Narrative:

At approximately XA10, I was the pilot of aircraft X (md 600N) en route to a pursuit that was northbound on the freeway. I looked down to make sure the GPS was acquiring the satellites and looked back up to see an eurocopter AS350 emerge from my left forward blind spot at nearly 200 yards away with nearly 240 KTS closure rate (determined by comparing both sides of the story after landing). I went into an aggressive left evasion and called tower to tell them 'you have a NORDO northbound 2 mi south of the airport, we just had an near midair collision, heads up!' I then heard other helicopter say on tower frequency 'we already talked to tower.' we continued on to the pursuit. While flying back to vcv from the pursuit, I ran it over in my mind and came to the conclusion that tower had not notified me of the traffic inbound from the south. I am responsible for 'see and avoid' practices, but tower's failure to notify me the other aircraft was inbound from the south, or that I was outbound to the south, set the ground work for a potentially lethal event. We were notified by our valley ship that a pursuit was northbound on the freeway and asked if we could take it over due to their fuel state. We refueled and started up by about XA07 hours. I called vcv tower and told him I was ready to depart sbound. Tower gave me the 'proceed as requested' takeoff clearance. No mention was made of any aircraft inbound from the south. I departed via runway 21 parallel taxiway and then headed sbound. I looked down at the GPS to check that it was navigating. About 4 seconds passed with my eyes inside the cockpit. When I looked up, I saw the AS350 emerging from my left door post blind spot. I chose a left evasion. The AS350 appeared to make no evasive move. I leveled out and turned on course sbound. The AS350 stated on tower frequency that they had contacted tower prior to entering class D airspace, but we had not heard it. It had been 3 mins since we had started the engine. After the pursuit terminated, we flew back to vcv and met with the AS350 crew. We came to the following conclusions: the vcv controller had acknowledged AS350's initial transmission approximately 10 mi south of vcv. No mention of the inbound traffic was made to me on my departure clearance from the controller. The AS350 had us in sight and was trying to contact us on their internal VHF. We were on another frequency in preparation for coordination with the aircraft we were relieving. The AS350 made no evasive maneuver because he didn't know if I was going to go right or left. This is the second time in 7 days we have had conflict traffic with another helicopter. Spoke with vcv tower chief that night on this issue. I believe myself and AS350 share an equal burden of the blame due to our obligation to see and avoid traffic, but the vcv ATC has the majority of the blame in this situation due to his apparent lack of attention and assumption that I was 'just joking' about an near midair collision.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DEPARTING VCV, A LAW ENFORCEMENT HELI TAKES EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID ANOTHER INBOUND LAW ENFORCEMENT HELI.

Narrative: AT APPROX XA10, I WAS THE PLT OF ACFT X (MD 600N) ENRTE TO A PURSUIT THAT WAS NBOUND ON THE FREEWAY. I LOOKED DOWN TO MAKE SURE THE GPS WAS ACQUIRING THE SATELLITES AND LOOKED BACK UP TO SEE AN EUROCOPTER AS350 EMERGE FROM MY L FORWARD BLIND SPOT AT NEARLY 200 YARDS AWAY WITH NEARLY 240 KTS CLOSURE RATE (DETERMINED BY COMPARING BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY AFTER LNDG). I WENT INTO AN AGGRESSIVE L EVASION AND CALLED TWR TO TELL THEM 'YOU HAVE A NORDO NBOUND 2 MI S OF THE ARPT, WE JUST HAD AN NMAC, HEADS UP!' I THEN HEARD OTHER HELICOPTER SAY ON TWR FREQ 'WE ALREADY TALKED TO TWR.' WE CONTINUED ON TO THE PURSUIT. WHILE FLYING BACK TO VCV FROM THE PURSUIT, I RAN IT OVER IN MY MIND AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT TWR HAD NOT NOTIFIED ME OF THE TFC INBOUND FROM THE S. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR 'SEE AND AVOID' PRACTICES, BUT TWR'S FAILURE TO NOTIFY ME THE OTHER ACFT WAS INBOUND FROM THE S, OR THAT I WAS OUTBOUND TO THE S, SET THE GND WORK FOR A POTENTIALLY LETHAL EVENT. WE WERE NOTIFIED BY OUR VALLEY SHIP THAT A PURSUIT WAS NBOUND ON THE FREEWAY AND ASKED IF WE COULD TAKE IT OVER DUE TO THEIR FUEL STATE. WE REFUELED AND STARTED UP BY ABOUT XA07 HRS. I CALLED VCV TWR AND TOLD HIM I WAS READY TO DEPART SBOUND. TWR GAVE ME THE 'PROCEED AS REQUESTED' TKOF CLRNC. NO MENTION WAS MADE OF ANY ACFT INBOUND FROM THE S. I DEPARTED VIA RWY 21 PARALLEL TXWY AND THEN HEADED SBOUND. I LOOKED DOWN AT THE GPS TO CHK THAT IT WAS NAVING. ABOUT 4 SECONDS PASSED WITH MY EYES INSIDE THE COCKPIT. WHEN I LOOKED UP, I SAW THE AS350 EMERGING FROM MY L DOOR POST BLIND SPOT. I CHOSE A L EVASION. THE AS350 APPEARED TO MAKE NO EVASIVE MOVE. I LEVELED OUT AND TURNED ON COURSE SBOUND. THE AS350 STATED ON TWR FREQ THAT THEY HAD CONTACTED TWR PRIOR TO ENTERING CLASS D AIRSPACE, BUT WE HAD NOT HEARD IT. IT HAD BEEN 3 MINS SINCE WE HAD STARTED THE ENG. AFTER THE PURSUIT TERMINATED, WE FLEW BACK TO VCV AND MET WITH THE AS350 CREW. WE CAME TO THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS: THE VCV CTLR HAD ACKNOWLEDGED AS350'S INITIAL XMISSION APPROX 10 MI S OF VCV. NO MENTION OF THE INBOUND TFC WAS MADE TO ME ON MY DEP CLRNC FROM THE CTLR. THE AS350 HAD US IN SIGHT AND WAS TRYING TO CONTACT US ON THEIR INTERNAL VHF. WE WERE ON ANOTHER FREQ IN PREPARATION FOR COORD WITH THE ACFT WE WERE RELIEVING. THE AS350 MADE NO EVASIVE MANEUVER BECAUSE HE DIDN'T KNOW IF I WAS GOING TO GO R OR L. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN 7 DAYS WE HAVE HAD CONFLICT TFC WITH ANOTHER HELICOPTER. SPOKE WITH VCV TWR CHIEF THAT NIGHT ON THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE MYSELF AND AS350 SHARE AN EQUAL BURDEN OF THE BLAME DUE TO OUR OBLIGATION TO SEE AND AVOID TFC, BUT THE VCV ATC HAS THE MAJORITY OF THE BLAME IN THIS SIT DUE TO HIS APPARENT LACK OF ATTN AND ASSUMPTION THAT I WAS 'JUST JOKING' ABOUT AN NMAC.

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.