Narrative:

Were on altitude 5000 ft and assigned heading 240 degrees. Atl approach called traffic 9 O'clock position, type unknown heading northwest. I looked at 9 O'clock position, and saw gray mass thinking it's airliner shooting approach into hartsfield airport and controllers were talking to him and knew his type. I looked at our tis box which showed traffic at about 9 O'clock position and 4 mi. Also our tis reported traffic all around us at different altitudes as it always does in this busy airspace. Things seemed to be normal. I believed my traffic to be a smaller private or cpr plane in this sector of atlanta at this altitude. Approach called traffic again saying it was in a climb. I looked left and saw the plane better then as the WX was hazy and cloudy, thinking that airliner was pretty far north for atlanta hartsfield, then I looked back at my tis and it showed traffic at the 2 mi ring and 700 ft below. I looked back at the plane -- I think was an air carrier -- and rethought that it was a C17 and then we were on a collision course, or at the very least, going to wind up way too close because of wake turbulence in a few seconds. I made a tight climbing turn to the right. As we rolled into our right turn, our tis traffic warning went off and the controller was asking 'did you hear?' I said 'yes we are in a 360 degree [turn] for that guy.' the controller asked if I got a look at the traffic? I said I thought it was a C17. We were then at 5800 ft still in our 360 degree turn but now descending back to 5000 ft and to heading 240 degrees. Then on the radio the other pilot said he was a C5, there was about a 300000 pound difference. We heard that he was 1 digit off on his transponder when he checked in. In the turn, I watched outside. My passenger, who owns the plane and how to operate its equipment and was in the copilot's seat, said he watched the tis box to see where our traffic was, said he saw it at 400 ft and below us. We went on to our destination and the controllers never seemed to mind our deviation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE35 TAKES EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID C5 TFC WHILE IFR AT 5000 FT WITH A80.

Narrative: WERE ON ALT 5000 FT AND ASSIGNED HDG 240 DEGS. ATL APCH CALLED TFC 9 O'CLOCK POS, TYPE UNKNOWN HEADING NW. I LOOKED AT 9 O'CLOCK POS, AND SAW GRAY MASS THINKING IT'S AIRLINER SHOOTING APCH INTO HARTSFIELD ARPT AND CTLRS WERE TALKING TO HIM AND KNEW HIS TYPE. I LOOKED AT OUR TIS BOX WHICH SHOWED TFC AT ABOUT 9 O'CLOCK POS AND 4 MI. ALSO OUR TIS RPTED TFC ALL AROUND US AT DIFFERENT ALTS AS IT ALWAYS DOES IN THIS BUSY AIRSPACE. THINGS SEEMED TO BE NORMAL. I BELIEVED MY TFC TO BE A SMALLER PVT OR CPR PLANE IN THIS SECTOR OF ATLANTA AT THIS ALT. APCH CALLED TFC AGAIN SAYING IT WAS IN A CLB. I LOOKED L AND SAW THE PLANE BETTER THEN AS THE WX WAS HAZY AND CLOUDY, THINKING THAT AIRLINER WAS PRETTY FAR N FOR ATLANTA HARTSFIELD, THEN I LOOKED BACK AT MY TIS AND IT SHOWED TFC AT THE 2 MI RING AND 700 FT BELOW. I LOOKED BACK AT THE PLANE -- I THINK WAS AN ACR -- AND RETHOUGHT THAT IT WAS A C17 AND THEN WE WERE ON A COLLISION COURSE, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, GOING TO WIND UP WAY TOO CLOSE BECAUSE OF WAKE TURB IN A FEW SECONDS. I MADE A TIGHT CLBING TURN TO THE R. AS WE ROLLED INTO OUR R TURN, OUR TIS TFC WARNING WENT OFF AND THE CTLR WAS ASKING 'DID YOU HEAR?' I SAID 'YES WE ARE IN A 360 DEG [TURN] FOR THAT GUY.' THE CTLR ASKED IF I GOT A LOOK AT THE TFC? I SAID I THOUGHT IT WAS A C17. WE WERE THEN AT 5800 FT STILL IN OUR 360 DEG TURN BUT NOW DSNDING BACK TO 5000 FT AND TO HDG 240 DEGS. THEN ON THE RADIO THE OTHER PLT SAID HE WAS A C5, THERE WAS ABOUT A 300000 LB DIFFERENCE. WE HEARD THAT HE WAS 1 DIGIT OFF ON HIS XPONDER WHEN HE CHKED IN. IN THE TURN, I WATCHED OUTSIDE. MY PAX, WHO OWNS THE PLANE AND HOW TO OPERATE ITS EQUIP AND WAS IN THE COPLT'S SEAT, SAID HE WATCHED THE TIS BOX TO SEE WHERE OUR TFC WAS, SAID HE SAW IT AT 400 FT AND BELOW US. WE WENT ON TO OUR DEST AND THE CTLRS NEVER SEEMED TO MIND OUR DEV.

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.