Narrative:

My aircraft is a C207. Call sign used in communication with merrill tower, atx X. At XA55, atx X was cleared to take off runway 6 on ship creek departure, which is a left downwind departure. The preceding 3 departures off runway 6 were also on a ship creek departure. To the best of my recollection, they were a piper super cub (aircraft V), another company atx Y C207, my C207 (atx X), a C150 (aircraft west), and another atx aircraft. Runway 6 was at the time the active runway for touch-and-go traffic. As I was turning from crosswind to downwind, merrill tower cleared aircraft Z into position for takeoff on runway 33. As I completed my turn and was on downwind level at 600 ft MSL, tower cleared the aircraft on runway 33 for takeoff, with a city high departure. (Note: city high departure is r-hand traffic which causes a direct conflict with traffic in the runway 6/24 pattern.) on downwind and level at 600 ft MSL, tower asked if I saw the departing traffic off runway 33. I acknowledged that I did see the traffic. Tower asked the departing runway 33 traffic it is had or saw the traffic. The departing aircraft advised he had the traffic. (As the tower had just finished talking to aircraft V, I presume it's aircraft V whom the departing runway 33 aircraft saw.) the tower tapes will probably reveal at the time of the incident the tower had 8 or so aircraft airborne in its class D airspace, some of which were in the runway 6R touch-and-go pattern, as well as preparing to launch another aircraft off runway 33. At the time the departing runway 33 aircraft Z acknowledged it saw the traffic, it was northbound and at atx Y's 10 O'clock position and lower than atx X, which was wbound level at 600 ft MSL. At about the same time as the departing runway 33 aircraft acknowledged it had traffic, it started a climbing right turn. When it had turned about 20 or maybe 30N degrees or so, I am sure he saw atx X for the first time as it, at that point, increased his bank to 60 degrees or more to avoid a collision with atx X. The departing runway 33 traffic passed within 150 ft maximum of atx X at the same altitude 600 ft MSL. The tower did not convey to the departing runway 33 traffic the number of aircraft on the runway 6 right downwind, which were 4. The tower did not make such which of the 4 aircraft making a right downwind runway 6 departure the departing runway 33 aircraft saw. The location of various aircraft on the runway 6 right downwind departure, at the time the runway 33 was rolling on the runway and liftoff, was I believe as followas: aircraft west, the second of the original 4 aircraft, had passed the piper cub (aircraft V) on downwind and was now the lead aircraft and was 1 mi or so west of the departure corridor of runway 33. The piper cub was just crossing or had just crossed the departure corridor of runway 33 at 600 ft MSL. Aircraft west had a visual contact with the piper cub and overtook and passed the piper cub just prior to leaving the merrill field class D airspace. The C150 was I would estimate at about 1000 ft MSL in a hard climb, probably planning on crossing knik arm at 2000 ft or above per far part 93. Atx Y was or had just passed under the C150 at 600 ft MSL. It is my belief that the departing runway 33 traffic, when advising it had the traffic, saw either the piper cub, or more likely the C150 aircraft west, which was probably right above and 400-500 ft higher than aircraft V. If the aircraft he saw was the C150, then the fact the departing runway 33 traffic made a climbing right turn makes sense as he could see that aircraft was on a course well above the course the runway 33 traffic would take. Therefore, no conflict. Aircraft V was probably right below the C150, with his attention fixed on the C150, the runway 33 traffic did not see atx X till well into its climbing r-hand turn. This is at least the 4TH near midair collision I have encountered while making a runway 5 ship creek departure, as a result of tower launching a city high departure off runway 33 before the runway 6 downwind traffic has passed the runway 33 departure corridor. All the near midair collision's referred to above were encountered while operating a commercial aircraft with passenger and/or cargo aboard. I and others over the years have requested the FAA not grant a city high departure off of runway 33 when there is traffic in the runway 6 traffic pattern. In fact, I had a meeting with the assistant air traffic manager at anc tower on this incident and advised him that a city high departure off of runway 33 I considered to be unsafe as well as some other FAA procedures.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ATX C207 INVOLVED IN NMAC WITH ANOTHER ACFT DEPARTING ANOTHER RWY WHILE IN AMR CLASS D AIRSPACE. 3 OTHER ACFT INVOLVED IN INCIDENT.

Narrative: MY ACFT IS A C207. CALL SIGN USED IN COM WITH MERRILL TWR, ATX X. AT XA55, ATX X WAS CLRED TO TAKE OFF RWY 6 ON SHIP CREEK DEP, WHICH IS A L DOWNWIND DEP. THE PRECEDING 3 DEPS OFF RWY 6 WERE ALSO ON A SHIP CREEK DEP. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION, THEY WERE A PIPER SUPER CUB (ACFT V), ANOTHER COMPANY ATX Y C207, MY C207 (ATX X), A C150 (ACFT W), AND ANOTHER ATX ACFT. RWY 6 WAS AT THE TIME THE ACTIVE RWY FOR TOUCH-AND-GO TFC. AS I WAS TURNING FROM XWIND TO DOWNWIND, MERRILL TWR CLRED ACFT Z INTO POS FOR TKOF ON RWY 33. AS I COMPLETED MY TURN AND WAS ON DOWNWIND LEVEL AT 600 FT MSL, TWR CLRED THE ACFT ON RWY 33 FOR TKOF, WITH A CITY HIGH DEP. (NOTE: CITY HIGH DEP IS R-HAND TFC WHICH CAUSES A DIRECT CONFLICT WITH TFC IN THE RWY 6/24 PATTERN.) ON DOWNWIND AND LEVEL AT 600 FT MSL, TWR ASKED IF I SAW THE DEPARTING TFC OFF RWY 33. I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I DID SEE THE TFC. TWR ASKED THE DEPARTING RWY 33 TFC IT IS HAD OR SAW THE TFC. THE DEPARTING ACFT ADVISED HE HAD THE TFC. (AS THE TWR HAD JUST FINISHED TALKING TO ACFT V, I PRESUME IT'S ACFT V WHOM THE DEPARTING RWY 33 ACFT SAW.) THE TWR TAPES WILL PROBABLY REVEAL AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE TWR HAD 8 OR SO ACFT AIRBORNE IN ITS CLASS D AIRSPACE, SOME OF WHICH WERE IN THE RWY 6R TOUCH-AND-GO PATTERN, AS WELL AS PREPARING TO LAUNCH ANOTHER ACFT OFF RWY 33. AT THE TIME THE DEPARTING RWY 33 ACFT Z ACKNOWLEDGED IT SAW THE TFC, IT WAS NBOUND AND AT ATX Y'S 10 O'CLOCK POS AND LOWER THAN ATX X, WHICH WAS WBOUND LEVEL AT 600 FT MSL. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE DEPARTING RWY 33 ACFT ACKNOWLEDGED IT HAD TFC, IT STARTED A CLBING R TURN. WHEN IT HAD TURNED ABOUT 20 OR MAYBE 30N DEGS OR SO, I AM SURE HE SAW ATX X FOR THE FIRST TIME AS IT, AT THAT POINT, INCREASED HIS BANK TO 60 DEGS OR MORE TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH ATX X. THE DEPARTING RWY 33 TFC PASSED WITHIN 150 FT MAX OF ATX X AT THE SAME ALT 600 FT MSL. THE TWR DID NOT CONVEY TO THE DEPARTING RWY 33 TFC THE NUMBER OF ACFT ON THE RWY 6 R DOWNWIND, WHICH WERE 4. THE TWR DID NOT MAKE SUCH WHICH OF THE 4 ACFT MAKING A R DOWNWIND RWY 6 DEP THE DEPARTING RWY 33 ACFT SAW. THE LOCATION OF VARIOUS ACFT ON THE RWY 6 R DOWNWIND DEP, AT THE TIME THE RWY 33 WAS ROLLING ON THE RWY AND LIFTOFF, WAS I BELIEVE AS FOLLOWAS: ACFT W, THE SECOND OF THE ORIGINAL 4 ACFT, HAD PASSED THE PIPER CUB (ACFT V) ON DOWNWIND AND WAS NOW THE LEAD ACFT AND WAS 1 MI OR SO W OF THE DEP CORRIDOR OF RWY 33. THE PIPER CUB WAS JUST XING OR HAD JUST CROSSED THE DEP CORRIDOR OF RWY 33 AT 600 FT MSL. ACFT W HAD A VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE PIPER CUB AND OVERTOOK AND PASSED THE PIPER CUB JUST PRIOR TO LEAVING THE MERRILL FIELD CLASS D AIRSPACE. THE C150 WAS I WOULD ESTIMATE AT ABOUT 1000 FT MSL IN A HARD CLB, PROBABLY PLANNING ON XING KNIK ARM AT 2000 FT OR ABOVE PER FAR PART 93. ATX Y WAS OR HAD JUST PASSED UNDER THE C150 AT 600 FT MSL. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THE DEPARTING RWY 33 TFC, WHEN ADVISING IT HAD THE TFC, SAW EITHER THE PIPER CUB, OR MORE LIKELY THE C150 ACFT W, WHICH WAS PROBABLY RIGHT ABOVE AND 400-500 FT HIGHER THAN ACFT V. IF THE ACFT HE SAW WAS THE C150, THEN THE FACT THE DEPARTING RWY 33 TFC MADE A CLBING R TURN MAKES SENSE AS HE COULD SEE THAT ACFT WAS ON A COURSE WELL ABOVE THE COURSE THE RWY 33 TFC WOULD TAKE. THEREFORE, NO CONFLICT. ACFT V WAS PROBABLY RIGHT BELOW THE C150, WITH HIS ATTN FIXED ON THE C150, THE RWY 33 TFC DID NOT SEE ATX X TILL WELL INTO ITS CLBING R-HAND TURN. THIS IS AT LEAST THE 4TH NMAC I HAVE ENCOUNTERED WHILE MAKING A RWY 5 SHIP CREEK DEP, AS A RESULT OF TWR LAUNCHING A CITY HIGH DEP OFF RWY 33 BEFORE THE RWY 6 DOWNWIND TFC HAS PASSED THE RWY 33 DEP CORRIDOR. ALL THE NMAC'S REFERRED TO ABOVE WERE ENCOUNTERED WHILE OPERATING A COMMERCIAL ACFT WITH PAX AND/OR CARGO ABOARD. I AND OTHERS OVER THE YEARS HAVE REQUESTED THE FAA NOT GRANT A CITY HIGH DEP OFF OF RWY 33 WHEN THERE IS TFC IN THE RWY 6 TFC PATTERN. IN FACT, I HAD A MEETING WITH THE ASSISTANT AIR TFC MGR AT ANC TWR ON THIS INCIDENT AND ADVISED HIM THAT A CITY HIGH DEP OFF OF RWY 33 I CONSIDERED TO BE UNSAFE AS WELL AS SOME OTHER FAA PROCS.

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.