Narrative:

I was advised by chs approach of traffic in my 3 O'clock position. I advised chs that I had the traffic in sight and as a precaution turned on my strobe lights. At the same time, an air carrier was advised that they had traffic at 10 O'clock. An open microphone made a comment something like 'oh yeah' and the next transmission was the air carrier's acknowledgement that they had the traffic. At that time we both had visual contact with each other. The controller advised me that the air carrier had me in sight. The controller instructed the air carrier to maintain visual separation and cleared them for the descent at pilot's discretion. I was setting up my radios for the next route segment when I looked up to see the air carrier aircraft pass in front of me at my altitude (8000 ft). I had only about 5 seconds to react and prepare for the wake turbulence, which inverted my aircraft. I was able to recover from the unusual attitude, although all objects in the cabin were scattered about. The autoplt disengaged and I lost my eyeglasses. I called the controller and commented that the air carrier could have passed behind me instead of causing what could have been a fatal accident. I feel lucky that I was able to recover from this unfortunate display of irresponsible operation and of poor operating procedure on the air carrier flight crew. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the pilot was flying a beech V35B bonanza on an IFR flight plan at 8000 ft under the control of chs approach control when the wake encounter occurred. He said that when the air carrier traffic was pointed out to him it was above him at about 3 O'clock. The air carrier also said that he was in sight and the controller cleared the air carrier to maintain visual separation and descend to a lower altitude, according to the reporter. Then he said that he looked at his map and started to reset his radios for a turn towards his next navigation leg. When he looked up, he was surprised to see the air carrier in front of him descending through 8000 ft and very close. He said that he had thought that the air carrier was going to cross behind him based on its initial direction and altitude and relative to him. Now he realized almost as it began that he was going to hit the air carrier's wake. The first jolt incurred both positive and negative g-forces causing his head to strike the ceiling of the aircraft, even though his seat belt was fastened securely. His hood and the life preservers were thrown about the cabin. Then the aircraft rolled 360 degrees to the right and during the roll more debris floated about the cabin including his glasses and maps. After the roll the aircraft was in smooth air below his assigned altitude (he cannot remember the altitude) and he climbed to 8000 ft and reported the incident to the controller. After landing at X31 he called chs approach and requested that the tapes and radar information be saved. He was told that this would be done and to call back on monday to talk to the facility manager. He also had his aircraft inspected and no damage was found. On monday, the reporter alleges that the facility manager told him that the radar tape would not be available because of a failure at the remote radar site, however, upon further questioning, said that some tracks were available and some of the voice tapes would be available. Several FAA acquaintances counseled that he would not find the pursuit to be worth the trouble, according to the reporter. He also said that he tried to call the air carrier's chief pilot without success. What particularly angered him, the reporter said, was a short transmission that sounded like a stuck microphone, that said 'watch this.' he understood this to mean that the air carrier captain deliberately flew close in front of him. He said that he was also angry with himself for not watching the traffic until it passed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE35 PLT HITS THE WAKE OF AN ACR THAT DSNDS IN FRONT OF HIM WHILE HE WAS IN CRUISE AT 8000 FT. THE BONANZA WAS JOLTED THEN ROLLED TO THE R 360 DEGS BY THE WAKE. NO DAMAGE, BUT THE RPTR FEELS THAT THIS WAS A DELIBERATE ACT ON THE PART OF THE ACR FLC. BEECH V35B ACR UNKNOWN WITH TAIL MOUNTED ENGS.

Narrative: I WAS ADVISED BY CHS APCH OF TFC IN MY 3 O'CLOCK POS. I ADVISED CHS THAT I HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT AND AS A PRECAUTION TURNED ON MY STROBE LIGHTS. AT THE SAME TIME, AN ACR WAS ADVISED THAT THEY HAD TFC AT 10 O'CLOCK. AN OPEN MIKE MADE A COMMENT SOMETHING LIKE 'OH YEAH' AND THE NEXT XMISSION WAS THE ACR'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THEY HAD THE TFC. AT THAT TIME WE BOTH HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER. THE CTLR ADVISED ME THAT THE ACR HAD ME IN SIGHT. THE CTLR INSTRUCTED THE ACR TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION AND CLRED THEM FOR THE DSCNT AT PLT'S DISCRETION. I WAS SETTING UP MY RADIOS FOR THE NEXT RTE SEGMENT WHEN I LOOKED UP TO SEE THE ACR ACFT PASS IN FRONT OF ME AT MY ALT (8000 FT). I HAD ONLY ABOUT 5 SECONDS TO REACT AND PREPARE FOR THE WAKE TURB, WHICH INVERTED MY ACFT. I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THE UNUSUAL ATTITUDE, ALTHOUGH ALL OBJECTS IN THE CABIN WERE SCATTERED ABOUT. THE AUTOPLT DISENGAGED AND I LOST MY EYEGLASSES. I CALLED THE CTLR AND COMMENTED THAT THE ACR COULD HAVE PASSED BEHIND ME INSTEAD OF CAUSING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT. I FEEL LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO RECOVER FROM THIS UNFORTUNATE DISPLAY OF IRRESPONSIBLE OP AND OF POOR OPERATING PROC ON THE ACR FLC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT WAS FLYING A BEECH V35B BONANZA ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AT 8000 FT UNDER THE CTL OF CHS APCH CTL WHEN THE WAKE ENCOUNTER OCCURRED. HE SAID THAT WHEN THE ACR TFC WAS POINTED OUT TO HIM IT WAS ABOVE HIM AT ABOUT 3 O'CLOCK. THE ACR ALSO SAID THAT HE WAS IN SIGHT AND THE CTLR CLRED THE ACR TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION AND DSND TO A LOWER ALT, ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. THEN HE SAID THAT HE LOOKED AT HIS MAP AND STARTED TO RESET HIS RADIOS FOR A TURN TOWARDS HIS NEXT NAV LEG. WHEN HE LOOKED UP, HE WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THE ACR IN FRONT OF HIM DSNDING THROUGH 8000 FT AND VERY CLOSE. HE SAID THAT HE HAD THOUGHT THAT THE ACR WAS GOING TO CROSS BEHIND HIM BASED ON ITS INITIAL DIRECTION AND ALT AND RELATIVE TO HIM. NOW HE REALIZED ALMOST AS IT BEGAN THAT HE WAS GOING TO HIT THE ACR'S WAKE. THE FIRST JOLT INCURRED BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE G-FORCES CAUSING HIS HEAD TO STRIKE THE CEILING OF THE ACFT, EVEN THOUGH HIS SEAT BELT WAS FASTENED SECURELY. HIS HOOD AND THE LIFE PRESERVERS WERE THROWN ABOUT THE CABIN. THEN THE ACFT ROLLED 360 DEGS TO THE R AND DURING THE ROLL MORE DEBRIS FLOATED ABOUT THE CABIN INCLUDING HIS GLASSES AND MAPS. AFTER THE ROLL THE ACFT WAS IN SMOOTH AIR BELOW HIS ASSIGNED ALT (HE CANNOT REMEMBER THE ALT) AND HE CLBED TO 8000 FT AND RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THE CTLR. AFTER LNDG AT X31 HE CALLED CHS APCH AND REQUESTED THAT THE TAPES AND RADAR INFO BE SAVED. HE WAS TOLD THAT THIS WOULD BE DONE AND TO CALL BACK ON MONDAY TO TALK TO THE FACILITY MGR. HE ALSO HAD HIS ACFT INSPECTED AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND. ON MONDAY, THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT THE FACILITY MGR TOLD HIM THAT THE RADAR TAPE WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF A FAILURE AT THE REMOTE RADAR SITE, HOWEVER, UPON FURTHER QUESTIONING, SAID THAT SOME TRACKS WERE AVAILABLE AND SOME OF THE VOICE TAPES WOULD BE AVAILABLE. SEVERAL FAA ACQUAINTANCES COUNSELED THAT HE WOULD NOT FIND THE PURSUIT TO BE WORTH THE TROUBLE, ACCORDING TO THE RPTR. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE TRIED TO CALL THE ACR'S CHIEF PLT WITHOUT SUCCESS. WHAT PARTICULARLY ANGERED HIM, THE RPTR SAID, WAS A SHORT XMISSION THAT SOUNDED LIKE A STUCK MIKE, THAT SAID 'WATCH THIS.' HE UNDERSTOOD THIS TO MEAN THAT THE ACR CAPT DELIBERATELY FLEW CLOSE IN FRONT OF HIM. HE SAID THAT HE WAS ALSO ANGRY WITH HIMSELF FOR NOT WATCHING THE TFC UNTIL IT PASSED.

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.