Narrative:

I was flying a B90 king air for parajumps over W97 westpoint, va, at 13600 ft and gave norfolk approach the normal 1 min to jump (this was the 7TH flight of the day and I was using same transponder code). There was no response from norfolk, so I gave a 30 seconds to jump. Norfolk responded this time with xyz report jumpers away. I responded xyz wilco or xyz roger. About 30 seconds later I reported xyz jumpers away and began descending. Norfolk responded with thank you xyz report leaving 3000 ft. As I looked down to count canopies and check for jumpers I noticed the tandem jump master and student tumbling with no drone chute out. I fixed on them and watched in fear as they fell some 7000 ft before stabilizing and deploying the drone. Seconds later a jetstream appeared at their altitude as the main chute deployed from my position at probably 8000 ft. They looked like they were going to collide with the jetstream. At this time norfolk called traffic for the jetstream. As soon as he finished I asked was he showing traffic over westpoint. The jetstream crew then explained that they just missed jumpers by seconds. The controller explained to me that the traffic had just been handed to him and just entered his airspace 3 mi north. The area appeared clear before the jump and no traffic was reported until after jumpers had left the aircraft. The jetstream was traveling approximately 260 KTS. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was the pilot of a drop aircraft that said that he used the proper radio procedure to drop his load of parachutists. He said that he turned and started his descent after the drop and at that time he saw the jetstream. He asked the controller about the jetstream and he, apparently, said that he had received a late handoff. Later the pilot talked to the TRACON supervisor. The supervisor, apparently, said that after listening to the tapes he concluded that the controller was at fault because he had accepted the jetstream's handoff and he thought that he had informed the reporter about the jetstream and had advised to cancel the drop. Allegedly, the only exchange on the tape was the series of calls by the reporter and the controller's acknowledgments. The drop pilot further stated that he had another event with the same approach controller. In this case, the controller told him that the controller's airspace only went to 13500 ft. Since the pilot had been routinely going to 14000 ft, then descending with the power back to reduce propeller blast on the jumpers, with no previous complaint from the controllers he continued to make his routine pattern and the pre-drop radio calls. The controller, apparently, told him that radar service was terminated and he was cleared off the TRACON frequency. The reporter said that he made his radio calls on the frequency anyway and the controller acknowledged as usual. The pilot is attempting to check through his company to get a procedure that is satisfactory to all parties.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BE90 PLT FOR A JUMP SCHOOL RPTS THAT HE WITNESSED A CLOSE ENCOUNTER BTWN THE PARACHUTISTS THAT HE HAD DROPPED AND A JETSTREAM COMMUTER ACFT NEAR W97. HE SAID THAT HE FOLLOWED THE CORRECT PROC, BUT THE APCH CTLR DID NOT.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING A B90 KING AIR FOR PARAJUMPS OVER W97 WESTPOINT, VA, AT 13600 FT AND GAVE NORFOLK APCH THE NORMAL 1 MIN TO JUMP (THIS WAS THE 7TH FLT OF THE DAY AND I WAS USING SAME XPONDER CODE). THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM NORFOLK, SO I GAVE A 30 SECONDS TO JUMP. NORFOLK RESPONDED THIS TIME WITH XYZ RPT JUMPERS AWAY. I RESPONDED XYZ WILCO OR XYZ ROGER. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER I RPTED XYZ JUMPERS AWAY AND BEGAN DSNDING. NORFOLK RESPONDED WITH THANK YOU XYZ RPT LEAVING 3000 FT. AS I LOOKED DOWN TO COUNT CANOPIES AND CHK FOR JUMPERS I NOTICED THE TANDEM JUMP MASTER AND STUDENT TUMBLING WITH NO DRONE CHUTE OUT. I FIXED ON THEM AND WATCHED IN FEAR AS THEY FELL SOME 7000 FT BEFORE STABILIZING AND DEPLOYING THE DRONE. SECONDS LATER A JETSTREAM APPEARED AT THEIR ALT AS THE MAIN CHUTE DEPLOYED FROM MY POS AT PROBABLY 8000 FT. THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE GOING TO COLLIDE WITH THE JETSTREAM. AT THIS TIME NORFOLK CALLED TFC FOR THE JETSTREAM. AS SOON AS HE FINISHED I ASKED WAS HE SHOWING TFC OVER WESTPOINT. THE JETSTREAM CREW THEN EXPLAINED THAT THEY JUST MISSED JUMPERS BY SECONDS. THE CTLR EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE TFC HAD JUST BEEN HANDED TO HIM AND JUST ENTERED HIS AIRSPACE 3 MI N. THE AREA APPEARED CLR BEFORE THE JUMP AND NO TFC WAS RPTED UNTIL AFTER JUMPERS HAD LEFT THE ACFT. THE JETSTREAM WAS TRAVELING APPROX 260 KTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS THE PLT OF A DROP ACFT THAT SAID THAT HE USED THE PROPER RADIO PROC TO DROP HIS LOAD OF PARACHUTISTS. HE SAID THAT HE TURNED AND STARTED HIS DSCNT AFTER THE DROP AND AT THAT TIME HE SAW THE JETSTREAM. HE ASKED THE CTLR ABOUT THE JETSTREAM AND HE, APPARENTLY, SAID THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A LATE HDOF. LATER THE PLT TALKED TO THE TRACON SUPVR. THE SUPVR, APPARENTLY, SAID THAT AFTER LISTENING TO THE TAPES HE CONCLUDED THAT THE CTLR WAS AT FAULT BECAUSE HE HAD ACCEPTED THE JETSTREAM'S HDOF AND HE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD INFORMED THE RPTR ABOUT THE JETSTREAM AND HAD ADVISED TO CANCEL THE DROP. ALLEGEDLY, THE ONLY EXCHANGE ON THE TAPE WAS THE SERIES OF CALLS BY THE RPTR AND THE CTLR'S ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. THE DROP PLT FURTHER STATED THAT HE HAD ANOTHER EVENT WITH THE SAME APCH CTLR. IN THIS CASE, THE CTLR TOLD HIM THAT THE CTLR'S AIRSPACE ONLY WENT TO 13500 FT. SINCE THE PLT HAD BEEN ROUTINELY GOING TO 14000 FT, THEN DSNDING WITH THE PWR BACK TO REDUCE PROP BLAST ON THE JUMPERS, WITH NO PREVIOUS COMPLAINT FROM THE CTLRS HE CONTINUED TO MAKE HIS ROUTINE PATTERN AND THE PRE-DROP RADIO CALLS. THE CTLR, APPARENTLY, TOLD HIM THAT RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED AND HE WAS CLRED OFF THE TRACON FREQ. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE MADE HIS RADIO CALLS ON THE FREQ ANYWAY AND THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED AS USUAL. THE PLT IS ATTEMPTING TO CHK THROUGH HIS COMPANY TO GET A PROC THAT IS SATISFACTORY TO ALL PARTIES.

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.