Narrative:

My local ATC tower informed me that they received a complaint that the aircraft with my tail number was just seen flying 100 ft above the ground, in the same area around which I was just operating. This was not true. The course of my flight departing out cgf, took me westward roughly 2 NM north of bk. We were cruising between 1600-1700 ft MSL out over lake erie to avoid cleveland class B airspace. That entire segment we were in constant contact with bkl tower. Upon leaving bkl's class D airspace, we notified them. I then immediately contacted cle approach. I had my student initiate level turns and assured that we never deviated from the last reported altitude of 1900 ft MSL by more than 100 ft. We then headed back north to cgf. Cle approach then advised us of helicopter traffic off our 1O 'clock position. I immediately reported it as being in sight. Noticing that the traffic was converging from the left, and at a similar altitude, I expected it to give way. After about 10 seconds the traffic did not deviate. We still had a decent amount of distance between the 2 aircraft. It also started to become obvious that the helicopter would have probably passed 50-100 ft above us anyhow. Still, seeing that it was not changing course, and also noticing that we had plenty of ground clearance, as well that we were flying over a sparsely populated golf course, I promptly entered a descent at no more than a few hundred ft, never descending under 1600 ft MSL, to allow increased vertical separation. When I was sure traffic had passed over us, I immediately climbed back up to 1900 ft MSL. The entire descent and subsequent climb back to altitude couldn't have taken more than 30 seconds, all while over the golf course. We then made our way back to cgf and landed without further incident. At no time did I allow the aft to descend below a safe altitude, especially not to a ridiculous 100 ft AGL! I honestly don't see what I could have or should have done differently.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR PLT OF C152 RPTS HE WAS IMPROPERLY ACCUSED OF FLT AT AN UNSAFE ALT BY ANONYMOUS CITIZEN. EXPLAINS THAT THE ONLY TIME HE WAS POSSIBLY LESS THAN 800 FT OR SO OVER SPARSELY POPULATED TERRAIN WAS WHEN HE MANEUVERED TO AVOID A HELI XING HIS FLT PATH AT HIS ALT. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENCOUNTER QUALIFIES AS AN NMAC.

Narrative: MY LCL ATC TWR INFORMED ME THAT THEY RECEIVED A COMPLAINT THAT THE ACFT WITH MY TAIL NUMBER WAS JUST SEEN FLYING 100 FT ABOVE THE GND, IN THE SAME AREA AROUND WHICH I WAS JUST OPERATING. THIS WAS NOT TRUE. THE COURSE OF MY FLT DEPARTING OUT CGF, TOOK ME WESTWARD ROUGHLY 2 NM N OF BK. WE WERE CRUISING BTWN 1600-1700 FT MSL OUT OVER LAKE ERIE TO AVOID CLEVELAND CLASS B AIRSPACE. THAT ENTIRE SEGMENT WE WERE IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH BKL TWR. UPON LEAVING BKL'S CLASS D AIRSPACE, WE NOTIFIED THEM. I THEN IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED CLE APCH. I HAD MY STUDENT INITIATE LEVEL TURNS AND ASSURED THAT WE NEVER DEVIATED FROM THE LAST RPTED ALT OF 1900 FT MSL BY MORE THAN 100 FT. WE THEN HEADED BACK N TO CGF. CLE APCH THEN ADVISED US OF HELI TFC OFF OUR 1O 'CLOCK POS. I IMMEDIATELY RPTED IT AS BEING IN SIGHT. NOTICING THAT THE TFC WAS CONVERGING FROM THE L, AND AT A SIMILAR ALT, I EXPECTED IT TO GIVE WAY. AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS THE TFC DID NOT DEVIATE. WE STILL HAD A DECENT AMOUNT OF DISTANCE BTWN THE 2 ACFT. IT ALSO STARTED TO BECOME OBVIOUS THAT THE HELI WOULD HAVE PROBABLY PASSED 50-100 FT ABOVE US ANYHOW. STILL, SEEING THAT IT WAS NOT CHANGING COURSE, AND ALSO NOTICING THAT WE HAD PLENTY OF GND CLRNC, AS WELL THAT WE WERE FLYING OVER A SPARSELY POPULATED GOLF COURSE, I PROMPTLY ENTERED A DSCNT AT NO MORE THAN A FEW HUNDRED FT, NEVER DSNDING UNDER 1600 FT MSL, TO ALLOW INCREASED VERT SEPARATION. WHEN I WAS SURE TFC HAD PASSED OVER US, I IMMEDIATELY CLBED BACK UP TO 1900 FT MSL. THE ENTIRE DSCNT AND SUBSEQUENT CLB BACK TO ALT COULDN'T HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN 30 SECONDS, ALL WHILE OVER THE GOLF COURSE. WE THEN MADE OUR WAY BACK TO CGF AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT NO TIME DID I ALLOW THE AFT TO DSND BELOW A SAFE ALT, ESPECIALLY NOT TO A RIDICULOUS 100 FT AGL! I HONESTLY DON'T SEE WHAT I COULD HAVE OR SHOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY.

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.