Narrative:

On a VFR flight with radar following from oregon to concord, ca, I was handed off from ZOA to travis approach control as I was descending on a heading that would put me just west of travis class D airspace. I contacted the travis controller and he idented me 10-15 mi north of travis class D airspace. He acknowledged that I was descending into ccr with current ATIS information. The travis controller advised me to let him know when I had concord in sight, which was unusual, as I was so far from the airport, the conditions were hazy from agricultural burning, and I was in the northern sector of travis control. (Frequency 126.6 is used for the northern sector.) usually the southern sector at travis (frequency 119.9) advises you to report concord in sight. I continued my descent on course and as I was abeam the western parallel runway at travis the controller advised me that they had a flight of 2 tankers about to depart from the parallel runways. He told me to stop my descent at or above 3000 ft. I stopped my descent at 3100 ft and leveled off on the same course. The controller said he would vector me over the departure end of the airport in order to get me out of the way of the departing tankers. He instructed me to turn to 120 degrees and I repeated back that I was turning to 120 degrees, a heading that was now south of the departure end of the west parallel runway and mi south of the east parallel runway, which is much farther north than the west runway. The first tanker lifted off the west parallel runway and was climbing when I first saw him. He was approximately 800-1000 ft below me as I crossed over his path. The second tanker, with which I had no visual contact, was farther to the east and farther north as he was climbing. I first saw him as I approached the departure end of the eastern runway and he was already approximately 600 ft below me. He was 300-400 ft below me when I crossed his course. I was still on the given vector of 120 degrees and maintaining 3100 ft at the time of crossing paths. A crew member from the tanker in question saw me, stated he wanted to report the incident and believed I was at fault. I immediately announced that I was vectored into the situation by the controller. At this point the controller said, 'no I didn't, resume your own navigation.' I replied, 'yes you did, you better review your tapes.' I do not know whether the tanker crew was able to hear this dialogue or not. There are a number of actions that could have avoided this situation: 1) there could have been an altitude restr on the tanker's climb, 2) I could have been given a different vector, 3) I could have been instructed to make a right 360 degree turn to avoid traffic. I realize the travis facility is a training facility for military air traffic controllers. I believe this controller should have been under closer supervision in order to avoid such sits. After that I turned back towards concord and finished the flight without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C210 PLT EXPERIENCED NMAC WITH MIL DEP ACFT AT 3100 FT WHILE BEING VECTORED BY SUU MIL CTLR.

Narrative: ON A VFR FLT WITH RADAR FOLLOWING FROM OREGON TO CONCORD, CA, I WAS HANDED OFF FROM ZOA TO TRAVIS APCH CTL AS I WAS DSNDING ON A HDG THAT WOULD PUT ME JUST W OF TRAVIS CLASS D AIRSPACE. I CONTACTED THE TRAVIS CTLR AND HE IDENTED ME 10-15 MI N OF TRAVIS CLASS D AIRSPACE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I WAS DSNDING INTO CCR WITH CURRENT ATIS INFO. THE TRAVIS CTLR ADVISED ME TO LET HIM KNOW WHEN I HAD CONCORD IN SIGHT, WHICH WAS UNUSUAL, AS I WAS SO FAR FROM THE ARPT, THE CONDITIONS WERE HAZY FROM AGRICULTURAL BURNING, AND I WAS IN THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF TRAVIS CTL. (FREQ 126.6 IS USED FOR THE NORTHERN SECTOR.) USUALLY THE SOUTHERN SECTOR AT TRAVIS (FREQ 119.9) ADVISES YOU TO RPT CONCORD IN SIGHT. I CONTINUED MY DSCNT ON COURSE AND AS I WAS ABEAM THE WESTERN PARALLEL RWY AT TRAVIS THE CTLR ADVISED ME THAT THEY HAD A FLT OF 2 TANKERS ABOUT TO DEPART FROM THE PARALLEL RWYS. HE TOLD ME TO STOP MY DSCNT AT OR ABOVE 3000 FT. I STOPPED MY DSCNT AT 3100 FT AND LEVELED OFF ON THE SAME COURSE. THE CTLR SAID HE WOULD VECTOR ME OVER THE DEP END OF THE ARPT IN ORDER TO GET ME OUT OF THE WAY OF THE DEPARTING TANKERS. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN TO 120 DEGS AND I REPEATED BACK THAT I WAS TURNING TO 120 DEGS, A HDG THAT WAS NOW S OF THE DEP END OF THE W PARALLEL RWY AND MI S OF THE E PARALLEL RWY, WHICH IS MUCH FARTHER N THAN THE W RWY. THE FIRST TANKER LIFTED OFF THE W PARALLEL RWY AND WAS CLBING WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM. HE WAS APPROX 800-1000 FT BELOW ME AS I CROSSED OVER HIS PATH. THE SECOND TANKER, WITH WHICH I HAD NO VISUAL CONTACT, WAS FARTHER TO THE E AND FARTHER N AS HE WAS CLBING. I FIRST SAW HIM AS I APCHED THE DEP END OF THE EASTERN RWY AND HE WAS ALREADY APPROX 600 FT BELOW ME. HE WAS 300-400 FT BELOW ME WHEN I CROSSED HIS COURSE. I WAS STILL ON THE GIVEN VECTOR OF 120 DEGS AND MAINTAINING 3100 FT AT THE TIME OF XING PATHS. A CREW MEMBER FROM THE TANKER IN QUESTION SAW ME, STATED HE WANTED TO RPT THE INCIDENT AND BELIEVED I WAS AT FAULT. I IMMEDIATELY ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS VECTORED INTO THE SIT BY THE CTLR. AT THIS POINT THE CTLR SAID, 'NO I DIDN'T, RESUME YOUR OWN NAV.' I REPLIED, 'YES YOU DID, YOU BETTER REVIEW YOUR TAPES.' I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER THE TANKER CREW WAS ABLE TO HEAR THIS DIALOGUE OR NOT. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ACTIONS THAT COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS SIT: 1) THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ALT RESTR ON THE TANKER'S CLB, 2) I COULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A DIFFERENT VECTOR, 3) I COULD HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAKE A R 360 DEG TURN TO AVOID TFC. I REALIZE THE TRAVIS FACILITY IS A TRAINING FACILITY FOR MIL AIR TFC CTLRS. I BELIEVE THIS CTLR SHOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER CLOSER SUPERVISION IN ORDER TO AVOID SUCH SITS. AFTER THAT I TURNED BACK TOWARDS CONCORD AND FINISHED THE FLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.