. Within about 5 seconds a C-152 passed overhead the cockpit going in the same direction within 100 ft. The aircraft was either level or slightly descending. The aircraft was either level or slightly descending. The aircraft was so positioned it was exactly in my blind spot, directly overhead. We never saw it coming, even though the tomahawk has some of the best visibility of civil aircraft. The C-152 proceeded to the south and had a discussion with the controller about aircraft separation. We aborted our flight and went home because the student, rightly so, was upset. On postflt discussion with the student, he said he had seen the aircraft to the north at a much higher altitude just prior to our clearing turns. We at first surmised that the incident occurred in the classic mid air collision of 1 aircraft climbing up into the path of a level or descending aircraft. However, I happen to know the flight instructor in the other aircraft and my postflt discussion with him revealed that he was almost directly overhead at 3000 ft as we entered our maneuver at 1800 ft. He, too, was also turning with us and doing full stalls out of a descent. Even though we both knew we were nearby, neither one of us had a visual sighting at the time of the maneuver. We had failed to clear directly overhead and he had failed to clear directly below. Both the areas which are the easiest to clear for the types of aircraft being flown. Murphy almost got us!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 SMA'S, 1 CLBING AND THE OTHER DSNDING, ALMOST COLLIDE.

Narrative: THE PENSACOLA, FL (PNS) CLASS C AIRSPACE IS CTRED OVER PNS REGIONAL ARPT. ADJACENT TO IT ON THE NE AND SW SIDE ARE 2 OTHER CLASS C AIRSPACES, THUS FORMING AN APPROX LINE OF 'C' AIRSPACE 30 MI LONG ORIENTED NE TO SW WITH PNS AT THE CTR. DUE E ADJACENT TO THE PNS IS CLASS D AIRSPACE CTRED ON CHOCTAW NOLF. TO ACCOMMODATE LCL CIVIL TRAINING, THERE IS A DESIGNATED TRAINING AREA. IT IS ROUGHLY RECTANGULAR IN SHAPE 10 X 4 NM ORIENTED WITH 10 MI LENGTH N/S AND THE WESTERN EDGE 4.5 NM E OF PNS. AN EXTENSION OF PNS RWY 8 BISECTS THE AREA WITH THE NORTHERN HALF BEING NAMED AREA 1 AND THE SOUTHERN HALF AREA 2. THE ALT OF THE AREA IS FROM 1400 FT TO 3000 FT MSL. OFTEN ALTS BELOW THE FLOOR ARE USED AND MOST OF THE AREA IS IN THE OUTER RING OF THE PNS CLASS C AIRSPACE. I WAS CONDUCTING A STUDENT'S 4TH HR OF FLT TRAINING, I.E., STALLS, SLOW FLT, RADIO PROCS AND IRONICALLY, COLLISION AVOIDANCE PROCS. WE DEPARTED PETER PRINCE ARPT (2R4) MILTON, FL, AT ABOUT XA30 CDT. THE VISIBILITY WAS OUTSTANDING. YOU COULD SEE 30 MI PLUS AND THERE WERE NO CLOUDS OR HAZE. THERE WAS SOME SMOKE TO THE NE DUE TO FOREST FIRES. 2R4 IS NE AT ABOUT 6 NM FROM THE PRACTICE AREA. WE RECEIVED ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM PNS APCH CTL TO ENTER THE AIRSPACE AND USE THE PRACTICE AREA. APCH CTL IDENTED A C-152 WORKING IN THE AREA AND WE ACKNOWLEDGED SEEING THE ACFT. INITIALLY WE PERFORMED AIRWORK FROM 2500 TO 3000 FT AND WORKED TO THE S END OF THE AREA. WE THEN WORKED N AT 1800 FT TO 2200 FT DOING CLBING DSNDING STALLS AND TURNS. WE FREQUENTLY RECEIVED RADIO CALLS ON XING TFC ABOVE AND THROUGH THE PRACTICE AREA, HOWEVER, WE NEVER RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE C- 152. THERE WERE OTHER RADIO XMISSIONS TO THE C-152 THAT INDICATED THEY WERE DOING AIR WORK AT 3000 FT IN THE N PORTION FO THE AREA. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN THE NORTHERN 1/3 OF THE AREA, THE STUDENT PERFORMED A CLRING TURN OF 180 DEGS TO A HDG OF S AT AN ALT OF 1800 FT. HE THEN DID A L 45 DEG BANK AND DEMONSTRATED AN ACCELERATED STALL. I THEN TOOK THE CTLS AND DID A DEMONSTRATION. THERE WAS NO CHANGE OF ALT AND WE COMPLETED THE 2 STALLS ON A HDG OF 160 DEGS. I GAVE THE CTLS BACK TO THE STUDENT AND MADE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS TO THE STUDENT AND TOLD HIM TO CLB SBOUND TO 2800 FT. HE VERY PROMPTLY STARTED THE CLB AT 70K. AT APPROX 2100 FT HE ABRUPTLY PUSHED FORWARD ON THE STICK AND SAID SOMETHING ABOUT AN ACFT. WITHIN ABOUT 5 SECONDS A C-152 PASSED OVERHEAD THE COCKPIT GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION WITHIN 100 FT. THE ACFT WAS EITHER LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY DSNDING. THE ACFT WAS EITHER LEVEL OR SLIGHTLY DSNDING. THE ACFT WAS SO POSITIONED IT WAS EXACTLY IN MY BLIND SPOT, DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. WE NEVER SAW IT COMING, EVEN THOUGH THE TOMAHAWK HAS SOME OF THE BEST VISIBILITY OF CIVIL ACFT. THE C-152 PROCEEDED TO THE S AND HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE CTLR ABOUT ACFT SEPARATION. WE ABORTED OUR FLT AND WENT HOME BECAUSE THE STUDENT, RIGHTLY SO, WAS UPSET. ON POSTFLT DISCUSSION WITH THE STUDENT, HE SAID HE HAD SEEN THE ACFT TO THE N AT A MUCH HIGHER ALT JUST PRIOR TO OUR CLRING TURNS. WE AT FIRST SURMISED THAT THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE CLASSIC MID AIR COLLISION OF 1 ACFT CLBING UP INTO THE PATH OF A LEVEL OR DSNDING ACFT. HOWEVER, I HAPPEN TO KNOW THE FLT INSTRUCTOR IN THE OTHER ACFT AND MY POSTFLT DISCUSSION WITH HIM REVEALED THAT HE WAS ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT 3000 FT AS WE ENTERED OUR MANEUVER AT 1800 FT. HE, TOO, WAS ALSO TURNING WITH US AND DOING FULL STALLS OUT OF A DSCNT. EVEN THOUGH WE BOTH KNEW WE WERE NEARBY, NEITHER ONE OF US HAD A VISUAL SIGHTING AT THE TIME OF THE MANEUVER. WE HAD FAILED TO CLR DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AND HE HAD FAILED TO CLR DIRECTLY BELOW. BOTH THE AREAS WHICH ARE THE EASIEST TO CLR FOR THE TYPES OF ACFT BEING FLOWN. MURPHY ALMOST GOT US!

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.