Narrative:

I was operating an archer ii (PA28/160), I closed pattern at ramona airport, having just made my first touch-and-go, on runway 27, using the standard left pattern. While operating in pattern, I called all turns over unicom frequency 122.7, and continuously monitored that frequency. On crosswind, an aircraft approached from the southwest, entering the pattern behind me, with call sign airtac. Airtac: plane originates from the fire service squadron at ramona, and was plted by mr abc. As I turned downwind, I had a distant visual on this aircraft, who joined the pattern behind me (and was a witness: mr abc). There was 1 other aircraft in the pattern, and communicating, which had made a short approach ahead of me, and was on final when I turned base. I proceeded around the pattern, calling my base turn and final turn, and aligning with the runway at approximately 1 mi from the threshold, altitude approximately 600 ft AGL, and speed 70 KTS. As I rolled out of my turn, a f- 33 bonanza passed by my right wing at a distance of approximately 75 ft, on my heading, and at a higher rate of speed. At the same instant, I heard a radio call from airtac, advising me of conflicting traffic. I banked left, performed a go around, rejoined the pattern behind a cessna 337 skymaster, who idented himself to me as airtac?, who had been following me in the pattern. The aircraft with which I had nearly collided had made a straight-in approach, without broadcasting his presence. Upon landing, I idented this aircraft as xyz. As this aircraft was taxiing, he made his first broadcast, to the effect that he was not required to use the radio, since he was landing at an uncontrolled field. I taxied to the fire station, and confirmed with mr abc that the bonanza had made a straight-in approach, and that he had heard no radio traffic. He stated that he saw the incident, and tried to warn me, which was the broadcast I received co-incident with my first sight of the bonanza off my right wing. My analysis: bonanza made a straight-in approach into a busy traffic pattern, and did not give way to traffic in the pattern. There was an aircraft on short final ahead of me, and an aircraft approximately 2 mi behind me, in pattern. He had no room to enter the pattern, without forcing other traffic to give way, assuming that traffic had seen him. Bonanza made no radio communications on approaching the pattern (which he confirmed himself after he was on the ground). If he was monitoring unicom, he should have been aware of traffic in the pattern, and its position. When I turned final, I would have presented the flat belly and expanse of my wings to him, as he approached straight-in. My intentions should have been clear, even if his radio was off, yet he continued into the pattern and into dangerous proximity with my aircraft. I failed to see the approaching aircraft. Mitigating factors were the left bank necessary to turn final, which raised the right wing and obscured my view to the right, the visually cluttered backgnd to the east of the airport at ramona, and the difficulty of spotting an aircraft approaching near head-on, where none is expected. I was pre-occupied with watching preceding traffic on short final, maintaining precise airspeed, communicating with other traffic, and lining up on the runway for final approach. I can, and will, correct this, and will certainly be intensely aware of the possibility of straight-in traffic in the future. I was dismayed that the pilot of bonanza apparently did not appreciate the gravity of this incident, nor acknowledge any responsibility for taking measures to avoid it. A straight-in approach to an uncontrolled field is legal, but not very wise when there is busy traffic in the pattern. Entering the pattern with a radio, and not monitoring or using it to announce one's presence is also legal, but not very wise in a busy traffic pattern. Making a straight-in approach without any radio contact seems to me to stretch the regulations, and common sense, to the limit.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS NMAC WITH ACFT ON FINAL APCH AT NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS OPERATING AN ARCHER II (PA28/160), I CLOSED PATTERN AT RAMONA ARPT, HAVING JUST MADE MY FIRST TOUCH-AND-GO, ON RWY 27, USING THE STANDARD L PATTERN. WHILE OPERATING IN PATTERN, I CALLED ALL TURNS OVER UNICOM FREQ 122.7, AND CONTINUOUSLY MONITORED THAT FREQ. ON XWIND, AN ACFT APCHED FROM THE SW, ENTERING THE PATTERN BEHIND ME, WITH CALL SIGN AIRTAC. AIRTAC: PLANE ORIGINATES FROM THE FIRE SVC SQUADRON AT RAMONA, AND WAS PLTED BY MR ABC. AS I TURNED DOWNWIND, I HAD A DISTANT VISUAL ON THIS ACFT, WHO JOINED THE PATTERN BEHIND ME (AND WAS A WITNESS: MR ABC). THERE WAS 1 OTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN, AND COMMUNICATING, WHICH HAD MADE A SHORT APCH AHEAD OF ME, AND WAS ON FINAL WHEN I TURNED BASE. I PROCEEDED AROUND THE PATTERN, CALLING MY BASE TURN AND FINAL TURN, AND ALIGNING WITH THE RWY AT APPROX 1 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD, ALT APPROX 600 FT AGL, AND SPD 70 KTS. AS I ROLLED OUT OF MY TURN, A F- 33 BONANZA PASSED BY MY R WING AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 75 FT, ON MY HDG, AND AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPD. AT THE SAME INSTANT, I HEARD A RADIO CALL FROM AIRTAC, ADVISING ME OF CONFLICTING TFC. I BANKED L, PERFORMED A GAR, REJOINED THE PATTERN BEHIND A CESSNA 337 SKYMASTER, WHO IDENTED HIMSELF TO ME AS AIRTAC?, WHO HAD BEEN FOLLOWING ME IN THE PATTERN. THE ACFT WITH WHICH I HAD NEARLY COLLIDED HAD MADE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH, WITHOUT BROADCASTING HIS PRESENCE. UPON LNDG, I IDENTED THIS ACFT AS XYZ. AS THIS ACFT WAS TAXIING, HE MADE HIS FIRST BROADCAST, TO THE EFFECT THAT HE WAS NOT REQUIRED TO USE THE RADIO, SINCE HE WAS LNDG AT AN UNCTLED FIELD. I TAXIED TO THE FIRE STATION, AND CONFIRMED WITH MR ABC THAT THE BONANZA HAD MADE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH, AND THAT HE HAD HEARD NO RADIO TFC. HE STATED THAT HE SAW THE INCIDENT, AND TRIED TO WARN ME, WHICH WAS THE BROADCAST I RECEIVED CO-INCIDENT WITH MY FIRST SIGHT OF THE BONANZA OFF MY R WING. MY ANALYSIS: BONANZA MADE A STRAIGHT-IN APCH INTO A BUSY TFC PATTERN, AND DID NOT GIVE WAY TO TFC IN THE PATTERN. THERE WAS AN ACFT ON SHORT FINAL AHEAD OF ME, AND AN ACFT APPROX 2 MI BEHIND ME, IN PATTERN. HE HAD NO ROOM TO ENTER THE PATTERN, WITHOUT FORCING OTHER TFC TO GIVE WAY, ASSUMING THAT TFC HAD SEEN HIM. BONANZA MADE NO RADIO COMS ON APCHING THE PATTERN (WHICH HE CONFIRMED HIMSELF AFTER HE WAS ON THE GND). IF HE WAS MONITORING UNICOM, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF TFC IN THE PATTERN, AND ITS POS. WHEN I TURNED FINAL, I WOULD HAVE PRESENTED THE FLAT BELLY AND EXPANSE OF MY WINGS TO HIM, AS HE APCHED STRAIGHT-IN. MY INTENTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLR, EVEN IF HIS RADIO WAS OFF, YET HE CONTINUED INTO THE PATTERN AND INTO DANGEROUS PROX WITH MY ACFT. I FAILED TO SEE THE APCHING ACFT. MITIGATING FACTORS WERE THE L BANK NECESSARY TO TURN FINAL, WHICH RAISED THE R WING AND OBSCURED MY VIEW TO THE R, THE VISUALLY CLUTTERED BACKGND TO THE E OF THE ARPT AT RAMONA, AND THE DIFFICULTY OF SPOTTING AN ACFT APCHING NEAR HEAD-ON, WHERE NONE IS EXPECTED. I WAS PRE-OCCUPIED WITH WATCHING PRECEDING TFC ON SHORT FINAL, MAINTAINING PRECISE AIRSPD, COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER TFC, AND LINING UP ON THE RWY FOR FINAL APCH. I CAN, AND WILL, CORRECT THIS, AND WILL CERTAINLY BE INTENSELY AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF STRAIGHT-IN TFC IN THE FUTURE. I WAS DISMAYED THAT THE PLT OF BONANZA APPARENTLY DID NOT APPRECIATE THE GRAVITY OF THIS INCIDENT, NOR ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAKING MEASURES TO AVOID IT. A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO AN UNCTLED FIELD IS LEGAL, BUT NOT VERY WISE WHEN THERE IS BUSY TFC IN THE PATTERN. ENTERING THE PATTERN WITH A RADIO, AND NOT MONITORING OR USING IT TO ANNOUNCE ONE'S PRESENCE IS ALSO LEGAL, BUT NOT VERY WISE IN A BUSY TFC PATTERN. MAKING A STRAIGHT-IN APCH WITHOUT ANY RADIO CONTACT SEEMS TO ME TO STRETCH THE REGS, AND COMMON SENSE, TO THE LIMIT.

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.