Narrative:

My wife and I were flying VFR from vrb to tix. 10 mi south of mlb I called patrick approach (132.65) to ask for flight following. They asked me to squawk XXXX and then confirmed radar contact and 6 mi south of mlb and flying at 1100 ft. About 3 mi south of mlb a cessna popped up out of nowhere. We missed him by approximately 500 ft and we were both at the same altitude. The cessna was sbound and we were northbound. About the time the cessna passed off our right wing tip, patrick approach came on to say that we had traffic. I informed them that the traffic had already passed. As we flew further northward, patrick approach came back to say that we had to call the mlb tower, and gave the frequency. We were abeam the mlb airport, having obviously penetrated class D airspace, so I very quickly called the mlb tower to advise them of our position and to inform them that we had been on flight following. Just as I started communication with them, a cessna flew directly at us off our right wing tip and he promptly turned to his left and passed in back of us. We were both at the same altitude and his quick reflexes saved the day for all of us!! Mlb tower was amazed that we were in their airspace and they didn't know of it in advance. The cessna couldn't have missed us by more than 100 ft. You can hear all about this if you listen to the tapes. We were then given approval to switch frequencys and to contact patrick tower, which we did. After that we were given the winds and active runway at tix, our destination. On our return trip to vrb about an hour and a half later, we contacted patrick approach and asked for flight following again and were given the discrete code of XXXX again. We were then handed off to patrick tower and then to the mlb tower. Mlb then gave us permission to change frequencys and I said that we would squawk 1200 and fly on to vrb. It seems odd to me that the patrick approach handed us off in class D airspace at the approach end of a runway and hadn't even called mlb tower by land line to inform them of our position. Isn't this one of the advantages of flight following? In the event that they were too busy to handle us (it didn't seem that they were very busy) shouldn't they have turned down our request at the beginning or at least told us to contact mlb before entering class D airspace? After arriving home, I called mlb tower to inquire about the days happenings. The gentleman I spoke with was aware of the incident however he was on a later shift and the controller who dealt with me had left. He said that this was a common problem and would I please call the patrick approach to which he gave me the number. The gentleman I spoke with there said that they have had a number or problems similar to mine and that they were going to issue a bulletin on the next day, to not 'drop' people in the mlb airspace. He asked if I wanted to file some type of a report. My answer was that my purpose in calling was not to stir things up but to bring the incident to their attention. He apologized numerous times and was very courteous. The lesson I learned during this ordeal was to not be at pattern altitude during a transition through class D airspace if in the vicinity of the runway ends. This incident is another lesson to keep ones eyes out of the cockpit at all times!!!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA IN CRUISE HAS 2 NMACS WHEN ON FLT FOLLOWING AND ENTERS CLASS D AIRSPACE.

Narrative: MY WIFE AND I WERE FLYING VFR FROM VRB TO TIX. 10 MI S OF MLB I CALLED PATRICK APCH (132.65) TO ASK FOR FLT FOLLOWING. THEY ASKED ME TO SQUAWK XXXX AND THEN CONFIRMED RADAR CONTACT AND 6 MI S OF MLB AND FLYING AT 1100 FT. ABOUT 3 MI S OF MLB A CESSNA POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE. WE MISSED HIM BY APPROX 500 FT AND WE WERE BOTH AT THE SAME ALT. THE CESSNA WAS SBOUND AND WE WERE NBOUND. ABOUT THE TIME THE CESSNA PASSED OFF OUR R WING TIP, PATRICK APCH CAME ON TO SAY THAT WE HAD TFC. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE TFC HAD ALREADY PASSED. AS WE FLEW FURTHER NORTHWARD, PATRICK APCH CAME BACK TO SAY THAT WE HAD TO CALL THE MLB TWR, AND GAVE THE FREQ. WE WERE ABEAM THE MLB ARPT, HAVING OBVIOUSLY PENETRATED CLASS D AIRSPACE, SO I VERY QUICKLY CALLED THE MLB TWR TO ADVISE THEM OF OUR POS AND TO INFORM THEM THAT WE HAD BEEN ON FLT FOLLOWING. JUST AS I STARTED COM WITH THEM, A CESSNA FLEW DIRECTLY AT US OFF OUR R WING TIP AND HE PROMPTLY TURNED TO HIS L AND PASSED IN BACK OF US. WE WERE BOTH AT THE SAME ALT AND HIS QUICK REFLEXES SAVED THE DAY FOR ALL OF US!! MLB TWR WAS AMAZED THAT WE WERE IN THEIR AIRSPACE AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF IT IN ADVANCE. THE CESSNA COULDN'T HAVE MISSED US BY MORE THAN 100 FT. YOU CAN HEAR ALL ABOUT THIS IF YOU LISTEN TO THE TAPES. WE WERE THEN GIVEN APPROVAL TO SWITCH FREQS AND TO CONTACT PATRICK TWR, WHICH WE DID. AFTER THAT WE WERE GIVEN THE WINDS AND ACTIVE RWY AT TIX, OUR DEST. ON OUR RETURN TRIP TO VRB ABOUT AN HR AND A HALF LATER, WE CONTACTED PATRICK APCH AND ASKED FOR FLT FOLLOWING AGAIN AND WERE GIVEN THE DISCRETE CODE OF XXXX AGAIN. WE WERE THEN HANDED OFF TO PATRICK TWR AND THEN TO THE MLB TWR. MLB THEN GAVE US PERMISSION TO CHANGE FREQS AND I SAID THAT WE WOULD SQUAWK 1200 AND FLY ON TO VRB. IT SEEMS ODD TO ME THAT THE PATRICK APCH HANDED US OFF IN CLASS D AIRSPACE AT THE APCH END OF A RWY AND HADN'T EVEN CALLED MLB TWR BY LAND LINE TO INFORM THEM OF OUR POS. ISN'T THIS ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF FLT FOLLOWING? IN THE EVENT THAT THEY WERE TOO BUSY TO HANDLE US (IT DIDN'T SEEM THAT THEY WERE VERY BUSY) SHOULDN'T THEY HAVE TURNED DOWN OUR REQUEST AT THE BEGINNING OR AT LEAST TOLD US TO CONTACT MLB BEFORE ENTERING CLASS D AIRSPACE? AFTER ARRIVING HOME, I CALLED MLB TWR TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE DAYS HAPPENINGS. THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH WAS AWARE OF THE INCIDENT HOWEVER HE WAS ON A LATER SHIFT AND THE CTLR WHO DEALT WITH ME HAD LEFT. HE SAID THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROB AND WOULD I PLEASE CALL THE PATRICK APCH TO WHICH HE GAVE ME THE NUMBER. THE GENTLEMAN I SPOKE WITH THERE SAID THAT THEY HAVE HAD A NUMBER OR PROBS SIMILAR TO MINE AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO ISSUE A BULLETIN ON THE NEXT DAY, TO NOT 'DROP' PEOPLE IN THE MLB AIRSPACE. HE ASKED IF I WANTED TO FILE SOME TYPE OF A RPT. MY ANSWER WAS THAT MY PURPOSE IN CALLING WAS NOT TO STIR THINGS UP BUT TO BRING THE INCIDENT TO THEIR ATTENTION. HE APOLOGIZED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS VERY COURTEOUS. THE LESSON I LEARNED DURING THIS ORDEAL WAS TO NOT BE AT PATTERN ALT DURING A TRANSITION THROUGH CLASS D AIRSPACE IF IN THE VICINITY OF THE RWY ENDS. THIS INCIDENT IS ANOTHER LESSON TO KEEP ONES EYES OUT OF THE COCKPIT AT ALL TIMES!!!

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.