Narrative:

The near collision incident was encountered during a combination sight-seeing/training flight with a french tourist who currently held a valid french pilot certificate and who was legal for VFR private pilot operations in the united states. The flight was intended to proceed caldwell to manhattan and back, transitioning through teb and remaining below the new york class B airspace where possible. The renter pilot/student wanted to fly himself, but wanted someone to assist with the radio communications and compliance with the various airspace rules and procedures. At the time of the near collision event, I was in the right seat and the french pilot was flying from the left. We were operating under the agreement that he would 'fly the plane' and be responsible for maintaining altitudes, headings and visual separation from traffic -- I would navigation and take care of the radio communications and keep him informed of any necessary changes in altitude or our direction of flight. We were approximately 6 mi northeast of caldwell attempting to stay clear of both the localizer 22 approach course and teb class D airspace. Just before the near miss incident, I had just changed communications frequency to teb and was attempting to precisely locate our position using the VOR receiver while I waited for an open space on the frequency. I became distraction by what I thought an odd discrepancy with the VOR. After fumbling with the VOR and the old quirky radio stack for a few seconds without looking up, I decided I had better look up and check on our altitude, position, and look for traffic when I saw a white piper warrior headed straight for us, same altitude (1500 ft MSL) and extremely close. I immediately initiated a diving right turn to avoid a head-on collision. I think I saw the piper pull up just as he passed overhead but I'm not sure if he ever saw us. If he did I think it was because of our sudden turning/diving maneuver. I don't think we missed the piper by more than 50 ft at the most. After the flight, the french pilot said he saw the other aircraft before I did but froze at the controls and felt he was incapable of doing anything. I will never trust another pilot -- especially one I have never flown with before -- for traffic separation. Caldwell tower did mention when our aircraft was on the high downwind departure that an aircraft was tracking the localizer but the incident was several mins later, east of the localizer course, and beyond the IAF. A lack of precise positional awareness, unfamiliarity and language differences between crew, pilot distraction with navigation equipment, VFR operations in unfamiliar highly restr, high density airspace (I hardly ever fly east of cdw), restr flight visibility due to haze, a lapse in visual scanning on the part of myself, the renter pilot at the controls and the pilot of the other aircraft were all contributing factors to the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN NMAC BTWN A C172 AND A PA28 AT 1500 FT 6 MI NE OF CDW, NJ.

Narrative: THE NEAR COLLISION INCIDENT WAS ENCOUNTERED DURING A COMBINATION SIGHT-SEEING/TRAINING FLT WITH A FRENCH TOURIST WHO CURRENTLY HELD A VALID FRENCH PLT CERTIFICATE AND WHO WAS LEGAL FOR VFR PVT PLT OPS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE FLT WAS INTENDED TO PROCEED CALDWELL TO MANHATTAN AND BACK, TRANSITIONING THROUGH TEB AND REMAINING BELOW THE NEW YORK CLASS B AIRSPACE WHERE POSSIBLE. THE RENTER PLT/STUDENT WANTED TO FLY HIMSELF, BUT WANTED SOMEONE TO ASSIST WITH THE RADIO COMS AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE VARIOUS AIRSPACE RULES AND PROCS. AT THE TIME OF THE NEAR COLLISION EVENT, I WAS IN THE R SEAT AND THE FRENCH PLT WAS FLYING FROM THE L. WE WERE OPERATING UNDER THE AGREEMENT THAT HE WOULD 'FLY THE PLANE' AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING ALTS, HDGS AND VISUAL SEPARATION FROM TFC -- I WOULD NAV AND TAKE CARE OF THE RADIO COMS AND KEEP HIM INFORMED OF ANY NECESSARY CHANGES IN ALT OR OUR DIRECTION OF FLT. WE WERE APPROX 6 MI NE OF CALDWELL ATTEMPTING TO STAY CLR OF BOTH THE LOC 22 APCH COURSE AND TEB CLASS D AIRSPACE. JUST BEFORE THE NEAR MISS INCIDENT, I HAD JUST CHANGED COMS FREQ TO TEB AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO PRECISELY LOCATE OUR POS USING THE VOR RECEIVER WHILE I WAITED FOR AN OPEN SPACE ON THE FREQ. I BECAME DISTR BY WHAT I THOUGHT AN ODD DISCREPANCY WITH THE VOR. AFTER FUMBLING WITH THE VOR AND THE OLD QUIRKY RADIO STACK FOR A FEW SECONDS WITHOUT LOOKING UP, I DECIDED I HAD BETTER LOOK UP AND CHK ON OUR ALT, POS, AND LOOK FOR TFC WHEN I SAW A WHITE PIPER WARRIOR HEADED STRAIGHT FOR US, SAME ALT (1500 FT MSL) AND EXTREMELY CLOSE. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A DIVING R TURN TO AVOID A HEAD-ON COLLISION. I THINK I SAW THE PIPER PULL UP JUST AS HE PASSED OVERHEAD BUT I'M NOT SURE IF HE EVER SAW US. IF HE DID I THINK IT WAS BECAUSE OF OUR SUDDEN TURNING/DIVING MANEUVER. I DON'T THINK WE MISSED THE PIPER BY MORE THAN 50 FT AT THE MOST. AFTER THE FLT, THE FRENCH PLT SAID HE SAW THE OTHER ACFT BEFORE I DID BUT FROZE AT THE CTLS AND FELT HE WAS INCAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING. I WILL NEVER TRUST ANOTHER PLT -- ESPECIALLY ONE I HAVE NEVER FLOWN WITH BEFORE -- FOR TFC SEPARATION. CALDWELL TWR DID MENTION WHEN OUR ACFT WAS ON THE HIGH DOWNWIND DEP THAT AN ACFT WAS TRACKING THE LOC BUT THE INCIDENT WAS SEVERAL MINS LATER, E OF THE LOC COURSE, AND BEYOND THE IAF. A LACK OF PRECISE POSITIONAL AWARENESS, UNFAMILIARITY AND LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES BTWN CREW, PLT DISTR WITH NAV EQUIP, VFR OPS IN UNFAMILIAR HIGHLY RESTR, HIGH DENSITY AIRSPACE (I HARDLY EVER FLY E OF CDW), RESTR FLT VISIBILITY DUE TO HAZE, A LAPSE IN VISUAL SCANNING ON THE PART OF MYSELF, THE RENTER PLT AT THE CTLS AND THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT WERE ALL CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE INCIDENT.

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.