Narrative:

On sep/tue/03, I was flying a single pilot king air B200, nxxxx from ads to cll. About 80 NM north of cll at 12000 ft MSL, ZHU, (frequency 134.5) told me I had traffic almost directly above me at 13000 and that it was another king air whose destination was also cll. Center asked me to get the other king air in sight so that it could start its descent ahead of me into cll. I slowed my king air slightly and announced my airspeed so the other king air could pass me and gain separation for the descent. Several moments later, I had the other king air in sight and told center. Center told me to keep the other king air in sight and cleared him out of 13000 ft. Center then cleared me out of 12000 ft and I started my descent about what I judged to be 2-3 NM behind the other king air. Although I could see towns and ground details 10-15 NM ahead of me, the other king air became increasingly difficult to keep in sight due to haze. Also, as the other king air descended below me, he was not well contrasted with terrain features. To keep him in sight, I had to focus solely out the windscreen, and every time I looked inside the cockpit, I had to work diligently to reacquire visual sight of him. About 25 NM north of cll, I looked in the cockpit to complete descent and approach checks and could not acquire visual on the other king air. I called center and said something to the effect of 'center, nxxxx is that other king air about 5 mi ahead of me now?' center said 'nxxxx do you still have that other king air in sight?' I replied 'no' and center said that they 'wished I had not said that' and 'what is your in-flight visibility?' I replied 'I just now lost sight of him -- it is very hazy up here -- how far ahead of me is he?' center replied that he was 2 NM ahead of me and told me to level off at 8000 ft. (I was descending through 8600 ft at that time). This leads me to believe that we never had less than 1500 ft of vertical separation at any time after I lost sight of the other king air. As I flew closer to cll, I needed lower so center told me to turn 20 degrees right. I replied that I could do a 360 degrees to get separation, but center just said turn 20 degrees right again. As soon as I turned, I reacquired visual on the other king air, and told center. Center then cleared me for a visual approach to runway 16 at cll and told me to call cll tower. By the time I landed, the other king air was at its hangar. Lessons learned: if I could fly this again, I would have told center to vector me out of the other king air flight path for his descent, the first time center told me he was going first. That way, I could ensure separation with center radar. Keeping another aircraft in sight for 80 NM in hazy conditions, while monitoring and setting up my own cockpit, was not optimum. Also, upon losing sight of the other aircraft, I should have immediately said to center 'I've lost sight of the preceding aircraft, give me altitude separation please.' no other exacerbating conversation would be necessary. Thank you.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE20 ACCEPTS VISUAL SEPARATION RESPONSIBILITY DURING DSCNT, BUT ENCOUNTERED WX LOSING OTHER ACFT.

Narrative: ON SEP/TUE/03, I WAS FLYING A SINGLE PLT KING AIR B200, NXXXX FROM ADS TO CLL. ABOUT 80 NM N OF CLL AT 12000 FT MSL, ZHU, (FREQ 134.5) TOLD ME I HAD TFC ALMOST DIRECTLY ABOVE ME AT 13000 AND THAT IT WAS ANOTHER KING AIR WHOSE DEST WAS ALSO CLL. CTR ASKED ME TO GET THE OTHER KING AIR IN SIGHT SO THAT IT COULD START ITS DSCNT AHEAD OF ME INTO CLL. I SLOWED MY KING AIR SLIGHTLY AND ANNOUNCED MY AIRSPD SO THE OTHER KING AIR COULD PASS ME AND GAIN SEPARATION FOR THE DSCNT. SEVERAL MOMENTS LATER, I HAD THE OTHER KING AIR IN SIGHT AND TOLD CTR. CTR TOLD ME TO KEEP THE OTHER KING AIR IN SIGHT AND CLRED HIM OUT OF 13000 FT. CTR THEN CLRED ME OUT OF 12000 FT AND I STARTED MY DSCNT ABOUT WHAT I JUDGED TO BE 2-3 NM BEHIND THE OTHER KING AIR. ALTHOUGH I COULD SEE TOWNS AND GND DETAILS 10-15 NM AHEAD OF ME, THE OTHER KING AIR BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO KEEP IN SIGHT DUE TO HAZE. ALSO, AS THE OTHER KING AIR DSNDED BELOW ME, HE WAS NOT WELL CONTRASTED WITH TERRAIN FEATURES. TO KEEP HIM IN SIGHT, I HAD TO FOCUS SOLELY OUT THE WINDSCREEN, AND EVERY TIME I LOOKED INSIDE THE COCKPIT, I HAD TO WORK DILIGENTLY TO REACQUIRE VISUAL SIGHT OF HIM. ABOUT 25 NM N OF CLL, I LOOKED IN THE COCKPIT TO COMPLETE DSCNT AND APCH CHKS AND COULD NOT ACQUIRE VISUAL ON THE OTHER KING AIR. I CALLED CTR AND SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF 'CTR, NXXXX IS THAT OTHER KING AIR ABOUT 5 MI AHEAD OF ME NOW?' CTR SAID 'NXXXX DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT OTHER KING AIR IN SIGHT?' I REPLIED 'NO' AND CTR SAID THAT THEY 'WISHED I HAD NOT SAID THAT' AND 'WHAT IS YOUR INFLT VISIBILITY?' I REPLIED 'I JUST NOW LOST SIGHT OF HIM -- IT IS VERY HAZY UP HERE -- HOW FAR AHEAD OF ME IS HE?' CTR REPLIED THAT HE WAS 2 NM AHEAD OF ME AND TOLD ME TO LEVEL OFF AT 8000 FT. (I WAS DSNDING THROUGH 8600 FT AT THAT TIME). THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT WE NEVER HAD LESS THAN 1500 FT OF VERT SEPARATION AT ANY TIME AFTER I LOST SIGHT OF THE OTHER KING AIR. AS I FLEW CLOSER TO CLL, I NEEDED LOWER SO CTR TOLD ME TO TURN 20 DEGS R. I REPLIED THAT I COULD DO A 360 DEGS TO GET SEPARATION, BUT CTR JUST SAID TURN 20 DEGS R AGAIN. AS SOON AS I TURNED, I REACQUIRED VISUAL ON THE OTHER KING AIR, AND TOLD CTR. CTR THEN CLRED ME FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 16 AT CLL AND TOLD ME TO CALL CLL TWR. BY THE TIME I LANDED, THE OTHER KING AIR WAS AT ITS HANGAR. LESSONS LEARNED: IF I COULD FLY THIS AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE TOLD CTR TO VECTOR ME OUT OF THE OTHER KING AIR FLT PATH FOR HIS DSCNT, THE FIRST TIME CTR TOLD ME HE WAS GOING FIRST. THAT WAY, I COULD ENSURE SEPARATION WITH CTR RADAR. KEEPING ANOTHER ACFT IN SIGHT FOR 80 NM IN HAZY CONDITIONS, WHILE MONITORING AND SETTING UP MY OWN COCKPIT, WAS NOT OPTIMUM. ALSO, UPON LOSING SIGHT OF THE OTHER ACFT, I SHOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY SAID TO CTR 'I'VE LOST SIGHT OF THE PRECEDING ACFT, GIVE ME ALT SEPARATION PLEASE.' NO OTHER EXACERBATING CONVERSATION WOULD BE NECESSARY. THANK YOU.

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.