Narrative:

While flying my cessna, I had a close call with a boeing 757, head-on, in class C airspace. Both the B757 and myself were receiving ATC radar services from approach control. It was a beautiful clear morning, however, I always operate my landing light, day or night, for collision avoidance, as do air carrier's below 18000 ft. I make this same trip along the shoreline virtually everyday. Several mins had transpired since my first check-in on frequency. I saw what I thought to be a twin cessna at my 2 O'clock position and lower level, which quickly passed by. I reported to ATC that, 'I have the traffic in sight,' without being quoted the traffic by ATC or acknowledging what traffic I had in sight. Certainly, this may have given the controller the impression that I saw the B757 that was just departing the airport 10 mi away at my 2 O'clock position, but ATC never questioned me about this. The jet was assigned a 180 degree heading when it checked on with the departure controller. I do not know what altitude was assigned, but presumably it was higher than my own. Subsequently, ATC assigned the jet a 130 degree heading, a direct reciprocal of my own course. I was level at 4500 ft on a 310 degree heading under VFR. The boeing flight crew reported an RA on their TCASII during their climb passing through 3800 ft. Unfortunately, because both our planes were on different frequencys, I never heard this report, nor was ATC coordinating with me about the jet's report. I saw the landing lights and turbines of the jet for the first time probably a few seconds after their RA. ATC then assigned a 090 degree heading to the B757, which the crew neither complied with, nor read back (according to ATC much later). I suspect the boeing flight crew was probably a little busy with a noisy RA. It took a full second for my brain to process which way to go. The traffic was slightly below me, pitched up, and just slightly right of head on. While realizing that the B757 may have been climbing at several thousand FPM, I selected a maximum effort dive and hard left turn. I didn't pull the throttle back, but used maximum aileron and rudder deflections. The airspeed was above its maneuvering speed, and fortunately the plane stayed together throughout the tense situation. Both our planes swapped altitudes, with my mode C reporting 4100 ft and the boeing reported 4200 ft when it passed slightly off my right side. The ultimate game of chicken, I guess, in just seconds. Subsequent requests on frequency immediately after this event for information from ATC went unanswered. I thought I might have damaged my radio somehow with the negative 'G' pushover, so I tried the next frequency in the area. The radio worked fine, so I reported the incident to that controller and promised to follow up with a phone call. Apparently, the controller must have froze, because I wasn't given any instructions as to what I might do to avoid the plane. No mandatory wake turbulence advisory was issued. No traffic quote was made. Class C separation of 500 ft or target resolution were not ensured. If I had known that the B757 was going to leveloff for an RA, I would not have tried to get under it. What should have been a controled situation by ATC was not. The boeing should have been restr to an altitude below my own until lateral separation could be achieved. All airplanes should have been on the same frequency, which ATC controls. I learned to strap everything down in the plane no matter how beautiful the day. You never know when your brief case will be planted on the ceiling.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C177 TAKES EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A CLBING B757 IN SCT AIRSPACE S OF SNA.

Narrative: WHILE FLYING MY CESSNA, I HAD A CLOSE CALL WITH A BOEING 757, HEAD-ON, IN CLASS C AIRSPACE. BOTH THE B757 AND MYSELF WERE RECEIVING ATC RADAR SVCS FROM APCH CTL. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL CLR MORNING, HOWEVER, I ALWAYS OPERATE MY LNDG LIGHT, DAY OR NIGHT, FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE, AS DO ACR'S BELOW 18000 FT. I MAKE THIS SAME TRIP ALONG THE SHORELINE VIRTUALLY EVERYDAY. SEVERAL MINS HAD TRANSPIRED SINCE MY FIRST CHK-IN ON FREQ. I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT TO BE A TWIN CESSNA AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS AND LOWER LEVEL, WHICH QUICKLY PASSED BY. I RPTED TO ATC THAT, 'I HAVE THE TFC IN SIGHT,' WITHOUT BEING QUOTED THE TFC BY ATC OR ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT TFC I HAD IN SIGHT. CERTAINLY, THIS MAY HAVE GIVEN THE CTLR THE IMPRESSION THAT I SAW THE B757 THAT WAS JUST DEPARTING THE ARPT 10 MI AWAY AT MY 2 O'CLOCK POS, BUT ATC NEVER QUESTIONED ME ABOUT THIS. THE JET WAS ASSIGNED A 180 DEG HDG WHEN IT CHKED ON WITH THE DEP CTLR. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT ALT WAS ASSIGNED, BUT PRESUMABLY IT WAS HIGHER THAN MY OWN. SUBSEQUENTLY, ATC ASSIGNED THE JET A 130 DEG HDG, A DIRECT RECIPROCAL OF MY OWN COURSE. I WAS LEVEL AT 4500 FT ON A 310 DEG HDG UNDER VFR. THE BOEING FLC RPTED AN RA ON THEIR TCASII DURING THEIR CLB PASSING THROUGH 3800 FT. UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE BOTH OUR PLANES WERE ON DIFFERENT FREQS, I NEVER HEARD THIS RPT, NOR WAS ATC COORDINATING WITH ME ABOUT THE JET'S RPT. I SAW THE LNDG LIGHTS AND TURBINES OF THE JET FOR THE FIRST TIME PROBABLY A FEW SECONDS AFTER THEIR RA. ATC THEN ASSIGNED A 090 DEG HDG TO THE B757, WHICH THE CREW NEITHER COMPLIED WITH, NOR READ BACK (ACCORDING TO ATC MUCH LATER). I SUSPECT THE BOEING FLC WAS PROBABLY A LITTLE BUSY WITH A NOISY RA. IT TOOK A FULL SECOND FOR MY BRAIN TO PROCESS WHICH WAY TO GO. THE TFC WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW ME, PITCHED UP, AND JUST SLIGHTLY R OF HEAD ON. WHILE REALIZING THAT THE B757 MAY HAVE BEEN CLBING AT SEVERAL THOUSAND FPM, I SELECTED A MAX EFFORT DIVE AND HARD L TURN. I DIDN'T PULL THE THROTTLE BACK, BUT USED MAX AILERON AND RUDDER DEFLECTIONS. THE AIRSPD WAS ABOVE ITS MANEUVERING SPD, AND FORTUNATELY THE PLANE STAYED TOGETHER THROUGHOUT THE TENSE SIT. BOTH OUR PLANES SWAPPED ALTS, WITH MY MODE C RPTING 4100 FT AND THE BOEING RPTED 4200 FT WHEN IT PASSED SLIGHTLY OFF MY R SIDE. THE ULTIMATE GAME OF CHICKEN, I GUESS, IN JUST SECONDS. SUBSEQUENT REQUESTS ON FREQ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS EVENT FOR INFO FROM ATC WENT UNANSWERED. I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE DAMAGED MY RADIO SOMEHOW WITH THE NEGATIVE 'G' PUSHOVER, SO I TRIED THE NEXT FREQ IN THE AREA. THE RADIO WORKED FINE, SO I RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THAT CTLR AND PROMISED TO FOLLOW UP WITH A PHONE CALL. APPARENTLY, THE CTLR MUST HAVE FROZE, BECAUSE I WASN'T GIVEN ANY INSTRUCTIONS AS TO WHAT I MIGHT DO TO AVOID THE PLANE. NO MANDATORY WAKE TURB ADVISORY WAS ISSUED. NO TFC QUOTE WAS MADE. CLASS C SEPARATION OF 500 FT OR TARGET RESOLUTION WERE NOT ENSURED. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THE B757 WAS GOING TO LEVELOFF FOR AN RA, I WOULD NOT HAVE TRIED TO GET UNDER IT. WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CTLED SIT BY ATC WAS NOT. THE BOEING SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESTR TO AN ALT BELOW MY OWN UNTIL LATERAL SEPARATION COULD BE ACHIEVED. ALL AIRPLANES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE SAME FREQ, WHICH ATC CTLS. I LEARNED TO STRAP EVERYTHING DOWN IN THE PLANE NO MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL THE DAY. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR BRIEF CASE WILL BE PLANTED ON THE CEILING.

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.