Narrative:

My wife and I were en route to valdosta airport on oct/xa/99 on an IFR flight plan. I was being controled by valdosta approach control and was cruising at 5000 ft approximately 20 mi from the airport. Time was approximately XA45 and the WX was excellent, clear skies, good visibility with just a slight haze layer. An airshow was taking place at moody AFB, approximately 13 NM nne of the valdosta airport and a NOTAM had been issued stating that a 5 NM radius of moody was being used for the airshow. A female controller had been working approach and I had heard her before on my previous trip through valdosta (I use valdosta as a regular refueling point when we go to and from florida on visits). She seems to speak fast, clip her words and phrases, and is sometimes difficult to understand. I had to have her repeat several xmissions and have heard others ask her to do the same. Additionally, I assumed she was new and/or training because things sometimes get confusing and I have heard another controller step in and take over. She had called traffic for me a few mins previous and a male controller stepped in and told me to disregard. Traffic was called at 10 or 11 O'clock position, 3-4 mi at 3000 ft. Both my wife and I saw it and I stated to approach control that I had it in sight. The aircraft was in the distance and appeared to be crossing slightly left to right and heading away from me. I told my wife to help me keep it in sight, which she did. I thought it was a departure airplane heading south or southwest. I had been cleared to descend from 5000 ft to 3000 ft and was on an assigned heading of 180 degrees. I asked what the heading was for and was told it was to keep me clear of the moody airspace (winds were light from 070 degrees at 4 KTS and I'd requested a straight-in to runway 17 at valdosta). I was both tracking and heading 174 degrees on my GPS so I came right 6 degrees to comply with the 180 degree heading. We were approximately 15 mi from vld by this time. We had started our descent probably somewhere around 18-20 NM from the airport. We were told we could anticipate a straight-in to runway 17. The previously called traffic was hard to see in the distance but appeared to be turning to the right and my wife mentioned it to me. I was also watching because the traffic was well out in the distance and could easily be lost if I took my eyes off of it. The traffic then appeared to be coming back in our direction, getting larger, and appeared to be paralleling my track as he stayed off to my right by perhaps 1 mi or so. As I maintained 3000 ft and an assigned heading of 180 degrees, the B25 began a turn into us which alarmed my wife and certainly got my attention. I have many hours of formation flying, am still a good judge of relative motion and distance, and I continued to watch the aircraft coming at us. I expected approach control to give us a different heading or change our altitude but they said nothing. There was very little time because the aircraft had a much higher speed than I, so I added full power, pulled the nose up sharply, and turned into the B25 because I needed to get my right wing out of the way to maintain visual contact. I did not want him to suddenly see me and begin a pull-up at the same time I did and hit me as he climbed with his nose high. When he began his turn into me he was probably 1/2 mi from me, at exactly my altitude, and I expected him or his copilot to see me from their right cockpit window as they passed me going the opposite way. After his turn, he was coming at a 90 degree angle to me from my right, closing rapidly, and I couldn't believe he did not see me at that distance because I was directly in front of him offering him a profile view of my aircraft and wing and tail strobes. He was inside of 1/4 mi when I began my pull-up and he was on a dead certain collision with me. As I recovered from my pull-up in a wingover type maneuver reversing back to my original course (the B25 passed below and behind me), I told approach control I had been forced to take evasive action and asked them why they had allowed us to come so close without saying anything. To my astonishment they replied that I had said I had the traffic in sight (some 3-4 mins prior) and the separation then became my responsibility! At the time I called the traffic in sight, they were headed away from me and I thought they were departing the airport area. I had no reason to think they were going to turn and come my way, and at the distance I first saw them I could easily have lost them moments later. And, at no time did approach control tell me to maintain visual separation from that aircraft! Instead, I was left on an assigned heading and did not have the discretion to change it or my altitude at any time I wished. Astonished, I asked them if they were simply going to situation and let 2 planes come together because I had earlier said I had the traffic in sight! They responded that the other aircraft was VFR and they weren't talking to him, to which I replied, 'no, but you were talking to me and you said nothing!' I further stated that I was on an assigned heading and altitude, and I then asked for their phone number so I could call them on the ground.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PIPER PA28 PLT WAS ASKED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM A B25 AND HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION.

Narrative: MY WIFE AND I WERE ENRTE TO VALDOSTA ARPT ON OCT/XA/99 ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. I WAS BEING CTLED BY VALDOSTA APCH CTL AND WAS CRUISING AT 5000 FT APPROX 20 MI FROM THE ARPT. TIME WAS APPROX XA45 AND THE WX WAS EXCELLENT, CLR SKIES, GOOD VISIBILITY WITH JUST A SLIGHT HAZE LAYER. AN AIRSHOW WAS TAKING PLACE AT MOODY AFB, APPROX 13 NM NNE OF THE VALDOSTA ARPT AND A NOTAM HAD BEEN ISSUED STATING THAT A 5 NM RADIUS OF MOODY WAS BEING USED FOR THE AIRSHOW. A FEMALE CTLR HAD BEEN WORKING APCH AND I HAD HEARD HER BEFORE ON MY PREVIOUS TRIP THROUGH VALDOSTA (I USE VALDOSTA AS A REGULAR REFUELING POINT WHEN WE GO TO AND FROM FLORIDA ON VISITS). SHE SEEMS TO SPEAK FAST, CLIP HER WORDS AND PHRASES, AND IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. I HAD TO HAVE HER REPEAT SEVERAL XMISSIONS AND HAVE HEARD OTHERS ASK HER TO DO THE SAME. ADDITIONALLY, I ASSUMED SHE WAS NEW AND/OR TRAINING BECAUSE THINGS SOMETIMES GET CONFUSING AND I HAVE HEARD ANOTHER CTLR STEP IN AND TAKE OVER. SHE HAD CALLED TFC FOR ME A FEW MINS PREVIOUS AND A MALE CTLR STEPPED IN AND TOLD ME TO DISREGARD. TFC WAS CALLED AT 10 OR 11 O'CLOCK POS, 3-4 MI AT 3000 FT. BOTH MY WIFE AND I SAW IT AND I STATED TO APCH CTL THAT I HAD IT IN SIGHT. THE ACFT WAS IN THE DISTANCE AND APPEARED TO BE XING SLIGHTLY L TO R AND HDG AWAY FROM ME. I TOLD MY WIFE TO HELP ME KEEP IT IN SIGHT, WHICH SHE DID. I THOUGHT IT WAS A DEP AIRPLANE HDG S OR SW. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO DSND FROM 5000 FT TO 3000 FT AND WAS ON AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 180 DEGS. I ASKED WHAT THE HDG WAS FOR AND WAS TOLD IT WAS TO KEEP ME CLR OF THE MOODY AIRSPACE (WINDS WERE LIGHT FROM 070 DEGS AT 4 KTS AND I'D REQUESTED A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 17 AT VALDOSTA). I WAS BOTH TRACKING AND HDG 174 DEGS ON MY GPS SO I CAME R 6 DEGS TO COMPLY WITH THE 180 DEG HDG. WE WERE APPROX 15 MI FROM VLD BY THIS TIME. WE HAD STARTED OUR DSCNT PROBABLY SOMEWHERE AROUND 18-20 NM FROM THE ARPT. WE WERE TOLD WE COULD ANTICIPATE A STRAIGHT-IN TO RWY 17. THE PREVIOUSLY CALLED TFC WAS HARD TO SEE IN THE DISTANCE BUT APPEARED TO BE TURNING TO THE R AND MY WIFE MENTIONED IT TO ME. I WAS ALSO WATCHING BECAUSE THE TFC WAS WELL OUT IN THE DISTANCE AND COULD EASILY BE LOST IF I TOOK MY EYES OFF OF IT. THE TFC THEN APPEARED TO BE COMING BACK IN OUR DIRECTION, GETTING LARGER, AND APPEARED TO BE PARALLELING MY TRACK AS HE STAYED OFF TO MY R BY PERHAPS 1 MI OR SO. AS I MAINTAINED 3000 FT AND AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 180 DEGS, THE B25 BEGAN A TURN INTO US WHICH ALARMED MY WIFE AND CERTAINLY GOT MY ATTN. I HAVE MANY HRS OF FORMATION FLYING, AM STILL A GOOD JUDGE OF RELATIVE MOTION AND DISTANCE, AND I CONTINUED TO WATCH THE ACFT COMING AT US. I EXPECTED APCH CTL TO GIVE US A DIFFERENT HDG OR CHANGE OUR ALT BUT THEY SAID NOTHING. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TIME BECAUSE THE ACFT HAD A MUCH HIGHER SPD THAN I, SO I ADDED FULL PWR, PULLED THE NOSE UP SHARPLY, AND TURNED INTO THE B25 BECAUSE I NEEDED TO GET MY R WING OUT OF THE WAY TO MAINTAIN VISUAL CONTACT. I DID NOT WANT HIM TO SUDDENLY SEE ME AND BEGIN A PULL-UP AT THE SAME TIME I DID AND HIT ME AS HE CLBED WITH HIS NOSE HIGH. WHEN HE BEGAN HIS TURN INTO ME HE WAS PROBABLY 1/2 MI FROM ME, AT EXACTLY MY ALT, AND I EXPECTED HIM OR HIS COPLT TO SEE ME FROM THEIR R COCKPIT WINDOW AS THEY PASSED ME GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY. AFTER HIS TURN, HE WAS COMING AT A 90 DEG ANGLE TO ME FROM MY R, CLOSING RAPIDLY, AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE DID NOT SEE ME AT THAT DISTANCE BECAUSE I WAS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HIM OFFERING HIM A PROFILE VIEW OF MY ACFT AND WING AND TAIL STROBES. HE WAS INSIDE OF 1/4 MI WHEN I BEGAN MY PULL-UP AND HE WAS ON A DEAD CERTAIN COLLISION WITH ME. AS I RECOVERED FROM MY PULL-UP IN A WINGOVER TYPE MANEUVER REVERSING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL COURSE (THE B25 PASSED BELOW AND BEHIND ME), I TOLD APCH CTL I HAD BEEN FORCED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION AND ASKED THEM WHY THEY HAD ALLOWED US TO COME SO CLOSE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. TO MY ASTONISHMENT THEY REPLIED THAT I HAD SAID I HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT (SOME 3-4 MINS PRIOR) AND THE SEPARATION THEN BECAME MY RESPONSIBILITY! AT THE TIME I CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT, THEY WERE HEADED AWAY FROM ME AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE DEPARTING THE ARPT AREA. I HAD NO REASON TO THINK THEY WERE GOING TO TURN AND COME MY WAY, AND AT THE DISTANCE I FIRST SAW THEM I COULD EASILY HAVE LOST THEM MOMENTS LATER. AND, AT NO TIME DID APPROACH CONTROL TELL ME TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION FROM THAT ACFT! INSTEAD, I WAS LEFT ON AN ASSIGNED HDG AND DID NOT HAVE THE DISCRETION TO CHANGE IT OR MY ALT AT ANY TIME I WISHED. ASTONISHED, I ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE SIMPLY GOING TO SIT AND LET 2 PLANES COME TOGETHER BECAUSE I HAD EARLIER SAID I HAD THE TFC IN SIGHT! THEY RESPONDED THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS VFR AND THEY WEREN'T TALKING TO HIM, TO WHICH I REPLIED, 'NO, BUT YOU WERE TALKING TO ME AND YOU SAID NOTHING!' I FURTHER STATED THAT I WAS ON AN ASSIGNED HDG AND ALT, AND I THEN ASKED FOR THEIR PHONE NUMBER SO I COULD CALL THEM ON THE GND.

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.