Narrative:

At approximately XX00 hours I took off from 07C for a local pleasure flight. My navigation lights were on although it was still light out. There was overcast to the west and the sun had dipped below the cloud line. I took off on runway 9 after a C402 had landed. There was a navion in the pattern doing touch and goes. At the time of my takeoff the C402 had cleared the runway and the navion was on left base for runway 9. I called out my takeoff on the traffic frequency and had heard both the C402 and navion making position calls. Upon my return to the airport at around YY00 the light was dusky and getting darker. In addition to my position lights, I turned on 1 of 2 landing lights for visibility in the pattern. The navion called out departing the pattern to the south. I was entering from the east on to a left downwind for runway 9. I made radio calls approaching the airport and when established on downwind, I heard a call from a C310 south of the airport entering the pattern on a mid-field crosswind from the south. I looked left and saw his landing lights in the distance but approaching on what appeared to be directly in my direction. I called out to ask if he had a visual on me but received no response. As I watched him approach he started turning left onto downwind directly at me. I banked hard and pushed the yoke forward into turning dive to avoid being hit. The cessna continued on to land normally and I followed him into the airport. This aircraft was being operated by the FBO at the airport and was completing a charter flight. Needless to say, the pilot of the cessna and I had some heated words. His supervisor said that he was so close that he said that he had looked into my cockpit as he passed. He didn't see me until I had taken evasive action. I believe that there were several contributing factors. He repeatedly stated that the only radio call he heard from me was the last call I made on final to runway 9. Another pilot told me that when I had taken off earlier, that he had not heard my takeoff call. Since I did make those calls, and I heard my voice in the headsets (sidetone) I will have my radio checked. He was understandably defensive as I was somewhat hot and he stated that my lights were not on. Since his approach was from my left side and slightly behind he could not see my landing light and since my aircraft has older style wingtip lights they may not be as visible from a slightly rearward position. In my opinion, I was where I was supposed to be. I was at pattern altitude on downwind. The radio is definitely a contributing factor as although it is an uncontrolled airfield and no radio is required, he should have been aware of my presence and been looking for me in the pattern. His supervisor told me that he had been looking for the navion and another aircraft that reported in the area and that's why he didn't see me. I guess my point is that it's critical to scan the pattern for unexpected aircraft in the pattern when you are entering. Fortunately for both of us, I had a visual and was paying attention.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 2 SMA ACFT, ONE A LOW WING, ONE A HIGH WING, HAVE NMAC.

Narrative: AT APPROX XX00 HRS I TOOK OFF FROM 07C FOR A LCL PLEASURE FLT. MY NAV LIGHTS WERE ON ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUT. THERE WAS OVCST TO THE W AND THE SUN HAD DIPPED BELOW THE CLOUD LINE. I TOOK OFF ON RWY 9 AFTER A C402 HAD LANDED. THERE WAS A NAVION IN THE PATTERN DOING TOUCH AND GOES. AT THE TIME OF MY TKOF THE C402 HAD CLRED THE RWY AND THE NAVION WAS ON L BASE FOR RWY 9. I CALLED OUT MY TKOF ON THE TFC FREQ AND HAD HEARD BOTH THE C402 AND NAVION MAKING POS CALLS. UPON MY RETURN TO THE ARPT AT AROUND YY00 THE LIGHT WAS DUSKY AND GETTING DARKER. IN ADDITION TO MY POS LIGHTS, I TURNED ON 1 OF 2 LNDG LIGHTS FOR VISIBILITY IN THE PATTERN. THE NAVION CALLED OUT DEPARTING THE PATTERN TO THE S. I WAS ENTERING FROM THE E ON TO A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9. I MADE RADIO CALLS APCHING THE ARPT AND WHEN ESTABLISHED ON DOWNWIND, I HEARD A CALL FROM A C310 S OF THE ARPT ENTERING THE PATTERN ON A MID-FIELD XWIND FROM THE S. I LOOKED L AND SAW HIS LNDG LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE BUT APCHING ON WHAT APPEARED TO BE DIRECTLY IN MY DIRECTION. I CALLED OUT TO ASK IF HE HAD A VISUAL ON ME BUT RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. AS I WATCHED HIM APCH HE STARTED TURNING L ONTO DOWNWIND DIRECTLY AT ME. I BANKED HARD AND PUSHED THE YOKE FORWARD INTO TURNING DIVE TO AVOID BEING HIT. THE CESSNA CONTINUED ON TO LAND NORMALLY AND I FOLLOWED HIM INTO THE ARPT. THIS ACFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY THE FBO AT THE ARPT AND WAS COMPLETING A CHARTER FLT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE PLT OF THE CESSNA AND I HAD SOME HEATED WORDS. HIS SUPVR SAID THAT HE WAS SO CLOSE THAT HE SAID THAT HE HAD LOOKED INTO MY COCKPIT AS HE PASSED. HE DIDN'T SEE ME UNTIL I HAD TAKEN EVASIVE ACTION. I BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. HE REPEATEDLY STATED THAT THE ONLY RADIO CALL HE HEARD FROM ME WAS THE LAST CALL I MADE ON FINAL TO RWY 9. ANOTHER PLT TOLD ME THAT WHEN I HAD TAKEN OFF EARLIER, THAT HE HAD NOT HEARD MY TKOF CALL. SINCE I DID MAKE THOSE CALLS, AND I HEARD MY VOICE IN THE HEADSETS (SIDETONE) I WILL HAVE MY RADIO CHKED. HE WAS UNDERSTANDABLY DEFENSIVE AS I WAS SOMEWHAT HOT AND HE STATED THAT MY LIGHTS WERE NOT ON. SINCE HIS APCH WAS FROM MY L SIDE AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND HE COULD NOT SEE MY LNDG LIGHT AND SINCE MY ACFT HAS OLDER STYLE WINGTIP LIGHTS THEY MAY NOT BE AS VISIBLE FROM A SLIGHTLY REARWARD POS. IN MY OPINION, I WAS WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. I WAS AT PATTERN ALT ON DOWNWIND. THE RADIO IS DEFINITELY A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR AS ALTHOUGH IT IS AN UNCTLED AIRFIELD AND NO RADIO IS REQUIRED, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF MY PRESENCE AND BEEN LOOKING FOR ME IN THE PATTERN. HIS SUPVR TOLD ME THAT HE HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR THE NAVION AND ANOTHER ACFT THAT RPTED IN THE AREA AND THAT'S WHY HE DIDN'T SEE ME. I GUESS MY POINT IS THAT IT'S CRITICAL TO SCAN THE PATTERN FOR UNEXPECTED ACFT IN THE PATTERN WHEN YOU ARE ENTERING. FORTUNATELY FOR BOTH OF US, I HAD A VISUAL AND WAS PAYING ATTN.

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.