Narrative:

I departed on an IFR flight plan in VFR conditions. Concord tower handed me over to travis departure. I reported to travis I was passing through '1200 ft over the concord VOR.' travis responded, 'traffic, helicopter, holding over concord VOR.' my husband spotted the helicopter and pointed him out to me in our 3 O'clock position, slightly higher. I was on the buchanan 7 departure, which would have me head 071 degrees at the ccr VOR. I knew that would head me directly for the helicopter. I asked to go direct sac (a northeast heading of 021 degrees). Travis said, 'go direct sac.' as we continued to climb to 4000 ft, we watched the chopper come toward us in our 3 O'clock to now 4-5 O'clock position. We were on the same or close altitude as I continued to climb. He was moving west, but his window and front part of his helicopter stayed facing north. I don't think he saw us until he slid behind us (sliding west or left for him) until he was right behind me. He yelled out in surprise that I should keep more distance from him if I called out the traffic. The problem of this near miss occurrence is that he never saw me until he almost collided with me as he drifted west, while looking north. We were at maximum speed heading 021 degrees, and trying to get away from the helicopter who continued drifting west, in our 3 O'clock position. Travis departure, the controling agency, never informed the chopper that he was heading towards us, never issued an alert warning to us to take another heading. We were trying to climb away from the traffic, but he continued to get closer to us. Travis departure never suggested a change in altitude or heading to the chopper to get him out of our way (us: an IFR on an IFR departure). They appear to just observe and not actively control for pilot safety. They will occasionally call out traffic but not consistently. They turn down requests for VFR flight following when they are only managing 3 or 4 aircraft. Concord is a busy airport with IFR and training aircraft. They need a better controling agency like sac TRACON. Travis is a major contributing factor with near miss occurrences. They don't call out or alert pilots to all traffic. My decision to head north and not follow the SID was what actually avoided the midair. Having no controling approach or departure control would have created better vigilance with the helicopter pilot. Instead, he was lulled into not searching for traffic, thinking travis would advise him.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA28 PVT PLT EXPERIENCES AN NMAC WITH A HELI AT ABOUT 2000 FT OVER THE CONCORD VOR.

Narrative: I DEPARTED ON AN IFR FLT PLAN IN VFR CONDITIONS. CONCORD TWR HANDED ME OVER TO TRAVIS DEP. I RPTED TO TRAVIS I WAS PASSING THROUGH '1200 FT OVER THE CONCORD VOR.' TRAVIS RESPONDED, 'TFC, HELI, HOLDING OVER CONCORD VOR.' MY HUSBAND SPOTTED THE HELI AND POINTED HIM OUT TO ME IN OUR 3 O'CLOCK POS, SLIGHTLY HIGHER. I WAS ON THE BUCHANAN 7 DEP, WHICH WOULD HAVE ME HEAD 071 DEGS AT THE CCR VOR. I KNEW THAT WOULD HEAD ME DIRECTLY FOR THE HELI. I ASKED TO GO DIRECT SAC (A NE HDG OF 021 DEGS). TRAVIS SAID, 'GO DIRECT SAC.' AS WE CONTINUED TO CLB TO 4000 FT, WE WATCHED THE CHOPPER COME TOWARD US IN OUR 3 O'CLOCK TO NOW 4-5 O'CLOCK POS. WE WERE ON THE SAME OR CLOSE ALT AS I CONTINUED TO CLB. HE WAS MOVING W, BUT HIS WINDOW AND FRONT PART OF HIS HELI STAYED FACING N. I DON'T THINK HE SAW US UNTIL HE SLID BEHIND US (SLIDING W OR L FOR HIM) UNTIL HE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME. HE YELLED OUT IN SURPRISE THAT I SHOULD KEEP MORE DISTANCE FROM HIM IF I CALLED OUT THE TFC. THE PROB OF THIS NEAR MISS OCCURRENCE IS THAT HE NEVER SAW ME UNTIL HE ALMOST COLLIDED WITH ME AS HE DRIFTED W, WHILE LOOKING N. WE WERE AT MAX SPD HDG 021 DEGS, AND TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE HELI WHO CONTINUED DRIFTING W, IN OUR 3 O'CLOCK POS. TRAVIS DEP, THE CTLING AGENCY, NEVER INFORMED THE CHOPPER THAT HE WAS HDG TOWARDS US, NEVER ISSUED AN ALERT WARNING TO US TO TAKE ANOTHER HDG. WE WERE TRYING TO CLB AWAY FROM THE TFC, BUT HE CONTINUED TO GET CLOSER TO US. TRAVIS DEP NEVER SUGGESTED A CHANGE IN ALT OR HDG TO THE CHOPPER TO GET HIM OUT OF OUR WAY (US: AN IFR ON AN IFR DEP). THEY APPEAR TO JUST OBSERVE AND NOT ACTIVELY CTL FOR PLT SAFETY. THEY WILL OCCASIONALLY CALL OUT TFC BUT NOT CONSISTENTLY. THEY TURN DOWN REQUESTS FOR VFR FLT FOLLOWING WHEN THEY ARE ONLY MANAGING 3 OR 4 ACFT. CONCORD IS A BUSY ARPT WITH IFR AND TRAINING ACFT. THEY NEED A BETTER CTLING AGENCY LIKE SAC TRACON. TRAVIS IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WITH NEAR MISS OCCURRENCES. THEY DON'T CALL OUT OR ALERT PLTS TO ALL TFC. MY DECISION TO HEAD N AND NOT FOLLOW THE SID WAS WHAT ACTUALLY AVOIDED THE MIDAIR. HAVING NO CTLING APCH OR DEP CTL WOULD HAVE CREATED BETTER VIGILANCE WITH THE HELI PLT. INSTEAD, HE WAS LULLED INTO NOT SEARCHING FOR TFC, THINKING TRAVIS WOULD ADVISE HIM.

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.