Narrative:

I was approaching pou for a full-stop landing. I contacted pou tower when I was more than 10 NM away and was told to report when I was over the ign VOR for a straight-in approach to runway 24. Since I was heading directly for pou at that point, I turned slightly north, to cross over the VOR. Just after I called the tower to report that I was over the VOR, another aircraft reported that it was approaching the VOR (from the northeast) and could see a cessna (me) about 50 ft above it. I quickly looked to my right, saw the other aircraft, and began to climb. The tower then asked me if I could see the other aircraft, and I responded that I could and was already climbing. He asked me if I could circle to the right and come back over the VOR for my landing approach, and I responded in the affirmative. The other aircraft continued towards the airport and then declared a missed approach. Apparently it was performing a practice instrument approach. As it was climbing away from the airport, the tower controller spoke very sharply to the pilot and informed him that what he had just done was very dangerous, and he should not do it again. I believe that when the other aircraft first contacted the tower, it may have already been inside the class D airspace. The VOR is only 4 NM from the airport, and he was nearly on top of it when he reported seeing me there. In his admonishment to the pilot, the tower controller told him that he needed to take care in the future to be sure that he was in contact with the tower well before entering its airspace. I don't believe we were really only 50 ft apart. I had not yet descended to pattern altitude (1200 ft) and was still at about 1800 ft when I crossed the VOR. Assuming that the other aircraft was closer to 1200 ft than I was, we were probably at least a couple hundred feet apart. I know that when I saw him, he didn't seem so close as to cause me serious alarm, and I climbed only to increase the separation a bit more. I know I didn't do anything wrong, but I was disappointed in myself for not having seen the other aircraft sooner. I am a newly minted private pilot, having earned my certificate only 3 weeks ago, and this was my first unsupervised solo cross country flight to an airport I had never visited before. While the visibility was reported as 10 mi, and that seemed fairly accurate, it was quite hazy, and objects at a distance were not very distinct. So as I was approaching the VOR I was concentrating on finding it on the ground and making sure I could see the airport's runway to my left. I was not doing a good job of scanning for traffic in other directions. This incident has served to reinforce the following points that I learned during my training, and will remind me to follow them more thoroughly in the future: even though I am under positive control of an airport's tower, I have a responsibility to keep diligently scanning for traffic in all directions. Some of the most dangerous airspace around is in the vicinity of a VOR, since aircraft are converging on it. Airspace in the vicinity of an airport is also quite dangerous since aircraft can be almost anywhere. Aircraft on an instrument approach are likely to be on the extended centerline of the active runway, so this is an area where scanning for traffic is even more critical.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C172 DESCRIBES NMAC WITH ANOTHER ACFT OVER IGN VOR WHILE ON VFR ARR TO POU.

Narrative: I WAS APCHING POU FOR A FULL-STOP LNDG. I CONTACTED POU TWR WHEN I WAS MORE THAN 10 NM AWAY AND WAS TOLD TO RPT WHEN I WAS OVER THE IGN VOR FOR A STRAIGHT-IN APCH TO RWY 24. SINCE I WAS HEADING DIRECTLY FOR POU AT THAT POINT, I TURNED SLIGHTLY N, TO CROSS OVER THE VOR. JUST AFTER I CALLED THE TWR TO RPT THAT I WAS OVER THE VOR, ANOTHER ACFT RPTED THAT IT WAS APCHING THE VOR (FROM THE NE) AND COULD SEE A CESSNA (ME) ABOUT 50 FT ABOVE IT. I QUICKLY LOOKED TO MY R, SAW THE OTHER ACFT, AND BEGAN TO CLB. THE TWR THEN ASKED ME IF I COULD SEE THE OTHER ACFT, AND I RESPONDED THAT I COULD AND WAS ALREADY CLBING. HE ASKED ME IF I COULD CIRCLE TO THE R AND COME BACK OVER THE VOR FOR MY LNDG APCH, AND I RESPONDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE OTHER ACFT CONTINUED TOWARDS THE ARPT AND THEN DECLARED A MISSED APCH. APPARENTLY IT WAS PERFORMING A PRACTICE INST APCH. AS IT WAS CLBING AWAY FROM THE ARPT, THE TWR CTLR SPOKE VERY SHARPLY TO THE PLT AND INFORMED HIM THAT WHAT HE HAD JUST DONE WAS VERY DANGEROUS, AND HE SHOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN. I BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE OTHER ACFT FIRST CONTACTED THE TWR, IT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN INSIDE THE CLASS D AIRSPACE. THE VOR IS ONLY 4 NM FROM THE ARPT, AND HE WAS NEARLY ON TOP OF IT WHEN HE RPTED SEEING ME THERE. IN HIS ADMONISHMENT TO THE PLT, THE TWR CTLR TOLD HIM THAT HE NEEDED TO TAKE CARE IN THE FUTURE TO BE SURE THAT HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE TWR WELL BEFORE ENTERING ITS AIRSPACE. I DON'T BELIEVE WE WERE REALLY ONLY 50 FT APART. I HAD NOT YET DSNDED TO PATTERN ALT (1200 FT) AND WAS STILL AT ABOUT 1800 FT WHEN I CROSSED THE VOR. ASSUMING THAT THE OTHER ACFT WAS CLOSER TO 1200 FT THAN I WAS, WE WERE PROBABLY AT LEAST A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET APART. I KNOW THAT WHEN I SAW HIM, HE DIDN'T SEEM SO CLOSE AS TO CAUSE ME SERIOUS ALARM, AND I CLBED ONLY TO INCREASE THE SEPARATION A BIT MORE. I KNOW I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, BUT I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF FOR NOT HAVING SEEN THE OTHER ACFT SOONER. I AM A NEWLY MINTED PVT PLT, HAVING EARNED MY CERTIFICATE ONLY 3 WKS AGO, AND THIS WAS MY FIRST UNSUPERVISED SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT TO AN ARPT I HAD NEVER VISITED BEFORE. WHILE THE VISIBILITY WAS RPTED AS 10 MI, AND THAT SEEMED FAIRLY ACCURATE, IT WAS QUITE HAZY, AND OBJECTS AT A DISTANCE WERE NOT VERY DISTINCT. SO AS I WAS APCHING THE VOR I WAS CONCENTRATING ON FINDING IT ON THE GND AND MAKING SURE I COULD SEE THE ARPT'S RWY TO MY L. I WAS NOT DOING A GOOD JOB OF SCANNING FOR TFC IN OTHER DIRECTIONS. THIS INCIDENT HAS SERVED TO REINFORCE THE FOLLOWING POINTS THAT I LEARNED DURING MY TRAINING, AND WILL REMIND ME TO FOLLOW THEM MORE THOROUGHLY IN THE FUTURE: EVEN THOUGH I AM UNDER POSITIVE CTL OF AN ARPT'S TWR, I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP DILIGENTLY SCANNING FOR TFC IN ALL DIRECTIONS. SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS AIRSPACE AROUND IS IN THE VICINITY OF A VOR, SINCE ACFT ARE CONVERGING ON IT. AIRSPACE IN THE VICINITY OF AN ARPT IS ALSO QUITE DANGEROUS SINCE ACFT CAN BE ALMOST ANYWHERE. ACFT ON AN INST APCH ARE LIKELY TO BE ON THE EXTENDED CTRLINE OF THE ACTIVE RWY, SO THIS IS AN AREA WHERE SCANNING FOR TFC IS EVEN MORE CRITICAL.

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.