Narrative:

Conflict between aircraft and parachutists over a public airport. I was on a VFR flight from the twin cities area to the des moines area. There was a slight haze at the time. 1 of my navigation references was an interstate that runs south from the twin cities to des moines area. By following the interstate, this took me over the faribault airport and the owatonna airport. My altitude was approximately 3200 MSL. As I approached the faribault airport traffic area I was broadcasting my position, my altitude and my direction of flight. As I continued south, when I was 5 mi from the owatonna airport, I began broadcasting on their common TA frequency. Multiple times I gave my position from the airport, my direction of flight and my altitude. I did not hear, nor do I think that there were any xmissions alerting that there were jumpers descending directly over the runways at the owatonna airport. As I arrived over the runways at owatonna at approximately 3200 MSL, I encountered approximately 5 parachutists descending from the right to the left. I took immediate evasive action in a climbing left turn to avoid the parachutists, estimating that I had passed 100 and 200 ft of them. As I was approaching the owatonna airport I was carefully looking out for traffic. By coincidence the horizon appeared approximately straight ahead at 3200 ft and the jumpers were slightly above and below this. I think this fact tended to reduce their profile. Also since they were approximately my altitude, their parafoil chutes had a very low profile at that angle. I was navigating using a current omaha sectional. It becomes obsolete on aug/xx/94. On this current omaha sectional there is no parachute symbol indicating the owatonna is a jump zone. Recommendations for trying to minimize the possibility of this type of conflict: urgent -- place a parachute symbol on the next omaha sectional indicating the owatonna is a jump zone. If there are parachutists descending on a public airport, either an observer in the jump plane or a ground observer should be monitoring the common traffic frequency and alerting any inbound traffic that there are indeed jumpers over the airport. Be aware of jump zones in the general vicinity and if feasible, avoid these.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT TAKES EVASIVE ACTION CLB TURN AS SKY DIVERS DSND AROUND HIM.

Narrative: CONFLICT BTWN ACFT AND PARACHUTISTS OVER A PUBLIC ARPT. I WAS ON A VFR FLT FROM THE TWIN CITIES AREA TO THE DES MOINES AREA. THERE WAS A SLIGHT HAZE AT THE TIME. 1 OF MY NAV REFS WAS AN INTERSTATE THAT RUNS S FROM THE TWIN CITIES TO DES MOINES AREA. BY FOLLOWING THE INTERSTATE, THIS TOOK ME OVER THE FARIBAULT ARPT AND THE OWATONNA ARPT. MY ALT WAS APPROX 3200 MSL. AS I APCHED THE FARIBAULT ARPT TFC AREA I WAS BROADCASTING MY POS, MY ALT AND MY DIRECTION OF FLT. AS I CONTINUED S, WHEN I WAS 5 MI FROM THE OWATONNA ARPT, I BEGAN BROADCASTING ON THEIR COMMON TA FREQ. MULTIPLE TIMES I GAVE MY POS FROM THE ARPT, MY DIRECTION OF FLT AND MY ALT. I DID NOT HEAR, NOR DO I THINK THAT THERE WERE ANY XMISSIONS ALERTING THAT THERE WERE JUMPERS DSNDING DIRECTLY OVER THE RWYS AT THE OWATONNA ARPT. AS I ARRIVED OVER THE RWYS AT OWATONNA AT APPROX 3200 MSL, I ENCOUNTERED APPROX 5 PARACHUTISTS DSNDING FROM THE R TO THE L. I TOOK IMMEDIATE EVASIVE ACTION IN A CLBING L TURN TO AVOID THE PARACHUTISTS, ESTIMATING THAT I HAD PASSED 100 AND 200 FT OF THEM. AS I WAS APCHING THE OWATONNA ARPT I WAS CAREFULLY LOOKING OUT FOR TFC. BY COINCIDENCE THE HORIZON APPEARED APPROX STRAIGHT AHEAD AT 3200 FT AND THE JUMPERS WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AND BELOW THIS. I THINK THIS FACT TENDED TO REDUCE THEIR PROFILE. ALSO SINCE THEY WERE APPROX MY ALT, THEIR PARAFOIL CHUTES HAD A VERY LOW PROFILE AT THAT ANGLE. I WAS NAVING USING A CURRENT OMAHA SECTIONAL. IT BECOMES OBSOLETE ON AUG/XX/94. ON THIS CURRENT OMAHA SECTIONAL THERE IS NO PARACHUTE SYMBOL INDICATING THE OWATONNA IS A JUMP ZONE. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS TYPE OF CONFLICT: URGENT -- PLACE A PARACHUTE SYMBOL ON THE NEXT OMAHA SECTIONAL INDICATING THE OWATONNA IS A JUMP ZONE. IF THERE ARE PARACHUTISTS DSNDING ON A PUBLIC ARPT, EITHER AN OBSERVER IN THE JUMP PLANE OR A GND OBSERVER SHOULD BE MONITORING THE COMMON TFC FREQ AND ALERTING ANY INBOUND TFC THAT THERE ARE INDEED JUMPERS OVER THE ARPT. BE AWARE OF JUMP ZONES IN THE GENERAL VICINITY AND IF FEASIBLE, AVOID THESE.

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.