Narrative:

Was on with ZLA flight following to sbp. An airliner was slowly overtaking me, also on with ZLA, headed to sbp. Center asked us to allow the airliner to land before us, since we would both be arriving at sbp at the same time. The airliner was making a straight-in approach and center asked us if we wanted to make a 360 degree turn to maneuver behind the airliner. Due to our low altitude and the terrain, and the WX reporting wind calm, we opted to instead enter right traffic for the opposite runway that the airliner was landing on. We advised center what we were planning on doing and they thought it was a fine idea, as did the airliner. Meanwhile, we're monitoring the frequency at the airport and were hearing no traffic reporting. Due to frequency congestion, center didn't release us to change frequency until we had entered the right downwind. As we were switching frequencys we spotted traffic flying opposite us, on a left downwind to the runway the airliner was landing on. We both spotted one another and adjusted our courses to the right to avoid one another. We ended up turning 120 degrees to follow the traffic in, without incident. Contributing factors: ZLA never saw or advised of the traffic, and I talked to the helicopter pilots afterward who claimed ZLA couldn't ever pick them up on radar, however, no one else has ever experienced that problem. I believe instead their transponder was not on. Also, they were not making standard radio calls or we would have heard them and known not to continue with our plan. They did not make a call when the airliner checked on in the area, either, which also would have alerted us. We wouldn't have had the problem either if we had done a standard traffic pattern entry to an uncontrolled airport. Finally, if we had broadcast our intentions further out, the helicopter may have also broadcast, then we would not have ended up close to one another. Another factor is complacency. I have flown this flight into the same airport at the same time over 100 times and there has never been traffic in the pattern before. Normally, training flts don't occur at XA00 at this airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA34 LNDG SBP EXPERIENCED CONFLICT WITH OPPOSITE DIRECTION HELI IN TFC PATTERN.

Narrative: WAS ON WITH ZLA FLT FOLLOWING TO SBP. AN AIRLINER WAS SLOWLY OVERTAKING ME, ALSO ON WITH ZLA, HEADED TO SBP. CTR ASKED US TO ALLOW THE AIRLINER TO LAND BEFORE US, SINCE WE WOULD BOTH BE ARRIVING AT SBP AT THE SAME TIME. THE AIRLINER WAS MAKING A STRAIGHT-IN APCH AND CTR ASKED US IF WE WANTED TO MAKE A 360 DEG TURN TO MANEUVER BEHIND THE AIRLINER. DUE TO OUR LOW ALT AND THE TERRAIN, AND THE WX RPTING WIND CALM, WE OPTED TO INSTEAD ENTER R TFC FOR THE OPPOSITE RWY THAT THE AIRLINER WAS LNDG ON. WE ADVISED CTR WHAT WE WERE PLANNING ON DOING AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A FINE IDEA, AS DID THE AIRLINER. MEANWHILE, WE'RE MONITORING THE FREQ AT THE ARPT AND WERE HEARING NO TFC RPTING. DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION, CTR DIDN'T RELEASE US TO CHANGE FREQ UNTIL WE HAD ENTERED THE R DOWNWIND. AS WE WERE SWITCHING FREQS WE SPOTTED TFC FLYING OPPOSITE US, ON A L DOWNWIND TO THE RWY THE AIRLINER WAS LNDG ON. WE BOTH SPOTTED ONE ANOTHER AND ADJUSTED OUR COURSES TO THE R TO AVOID ONE ANOTHER. WE ENDED UP TURNING 120 DEGS TO FOLLOW THE TFC IN, WITHOUT INCIDENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: ZLA NEVER SAW OR ADVISED OF THE TFC, AND I TALKED TO THE HELI PLTS AFTERWARD WHO CLAIMED ZLA COULDN'T EVER PICK THEM UP ON RADAR, HOWEVER, NO ONE ELSE HAS EVER EXPERIENCED THAT PROB. I BELIEVE INSTEAD THEIR XPONDER WAS NOT ON. ALSO, THEY WERE NOT MAKING STANDARD RADIO CALLS OR WE WOULD HAVE HEARD THEM AND KNOWN NOT TO CONTINUE WITH OUR PLAN. THEY DID NOT MAKE A CALL WHEN THE AIRLINER CHKED ON IN THE AREA, EITHER, WHICH ALSO WOULD HAVE ALERTED US. WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THE PROB EITHER IF WE HAD DONE A STANDARD TFC PATTERN ENTRY TO AN UNCTLED ARPT. FINALLY, IF WE HAD BROADCAST OUR INTENTIONS FURTHER OUT, THE HELI MAY HAVE ALSO BROADCAST, THEN WE WOULD NOT HAVE ENDED UP CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. ANOTHER FACTOR IS COMPLACENCY. I HAVE FLOWN THIS FLT INTO THE SAME ARPT AT THE SAME TIME OVER 100 TIMES AND THERE HAS NEVER BEEN TFC IN THE PATTERN BEFORE. NORMALLY, TRAINING FLTS DON'T OCCUR AT XA00 AT THIS ARPT.

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.