Narrative:

I was 'observer' (eyes glued to ground looking for missing aircraft) on search and rescue mission. While exiting search grid which was adjacent to airport, the near miss occurred. I feel the major causes were: 1) the PIC's failure to maintain adequate scan, 2) my failure to prioritize traffic scan while in airport area over continuing ground search (looking down) for aircraft missing, 3) my failure to insist on PIC's more vigilant scan, 4) earlier monitoring of CTAF. Earlier in-flight, I noticed PIC spending far too much time looking at ground for downed aircraft, or his track on 1 of 3 color moving map of GPS, instead of focusing on scanning outside airplane. His duty was to fly search pattern and look for traffic. Mine was to keep eyes on ground looking for missing airplane. PIC put airplane on autoplt and I observed him looking on ground for far too long versus outside front window. I asked him who was looking for traffic if both he and I were looking at ground? He replied that he had it on autoplt and was taking long looks out front in between looking at ground. I should have realized at that point that I should discontinue looking at ground and begin scanning for traffic myself. On prior flight, I had to push PIC to monitor CTAF while searching grid near airport. His situational awareness of traffic seemed weak and he seemed very over-reliant on the 3 GPS displays. At time of near miss, I was monitoring search frequency and he was supposed to be monitoring CTAF. I did not hear any position announcements from him on the short trip out of search grid (less than 3 mi) to traffic pattern. He also did not check AWOS. We ended up in the departure path of runway 1 at a low altitude. If I had been more concerned with our position, I would have discontinued search and scanned for traffic myself, based on the PIC's somewhat casual approach to communications and scanning techniques near airports and from the prior flight experience when he was looking at ground instead of prioritizing traffic scan. I will never let scanning and communicating become a lower priority again, especially when another PIC has shown signs of abdicating what I consider proper techniques for scan and communication.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C180 OBSERVER RPTS NEAR MISS WITH ANOTHER ACFT DUE TO PLT'S DISTR OF SEARCH AND RESCUE ACTIVITY INSTEAD OF PRIMARY FLYING RESPONSIBILITIES WHEN OPERATING IN THE VICINITY OF A NON TWRED ARPT.

Narrative: I WAS 'OBSERVER' (EYES GLUED TO GND LOOKING FOR MISSING ACFT) ON SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION. WHILE EXITING SEARCH GRID WHICH WAS ADJACENT TO ARPT, THE NEAR MISS OCCURRED. I FEEL THE MAJOR CAUSES WERE: 1) THE PIC'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE SCAN, 2) MY FAILURE TO PRIORITIZE TFC SCAN WHILE IN ARPT AREA OVER CONTINUING GND SEARCH (LOOKING DOWN) FOR ACFT MISSING, 3) MY FAILURE TO INSIST ON PIC'S MORE VIGILANT SCAN, 4) EARLIER MONITORING OF CTAF. EARLIER INFLT, I NOTICED PIC SPENDING FAR TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING AT GND FOR DOWNED ACFT, OR HIS TRACK ON 1 OF 3 COLOR MOVING MAP OF GPS, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON SCANNING OUTSIDE AIRPLANE. HIS DUTY WAS TO FLY SEARCH PATTERN AND LOOK FOR TFC. MINE WAS TO KEEP EYES ON GND LOOKING FOR MISSING AIRPLANE. PIC PUT AIRPLANE ON AUTOPLT AND I OBSERVED HIM LOOKING ON GND FOR FAR TOO LONG VERSUS OUTSIDE FRONT WINDOW. I ASKED HIM WHO WAS LOOKING FOR TFC IF BOTH HE AND I WERE LOOKING AT GND? HE REPLIED THAT HE HAD IT ON AUTOPLT AND WAS TAKING LONG LOOKS OUT FRONT IN BETWEEN LOOKING AT GND. I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED AT THAT POINT THAT I SHOULD DISCONTINUE LOOKING AT GND AND BEGIN SCANNING FOR TFC MYSELF. ON PRIOR FLT, I HAD TO PUSH PIC TO MONITOR CTAF WHILE SEARCHING GRID NEAR ARPT. HIS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF TFC SEEMED WEAK AND HE SEEMED VERY OVER-RELIANT ON THE 3 GPS DISPLAYS. AT TIME OF NEAR MISS, I WAS MONITORING SEARCH FREQ AND HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MONITORING CTAF. I DID NOT HEAR ANY POS ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM HIM ON THE SHORT TRIP OUT OF SEARCH GRID (LESS THAN 3 MI) TO TFC PATTERN. HE ALSO DID NOT CHK AWOS. WE ENDED UP IN THE DEP PATH OF RWY 1 AT A LOW ALT. IF I HAD BEEN MORE CONCERNED WITH OUR POS, I WOULD HAVE DISCONTINUED SEARCH AND SCANNED FOR TFC MYSELF, BASED ON THE PIC'S SOMEWHAT CASUAL APCH TO COMS AND SCANNING TECHNIQUES NEAR ARPTS AND FROM THE PRIOR FLT EXPERIENCE WHEN HE WAS LOOKING AT GND INSTEAD OF PRIORITIZING TFC SCAN. I WILL NEVER LET SCANNING AND COMMUNICATING BECOME A LOWER PRIORITY AGAIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN ANOTHER PIC HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF ABDICATING WHAT I CONSIDER PROPER TECHNIQUES FOR SCAN AND COM.

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.