Narrative:

The incident occurred as I first departed on my second flight, and at roughly XA30. Monitoring tower while awaiting clearance, I heard that a cessna was inbound from the northwest to runway 27R, the runway I was about to use. I received tower clearance to depart runway 27R and to fly right traffic. I departed with navigation lights on but without landing light or wingtip strobe illumination. As I turned crosswind leg, I saw an aircraft approaching from the north and slightly above my altitude. I immediately widened my flight path and waited for the aircraft to turn downwind, expecting it was the inbound cessna and intending to follow in line astern. As I climbed to pattern altitude, the aircraft was approaching me and appeared to be descending. I again widened my pattern and climbed to a little above pattern altitude and assured myself that our flight paths were no longer converging. I expected the aircraft to turn ahead of me onto the downwind and I saw what I interpreted to be the cessna turning. In fact, I believe in retrospect, what I saw was the apparent motion of the aircraft appearing to turn east, as a result of my widening my pattern by turning westward. At that point, I began a slow turn toward the east, to curve behind, north of, and parallel to the aircraft's flight path. At that point, I recall that I turned on my wingtip landing light. Momentarily I lost sight of the aircraft's lights. This was not unexpected under the premise that, now eastbound, its landing light would be pointing away from me, and being below me its navigation lights would be mixed amongst ground clutter. I was in the process of re-establishing visual separation ahead of me when the aircraft passed, slightly ahead (50-100 ft) and under me by about a 200 ft separation. I recognized the aircraft as a single engine cessna. I called tower to advise of what appeared to me now to be an intruder aircraft. Immediately thereafter, the pilot of the cessna called tower and reported on downwind, and the controller cleared the cessna to land. The tower controller used words that expressed surprise that the cessna was ready to land, as if having misunderstood the cessna's position at the time of initial contact. There were no recriminations and while I completed several 'full stop lndgs,' the cessna pilot flew several touch-and-goes before departing the class D airspace. I believe I share some responsibility along with the pilot of the cessna and the tower controller. I believe that the pilot of the cessna was inattentive. An attentive pilot entering the airport traffic pattern should have observed my departure. I believe that the tower controller was inattentive as well. He admitted as much over the frequency, stating that he was not expecting the cessna to be on downwind so quickly. I accept that I did not perform 3 tasks as I should have. First, I should have departed with my landing light illuminated. Second, I should have kept visual contact with the cessna until we were past each other's position. I should have announced to tower that I was breaking from the pattern and to the west. Third, I should have queried the tower operator early on my crosswind leg rather than attempting to shoulder all the responsibility to 'see and avoid' the unexpected traffic. I practiced poor collaborative skills by not advising the tower of the unexpected traffic approaching the airport. I am also reminded that to 'see and avoid' can be a safe policy only if one 'keeps seeing and keeps avoiding.' I will use my landing light on all takeoffs as well as while approaching and entering the pattern during the day and night.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC DURING A NIGHT OP WHEN 2 GA ACFT CLOSE TOWARDS EACH OTHER DURING A TFC PATTERN CONFLICT AT A TWR ARPT AT PTK, MI.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AS I FIRST DEPARTED ON MY SECOND FLT, AND AT ROUGHLY XA30. MONITORING TWR WHILE AWAITING CLRNC, I HEARD THAT A CESSNA WAS INBOUND FROM THE NW TO RWY 27R, THE RWY I WAS ABOUT TO USE. I RECEIVED TWR CLRNC TO DEPART RWY 27R AND TO FLY R TFC. I DEPARTED WITH NAV LIGHTS ON BUT WITHOUT LNDG LIGHT OR WINGTIP STROBE ILLUMINATION. AS I TURNED XWIND LEG, I SAW AN ACFT APCHING FROM THE N AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE MY ALT. I IMMEDIATELY WIDENED MY FLT PATH AND WAITED FOR THE ACFT TO TURN DOWNWIND, EXPECTING IT WAS THE INBOUND CESSNA AND INTENDING TO FOLLOW IN LINE ASTERN. AS I CLBED TO PATTERN ALT, THE ACFT WAS APCHING ME AND APPEARED TO BE DSNDING. I AGAIN WIDENED MY PATTERN AND CLBED TO A LITTLE ABOVE PATTERN ALT AND ASSURED MYSELF THAT OUR FLT PATHS WERE NO LONGER CONVERGING. I EXPECTED THE ACFT TO TURN AHEAD OF ME ONTO THE DOWNWIND AND I SAW WHAT I INTERPED TO BE THE CESSNA TURNING. IN FACT, I BELIEVE IN RETROSPECT, WHAT I SAW WAS THE APPARENT MOTION OF THE ACFT APPEARING TO TURN E, AS A RESULT OF MY WIDENING MY PATTERN BY TURNING WESTWARD. AT THAT POINT, I BEGAN A SLOW TURN TOWARD THE E, TO CURVE BEHIND, N OF, AND PARALLEL TO THE ACFT'S FLT PATH. AT THAT POINT, I RECALL THAT I TURNED ON MY WINGTIP LNDG LIGHT. MOMENTARILY I LOST SIGHT OF THE ACFT'S LIGHTS. THIS WAS NOT UNEXPECTED UNDER THE PREMISE THAT, NOW EBOUND, ITS LNDG LIGHT WOULD BE POINTING AWAY FROM ME, AND BEING BELOW ME ITS NAV LIGHTS WOULD BE MIXED AMONGST GND CLUTTER. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF RE-ESTABLISHING VISUAL SEPARATION AHEAD OF ME WHEN THE ACFT PASSED, SLIGHTLY AHEAD (50-100 FT) AND UNDER ME BY ABOUT A 200 FT SEPARATION. I RECOGNIZED THE ACFT AS A SINGLE ENG CESSNA. I CALLED TWR TO ADVISE OF WHAT APPEARED TO ME NOW TO BE AN INTRUDER ACFT. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THE PLT OF THE CESSNA CALLED TWR AND RPTED ON DOWNWIND, AND THE CTLR CLRED THE CESSNA TO LAND. THE TWR CTLR USED WORDS THAT EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT THE CESSNA WAS READY TO LAND, AS IF HAVING MISUNDERSTOOD THE CESSNA'S POS AT THE TIME OF INITIAL CONTACT. THERE WERE NO RECRIMINATIONS AND WHILE I COMPLETED SEVERAL 'FULL STOP LNDGS,' THE CESSNA PLT FLEW SEVERAL TOUCH-AND-GOES BEFORE DEPARTING THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. I BELIEVE I SHARE SOME RESPONSIBILITY ALONG WITH THE PLT OF THE CESSNA AND THE TWR CTLR. I BELIEVE THAT THE PLT OF THE CESSNA WAS INATTENTIVE. AN ATTENTIVE PLT ENTERING THE ARPT TFC PATTERN SHOULD HAVE OBSERVED MY DEP. I BELIEVE THAT THE TWR CTLR WAS INATTENTIVE AS WELL. HE ADMITTED AS MUCH OVER THE FREQ, STATING THAT HE WAS NOT EXPECTING THE CESSNA TO BE ON DOWNWIND SO QUICKLY. I ACCEPT THAT I DID NOT PERFORM 3 TASKS AS I SHOULD HAVE. FIRST, I SHOULD HAVE DEPARTED WITH MY LNDG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. SECOND, I SHOULD HAVE KEPT VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE CESSNA UNTIL WE WERE PAST EACH OTHER'S POS. I SHOULD HAVE ANNOUNCED TO TWR THAT I WAS BREAKING FROM THE PATTERN AND TO THE W. THIRD, I SHOULD HAVE QUERIED THE TWR OPERATOR EARLY ON MY XWIND LEG RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO SHOULDER ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY TO 'SEE AND AVOID' THE UNEXPECTED TFC. I PRACTICED POOR COLLABORATIVE SKILLS BY NOT ADVISING THE TWR OF THE UNEXPECTED TFC APCHING THE ARPT. I AM ALSO REMINDED THAT TO 'SEE AND AVOID' CAN BE A SAFE POLICY ONLY IF ONE 'KEEPS SEEING AND KEEPS AVOIDING.' I WILL USE MY LNDG LIGHT ON ALL TKOFS AS WELL AS WHILE APCHING AND ENTERING THE PATTERN DURING THE DAY AND NIGHT.

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.