Narrative:

Conducting flight training; providing first cross country lesson to student. I was verbally instructing my student as to the order of events he would take when we reached our first chkpoint (ryn); when I visually sighted an F16 crossing in front of us from right to left at our altitude with about 100 ft horizontal separation. As I had the thought that this was as close as I ever wanted to get to an F16 in-flight; his trailing wingman came into view located midway between us and the first F16. I immediately grabbed the controls and pulled up in a split second decision; to increase vertical spacing between us the closest F16 (it appeared to be a few ft below us; prompting my decision). It only took about 3 seconds from visually acquiring the F16 until it passed across our nose. I estimate that there was 50 ft horizontal and 10 ft vertical separation when the closest F16 crossed our nose. I believe that the F16's were flying around 200 KTS airspeed; and they approached us from the 2:30 - 3 O'clock position due to their approach vector and closure rate; my student and I did not visually acquire either aircraft until about 3 seconds prior to crossing our nose. The high wing design and wing strut of the C172 made it difficult to visually acquire either aircraft any sooner than we did. Once we returned to avq; I was informed that the commanding safety officer for the F16 unit had phoned our flight school and talked to management. The pilot of the F16 had reported the close call; and our tail number had been obtained from radar reports. Later on; the general manager and I had a telecon with the commanding safety officer to discuss how future occurrences like this could be avoided. The close call did occur on a known military route to and from their training areas. I knew this since I have witnessed military traffic on this route on previous occasions. I did not know that they use 7500 ft and 7000 ft MSL during their return. I believe that to avoid future close calls; I can maintain stricter diligence in traffic scanning techniques when crossing known military rtes. Shallow s-turns to look under the wing in this instance would have helped (which I pointed out to my student). Also; we could have loitered in a known safe area while we waited to get our flight plan activated so that we could have had flight following through higher traffic areas. Our flight instructors will have a training session in the future with the safety officer to learn more about the military rtes in the area to increase safety awareness.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC OCCURS BTWN C172 AND FLT OF 2 F16'S NEAR TUCSON.

Narrative: CONDUCTING FLT TRAINING; PROVIDING FIRST XCOUNTRY LESSON TO STUDENT. I WAS VERBALLY INSTRUCTING MY STUDENT AS TO THE ORDER OF EVENTS HE WOULD TAKE WHEN WE REACHED OUR FIRST CHKPOINT (RYN); WHEN I VISUALLY SIGHTED AN F16 XING IN FRONT OF US FROM R TO L AT OUR ALT WITH ABOUT 100 FT HORIZ SEPARATION. AS I HAD THE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AS CLOSE AS I EVER WANTED TO GET TO AN F16 INFLT; HIS TRAILING WINGMAN CAME INTO VIEW LOCATED MIDWAY BTWN US AND THE FIRST F16. I IMMEDIATELY GRABBED THE CTLS AND PULLED UP IN A SPLIT SECOND DECISION; TO INCREASE VERT SPACING BTWN US THE CLOSEST F16 (IT APPEARED TO BE A FEW FT BELOW US; PROMPTING MY DECISION). IT ONLY TOOK ABOUT 3 SECONDS FROM VISUALLY ACQUIRING THE F16 UNTIL IT PASSED ACROSS OUR NOSE. I ESTIMATE THAT THERE WAS 50 FT HORIZ AND 10 FT VERT SEPARATION WHEN THE CLOSEST F16 CROSSED OUR NOSE. I BELIEVE THAT THE F16'S WERE FLYING AROUND 200 KTS AIRSPD; AND THEY APCHED US FROM THE 2:30 - 3 O'CLOCK POS DUE TO THEIR APCH VECTOR AND CLOSURE RATE; MY STUDENT AND I DID NOT VISUALLY ACQUIRE EITHER ACFT UNTIL ABOUT 3 SECONDS PRIOR TO XING OUR NOSE. THE HIGH WING DESIGN AND WING STRUT OF THE C172 MADE IT DIFFICULT TO VISUALLY ACQUIRE EITHER ACFT ANY SOONER THAN WE DID. ONCE WE RETURNED TO AVQ; I WAS INFORMED THAT THE COMMANDING SAFETY OFFICER FOR THE F16 UNIT HAD PHONED OUR FLT SCHOOL AND TALKED TO MGMNT. THE PLT OF THE F16 HAD RPTED THE CLOSE CALL; AND OUR TAIL NUMBER HAD BEEN OBTAINED FROM RADAR RPTS. LATER ON; THE GENERAL MGR AND I HAD A TELECON WITH THE COMMANDING SAFETY OFFICER TO DISCUSS HOW FUTURE OCCURRENCES LIKE THIS COULD BE AVOIDED. THE CLOSE CALL DID OCCUR ON A KNOWN MIL RTE TO AND FROM THEIR TRAINING AREAS. I KNEW THIS SINCE I HAVE WITNESSED MIL TFC ON THIS RTE ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. I DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY USE 7500 FT AND 7000 FT MSL DURING THEIR RETURN. I BELIEVE THAT TO AVOID FUTURE CLOSE CALLS; I CAN MAINTAIN STRICTER DILIGENCE IN TFC SCANNING TECHNIQUES WHEN XING KNOWN MIL RTES. SHALLOW S-TURNS TO LOOK UNDER THE WING IN THIS INSTANCE WOULD HAVE HELPED (WHICH I POINTED OUT TO MY STUDENT). ALSO; WE COULD HAVE LOITERED IN A KNOWN SAFE AREA WHILE WE WAITED TO GET OUR FLT PLAN ACTIVATED SO THAT WE COULD HAVE HAD FLT FOLLOWING THROUGH HIGHER TFC AREAS. OUR FLT INSTRUCTORS WILL HAVE A TRAINING SESSION IN THE FUTURE WITH THE SAFETY OFFICER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MIL RTES IN THE AREA TO INCREASE SAFETY AWARENESS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.