Narrative:

This is an example of how good radar TA's maintained safety despite an equipment malfunction. No violations of FARS occurred to reporter's knowledge. Reporter (private pilot and PIC of C182) and 1 passenger were en route on business trip from palo alto to san luis obispo by way of paso robles VOR. Flight commenced at approximately XX30 pm. After left dumbarton departure, C182 turned on course 131 degrees and continued climbing at approximately 500 FPM for paso robles and was handed off to bay departure by palo alto tower. C182 established contact with bay and requested clearance through the san jose class C airspace and flight following en route to sbp. Bay provided squawk code and confirmed radar contact and altitude. Shortly thereafter, transponder on C182 ceased showing a reply light and bay reported altitude reporting lost on C182. Bay advised C182 to remain at or below 4500 ft MSL and advise when reaching that altitude. C182 complied. At this point, C182 was above class C airspace and beyond the lateral boundaries of the san francisco class B airspace. C182's request for and bay's provision of continued flight following and TA's paid off, as follows: after C182 reported level at 4500 ft, bay then cleared C182 to climb at or below 6000 ft and to report reaching that altitude. C182 complied. Leveling off at 6000 ft, C182 was advised by bay of MD80 traffic at 3 O'clock position, 1 mi, restr above at 7000 ft. C182 was aware of traffic from listening to bay communications with MD80. C182 passenger and pilot had an air carrier in sight at 3 O'clock position and reported 'traffic in sight' to bay. Bay instructed C182 to maintain 6000 ft and to maintain visual separation from the MD80. The MD80 did not report C182 in sight, and the MD80's TCASII apparently did not detect C182 due to C182's inoperative transponder. About 30 seconds after C182 reported traffic in sight, the MD80 passed almost directly overhead (slightly to the west), 1000 ft above and across the flight path of C182. Wake turbulence was not encountered due to altitude separation and divergent courses. Turned out that C182 had been looking at another air carrier many mi away, but at the right altitude and at 3 O'clock position, and had mistaken that air carrier for the reported traffic. Mistake made by pilot of C182 was 1) belief that the air carrier in sight was the same one that bay had called as traffic, and 2) reporting traffic in sight erroneously, which could have been disastrous had bay removed the altitude restr on C182 and had C182 resumed climb. Lessons for C182 pilot: 1) always use flight following when available. 2) listen carefully to distance of traffic given by ATC. Those suckers are big. If ATC calls an air carrier 1 mi away, you can easily see the logo in most lighting conditions. 3) be careful to make a positive identify on traffic before reporting traffic in sight (others will rely on ability to maintain visual contact and separation). 4) study the sids and stars depicted on the VFR terminal area charts and flight plan away from them if possible. Other observations: don't depend on TCASII (the other guy's or your own) to save your bacon. Don't always believe the other guy when he says he has you in sight. Give thanks at the altar of good, professional air traffic controllers. VFR TA's may be a pain, but everyone really benefits from them. Thanks to the guys in oakland. About the transponder: repeated recycling of transponder in-flight did not restore altitude reporting function. On landing at sbp, the avionics shop there reported a bent power pin in the mounting tray for the transponder. This caused interruption of power to the unit in-flight. The pin was straightened, the unit was tested and returned to service without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PVT PLT WITH VFR FLT FOLLOWING IN BUSY TFC ENVIRONMENT WAS ADVISED OF AN ACR MD80 THAT WOULD BE XING 1000 FT ABOVE RPTR. RPTR IDENTED AN ACFT BUT IT WAS THE WRONG ONE AND RPTR'S XPONDER FAILED TAKING AWAY THE ALT RPTING FUNCTION. ATC INSTRUCTED PLT TO MAINTAIN VISUAL ON THE MD80, BUT RPTR WAS SURPRISED WHEN IT CROSSED OVER HIM.

Narrative: THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GOOD RADAR TA'S MAINTAINED SAFETY DESPITE AN EQUIP MALFUNCTION. NO VIOLATIONS OF FARS OCCURRED TO RPTR'S KNOWLEDGE. RPTR (PVT PLT AND PIC OF C182) AND 1 PAX WERE ENRTE ON BUSINESS TRIP FROM PALO ALTO TO SAN LUIS OBISPO BY WAY OF PASO ROBLES VOR. FLT COMMENCED AT APPROX XX30 PM. AFTER L DUMBARTON DEP, C182 TURNED ON COURSE 131 DEGS AND CONTINUED CLBING AT APPROX 500 FPM FOR PASO ROBLES AND WAS HANDED OFF TO BAY DEP BY PALO ALTO TWR. C182 ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH BAY AND REQUESTED CLRNC THROUGH THE SAN JOSE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND FLT FOLLOWING ENRTE TO SBP. BAY PROVIDED SQUAWK CODE AND CONFIRMED RADAR CONTACT AND ALT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, XPONDER ON C182 CEASED SHOWING A REPLY LIGHT AND BAY RPTED ALT RPTING LOST ON C182. BAY ADVISED C182 TO REMAIN AT OR BELOW 4500 FT MSL AND ADVISE WHEN REACHING THAT ALT. C182 COMPLIED. AT THIS POINT, C182 WAS ABOVE CLASS C AIRSPACE AND BEYOND THE LATERAL BOUNDARIES OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CLASS B AIRSPACE. C182'S REQUEST FOR AND BAY'S PROVISION OF CONTINUED FLT FOLLOWING AND TA'S PAID OFF, AS FOLLOWS: AFTER C182 RPTED LEVEL AT 4500 FT, BAY THEN CLRED C182 TO CLB AT OR BELOW 6000 FT AND TO RPT REACHING THAT ALT. C182 COMPLIED. LEVELING OFF AT 6000 FT, C182 WAS ADVISED BY BAY OF MD80 TFC AT 3 O'CLOCK POS, 1 MI, RESTR ABOVE AT 7000 FT. C182 WAS AWARE OF TFC FROM LISTENING TO BAY COMS WITH MD80. C182 PAX AND PLT HAD AN ACR IN SIGHT AT 3 O'CLOCK POS AND RPTED 'TFC IN SIGHT' TO BAY. BAY INSTRUCTED C182 TO MAINTAIN 6000 FT AND TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THE MD80. THE MD80 DID NOT RPT C182 IN SIGHT, AND THE MD80'S TCASII APPARENTLY DID NOT DETECT C182 DUE TO C182'S INOP XPONDER. ABOUT 30 SECONDS AFTER C182 RPTED TFC IN SIGHT, THE MD80 PASSED ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD (SLIGHTLY TO THE W), 1000 FT ABOVE AND ACROSS THE FLT PATH OF C182. WAKE TURB WAS NOT ENCOUNTERED DUE TO ALT SEPARATION AND DIVERGENT COURSES. TURNED OUT THAT C182 HAD BEEN LOOKING AT ANOTHER ACR MANY MI AWAY, BUT AT THE RIGHT ALT AND AT 3 O'CLOCK POS, AND HAD MISTAKEN THAT ACR FOR THE RPTED TFC. MISTAKE MADE BY PLT OF C182 WAS 1) BELIEF THAT THE ACR IN SIGHT WAS THE SAME ONE THAT BAY HAD CALLED AS TFC, AND 2) RPTING TFC IN SIGHT ERRONEOUSLY, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS HAD BAY REMOVED THE ALT RESTR ON C182 AND HAD C182 RESUMED CLB. LESSONS FOR C182 PLT: 1) ALWAYS USE FLT FOLLOWING WHEN AVAILABLE. 2) LISTEN CAREFULLY TO DISTANCE OF TFC GIVEN BY ATC. THOSE SUCKERS ARE BIG. IF ATC CALLS AN ACR 1 MI AWAY, YOU CAN EASILY SEE THE LOGO IN MOST LIGHTING CONDITIONS. 3) BE CAREFUL TO MAKE A POSITIVE IDENT ON TFC BEFORE RPTING TFC IN SIGHT (OTHERS WILL RELY ON ABILITY TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT AND SEPARATION). 4) STUDY THE SIDS AND STARS DEPICTED ON THE VFR TERMINAL AREA CHARTS AND FLT PLAN AWAY FROM THEM IF POSSIBLE. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: DON'T DEPEND ON TCASII (THE OTHER GUY'S OR YOUR OWN) TO SAVE YOUR BACON. DON'T ALWAYS BELIEVE THE OTHER GUY WHEN HE SAYS HE HAS YOU IN SIGHT. GIVE THANKS AT THE ALTAR OF GOOD, PROFESSIONAL AIR TFC CTLRS. VFR TA'S MAY BE A PAIN, BUT EVERYONE REALLY BENEFITS FROM THEM. THANKS TO THE GUYS IN OAKLAND. ABOUT THE XPONDER: REPEATED RECYCLING OF XPONDER INFLT DID NOT RESTORE ALT RPTING FUNCTION. ON LNDG AT SBP, THE AVIONICS SHOP THERE RPTED A BENT PWR PIN IN THE MOUNTING TRAY FOR THE XPONDER. THIS CAUSED INTERRUPTION OF PWR TO THE UNIT INFLT. THE PIN WAS STRAIGHTENED, THE UNIT WAS TESTED AND RETURNED TO SVC WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.