Narrative:

From 4 corners tower, I requested, was cleared, and was making a left downwind departure off runway 25. I was planning on going direct to fmn VOR and then continuing eastbound along V368. Just east of fmn airport, a cylinder went rough and I was working with magnetos and mixture trying to clear it up while climbing towards the fmn VOR. Looked up and saw the xx at about 1/2 mi and to my left apparently on a straight-in to runway 25. The xx was initiating a gentle turn to the north. I also initiated a slight right turn more easterly and continued to the VOR. We passed, probably separated by 500 ft horizontal. Xx pilot: asked if there was any reported traffic his vicinity. Fmn tower: said there was none. Xx pilot: said there was a traffic conflict with a yy but might have been out of air traffic area as they were at 4.9 mi. Fmn tower: after conversing with someone else in the tower, said to xx that, indeed, there was a yy making a left downwind departure but he was unaware the mooney was going direct to the VOR. Yy pilot (me): reported to fmn tower and xx that we had the xx in sight and apologized for the conflict which caused them to make the slight deviation on their final approach. Xx pilot: said something about it would have been an incident without TCASII. Fmn tower: said something more about not being aware the yy was going to the VOR. Notes: 1) while on left downwind I heard the tower clear a zz for takeoff. 2) at no time while I was in contact with fmn tower a) was I advised of inbound traffic, B) did I hear contact between fmn tower and the other flight, 3) was the other flight advised of eastbound traffic. Improvements: myself: 1) normally operating out of the san diego/los angeles area, I may have had a little bit of 'out-in-the-boonies' mindset. With unlimited visibility, no reported traffic and working with the misfiring cylinder, I may have lulled into not really being vigilant about the straight-in arrival corridor and traffic around the VOR. 2) instead of making an 'extended' left downwind departure direct to fmn VOR, I could have made the standard left downwind departure with a 45 degree right turn to 115 degrees first before heading direct to the VOR. 3) could have stated in my request for a left downwind departure that I was proceeding direct to the VOR. Fmn tower: 1) even though I didn't specifically state I was proceeding direct to the fmn VOR off the left downwind departure, you would think that tower would advise any inbound traffic -- especially airliners -- of eastbound traffic. Anyone requesting a left downwind departure off runway 25, obviously has a moderate probability of proceeding in the opposite direction of straight-in traffic. (I assume fmn tower has no radar. Perhaps also a controller change was in progress.) recently I have noticed an increasing trend to clear aircraft to land (noticeably at my own field, myf) further and further out, even with several planes in sequence ahead. Perhaps the flight had already been cleared to land (I'm surmising) way out, and thus there was no opportunity for me to hear of the fmn tower contact. Flight: if they didn't spot us until we showed up on TCASII, perhaps they also were a little too 'heads in the cockpit' on final approach.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MOONEY PLT ON DOWNWIND DEP DISTR BY ENG PROB FAILED TO SEE ACR ON APCH UNTIL ACR QUESTIONED TWR. NO TA'S GIVEN BY TWR. SLIGHT COURSE DEVS BY BOTH ACFT WERE MADE FOR A SUCCESSFUL RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT.

Narrative: FROM 4 CORNERS TWR, I REQUESTED, WAS CLRED, AND WAS MAKING A L DOWNWIND DEP OFF RWY 25. I WAS PLANNING ON GOING DIRECT TO FMN VOR AND THEN CONTINUING EBOUND ALONG V368. JUST E OF FMN ARPT, A CYLINDER WENT ROUGH AND I WAS WORKING WITH MAGNETOS AND MIXTURE TRYING TO CLR IT UP WHILE CLBING TOWARDS THE FMN VOR. LOOKED UP AND SAW THE XX AT ABOUT 1/2 MI AND TO MY L APPARENTLY ON A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 25. THE XX WAS INITIATING A GENTLE TURN TO THE N. I ALSO INITIATED A SLIGHT R TURN MORE EASTERLY AND CONTINUED TO THE VOR. WE PASSED, PROBABLY SEPARATED BY 500 FT HORIZ. XX PLT: ASKED IF THERE WAS ANY RPTED TFC HIS VICINITY. FMN TWR: SAID THERE WAS NONE. XX PLT: SAID THERE WAS A TFC CONFLICT WITH A YY BUT MIGHT HAVE BEEN OUT OF ATA AS THEY WERE AT 4.9 MI. FMN TWR: AFTER CONVERSING WITH SOMEONE ELSE IN THE TWR, SAID TO XX THAT, INDEED, THERE WAS A YY MAKING A L DOWNWIND DEP BUT HE WAS UNAWARE THE MOONEY WAS GOING DIRECT TO THE VOR. YY PLT (ME): RPTED TO FMN TWR AND XX THAT WE HAD THE XX IN SIGHT AND APOLOGIZED FOR THE CONFLICT WHICH CAUSED THEM TO MAKE THE SLIGHT DEV ON THEIR FINAL APCH. XX PLT: SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INCIDENT WITHOUT TCASII. FMN TWR: SAID SOMETHING MORE ABOUT NOT BEING AWARE THE YY WAS GOING TO THE VOR. NOTES: 1) WHILE ON L DOWNWIND I HEARD THE TWR CLR A ZZ FOR TKOF. 2) AT NO TIME WHILE I WAS IN CONTACT WITH FMN TWR A) WAS I ADVISED OF INBOUND TFC, B) DID I HEAR CONTACT BTWN FMN TWR AND THE OTHER FLT, 3) WAS THE OTHER FLT ADVISED OF EBOUND TFC. IMPROVEMENTS: MYSELF: 1) NORMALLY OPERATING OUT OF THE SAN DIEGO/LOS ANGELES AREA, I MAY HAVE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF 'OUT-IN-THE-BOONIES' MINDSET. WITH UNLIMITED VISIBILITY, NO RPTED TFC AND WORKING WITH THE MISFIRING CYLINDER, I MAY HAVE LULLED INTO NOT REALLY BEING VIGILANT ABOUT THE STRAIGHT-IN ARR CORRIDOR AND TFC AROUND THE VOR. 2) INSTEAD OF MAKING AN 'EXTENDED' L DOWNWIND DEP DIRECT TO FMN VOR, I COULD HAVE MADE THE STANDARD L DOWNWIND DEP WITH A 45 DEG R TURN TO 115 DEGS FIRST BEFORE HDG DIRECT TO THE VOR. 3) COULD HAVE STATED IN MY REQUEST FOR A L DOWNWIND DEP THAT I WAS PROCEEDING DIRECT TO THE VOR. FMN TWR: 1) EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY STATE I WAS PROCEEDING DIRECT TO THE FMN VOR OFF THE L DOWNWIND DEP, YOU WOULD THINK THAT TWR WOULD ADVISE ANY INBOUND TFC -- ESPECIALLY AIRLINERS -- OF EBOUND TFC. ANYONE REQUESTING A L DOWNWIND DEP OFF RWY 25, OBVIOUSLY HAS A MODERATE PROBABILITY OF PROCEEDING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF STRAIGHT-IN TFC. (I ASSUME FMN TWR HAS NO RADAR. PERHAPS ALSO A CTLR CHANGE WAS IN PROGRESS.) RECENTLY I HAVE NOTICED AN INCREASING TREND TO CLR ACFT TO LAND (NOTICEABLY AT MY OWN FIELD, MYF) FURTHER AND FURTHER OUT, EVEN WITH SEVERAL PLANES IN SEQUENCE AHEAD. PERHAPS THE FLT HAD ALREADY BEEN CLRED TO LAND (I'M SURMISING) WAY OUT, AND THUS THERE WAS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO HEAR OF THE FMN TWR CONTACT. FLT: IF THEY DIDN'T SPOT US UNTIL WE SHOWED UP ON TCASII, PERHAPS THEY ALSO WERE A LITTLE TOO 'HEADS IN THE COCKPIT' ON FINAL APCH.

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.