Narrative:

The near midair collision reported in the july 1995 callback represents a far more widespread problem than you realize from the single incident reported. I've brought this up in FAA safety meetings and in print, but now it's time for you to add your weight. A descending left turn into the downwind leg is an extremely common -- and hair raising -- practice at uncontrolled airports. Just think about this for a moment. The essential point is that the maneuver absolutely precludes the arriving pilot and any pilot in the departure/crosswind/downwind part of the traffic pattern seeing each other. They are unavoidably in each other's blind spot. There's little difference between high wing and low wing aircraft and their relative position, the blind spots mainly are due to fuselage and the cockpit roof. For yrs we have advocated descending outside the pattern if you must overfly to check the active runway, and entering downwind in a right turn. This means you face your traffic right through the windshield, where you can most easily see it. Safety mandates being at traffic altitude well outside the pattern to use any of the standard entries. The descending entry is so common we see it nearly every time at the airport. Please help to stamp out this cause of midairs! After being in two near misses, I'm especially wary of sits like this. In one case the 2 flts were practically vectored together. In the other, my wife was flying. She had listened to unicom from 15 mi out, knew of other traffic and entered in the standard manner. She took special care to make all the usual announcements. Later we tallied no fewer than 7 opportunities to be aware of us which the other pilot missed and still tried to land on top of us. On seeing wheels descend into our field of view we broke out to the right, and I called the other pilot by the number read from the side of the airplane. He heard and saw nothing then, and later denied hearing a feminine voice. The only help for this kind is urging instructors not to teach a fixed ritual, it becomes exclusive, and can leave a tense pilot unaware of anything else. All checklists should include 'look around.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC IN TFC PATTERN AT NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative: THE NMAC RPTED IN THE JULY 1995 CALLBACK REPRESENTS A FAR MORE WIDESPREAD PROB THAN YOU REALIZE FROM THE SINGLE INCIDENT RPTED. I'VE BROUGHT THIS UP IN FAA SAFETY MEETINGS AND IN PRINT, BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO ADD YOUR WEIGHT. A DSNDING L TURN INTO THE DOWNWIND LEG IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON -- AND HAIR RAISING -- PRACTICE AT UNCTLED ARPTS. JUST THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT. THE ESSENTIAL POINT IS THAT THE MANEUVER ABSOLUTELY PRECLUDES THE ARRIVING PLT AND ANY PLT IN THE DEP/XWIND/DOWNWIND PART OF THE TFC PATTERN SEEING EACH OTHER. THEY ARE UNAVOIDABLY IN EACH OTHER'S BLIND SPOT. THERE'S LITTLE DIFFERENCE BTWN HIGH WING AND LOW WING ACFT AND THEIR RELATIVE POS, THE BLIND SPOTS MAINLY ARE DUE TO FUSELAGE AND THE COCKPIT ROOF. FOR YRS WE HAVE ADVOCATED DSNDING OUTSIDE THE PATTERN IF YOU MUST OVERFLY TO CHK THE ACTIVE RWY, AND ENTERING DOWNWIND IN A R TURN. THIS MEANS YOU FACE YOUR TFC RIGHT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD, WHERE YOU CAN MOST EASILY SEE IT. SAFETY MANDATES BEING AT TFC ALT WELL OUTSIDE THE PATTERN TO USE ANY OF THE STANDARD ENTRIES. THE DSNDING ENTRY IS SO COMMON WE SEE IT NEARLY EVERY TIME AT THE ARPT. PLEASE HELP TO STAMP OUT THIS CAUSE OF MIDAIRS! AFTER BEING IN TWO NEAR MISSES, I'M ESPECIALLY WARY OF SITS LIKE THIS. IN ONE CASE THE 2 FLTS WERE PRACTICALLY VECTORED TOGETHER. IN THE OTHER, MY WIFE WAS FLYING. SHE HAD LISTENED TO UNICOM FROM 15 MI OUT, KNEW OF OTHER TFC AND ENTERED IN THE STANDARD MANNER. SHE TOOK SPECIAL CARE TO MAKE ALL THE USUAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. LATER WE TALLIED NO FEWER THAN 7 OPPORTUNITIES TO BE AWARE OF US WHICH THE OTHER PLT MISSED AND STILL TRIED TO LAND ON TOP OF US. ON SEEING WHEELS DSND INTO OUR FIELD OF VIEW WE BROKE OUT TO THE R, AND I CALLED THE OTHER PLT BY THE NUMBER READ FROM THE SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. HE HEARD AND SAW NOTHING THEN, AND LATER DENIED HEARING A FEMININE VOICE. THE ONLY HELP FOR THIS KIND IS URGING INSTRUCTORS NOT TO TEACH A FIXED RITUAL, IT BECOMES EXCLUSIVE, AND CAN LEAVE A TENSE PLT UNAWARE OF ANYTHING ELSE. ALL CHKLISTS SHOULD INCLUDE 'LOOK AROUND.'

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.