Narrative:

I requested a frequency change from anchorage approach to merrill tower at point mckenzie and was given a part 93 deviation into the merrill airspace. I contacted mri tower and was told to enter base for runway 34 and to contact the tower over west high. I crossed the inlet at 1000 ft and at approximately mid-channel heard the tower tell a cherokee to widen out for a navajo and also tell the navajo that his traffic was the cherokee widening out for him. The cherokee acknowledged and repeated the entire request very deliberately. I was past west high when I was able to call that I was inside west high. I was cleared to land on runway 34. I flew my base leg over northern lights blvd. I was looking for a potential conflict with the cherokee as I was thinking it was the runway 7 touch-and-go pattern normally flown north of my position; but the tower had not pointed out any traffic or any potential conflicts. Also; the wind was 030 degrees at 4 KTS on the ground; but stronger at pattern level; potentially pushing touch-and-go traffic in my direction. I had not heard anyone else coming in to runway 34; and traffic from the south (in my 23 yrs of flying out of merrill field) comes in to the east of my final path to enter downwind for runway 7 or runway 25 unless it is landing on runway 34. As I was planning my turn to final; the navajo crossed my path from right to left in a left turn. I registered that; then did my landing. The tower told me to taxi to parking with no indication in the transmission that anything had happened. After securing the plane; I called tower and spoke with a controller who was going to talk with one who had just worked me in. 2 hours later; I called the tower again and spoke with the controller who had handled my flight. He was very apologetic and provided the following information. The cherokee was a student pilot; and the navajo had been coming in from the south for runway 7. The controller was widening out the cherokee on downwind to allow more space for the faster navajo to enter the pattern rather than have to maneuver about. The controller thought that he saw the navajo pass ahead of me and turned his attention to the cherokee which he thought might be a problem. He did not call out any traffic to me or alert the navajo to me; and did not see our near miss. The navajo should have heard my call inside west high and my clearance to land on runway 34. I had not heard the navajo's call as to where he was coming from which I assume happened prior to my frequency change to tower. The navajo would have known where the runway 34 pattern is; and while I don't know what his directions from the tower were; should not have been as low as he was operating in the vicinity of the runway 34 base and final legs; and should not have been coming into the west of the runway 34 final leg. Also; the tower was running a risk asking a student pilot to widen out his runway 7 downwind which could put him in direct conflict with the runway 34 base. Merrill tower does have radar and I was squawking a discrete code with mode C as I assume the navajo was. All 3 runways at the field were using the same tower frequency. I had monitored radio calls to other aircraft; and had expected the tower to point out traffic if there were a potential conflict other than the usual pattern issues. The approach from the south is supposed to be well east of the runway 34 pattern (campbell arrival/departure); and the pattern altitudes are 900 ft for aircraft 105 KTS of less; but 1200 ft if faster. I assume that the tower controller gave the navajo the nonstandard approach into runway 7 and that the navajo was more vigilantly watching for the cherokee rather than for traffic in the runway 34 pattern. Regardless; I would want to be higher than 900 ft if I were crossing the pattern for the other runway in use.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C207 EXPERIENCED NMAC AT APPROX 700 FT WHILE IN THE PATTERN FOR MRI; NO TFC ISSUED BY ATC AND NO FORMAL NMAC RPTED.

Narrative: I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE FROM ANCHORAGE APCH TO MERRILL TWR AT POINT MCKENZIE AND WAS GIVEN A PART 93 DEV INTO THE MERRILL AIRSPACE. I CONTACTED MRI TWR AND WAS TOLD TO ENTER BASE FOR RWY 34 AND TO CONTACT THE TWR OVER WEST HIGH. I CROSSED THE INLET AT 1000 FT AND AT APPROX MID-CHANNEL HEARD THE TWR TELL A CHEROKEE TO WIDEN OUT FOR A NAVAJO AND ALSO TELL THE NAVAJO THAT HIS TFC WAS THE CHEROKEE WIDENING OUT FOR HIM. THE CHEROKEE ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPEATED THE ENTIRE REQUEST VERY DELIBERATELY. I WAS PAST W HIGH WHEN I WAS ABLE TO CALL THAT I WAS INSIDE W HIGH. I WAS CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 34. I FLEW MY BASE LEG OVER NORTHERN LIGHTS BLVD. I WAS LOOKING FOR A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH THE CHEROKEE AS I WAS THINKING IT WAS THE RWY 7 TOUCH-AND-GO PATTERN NORMALLY FLOWN N OF MY POS; BUT THE TWR HAD NOT POINTED OUT ANY TFC OR ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS. ALSO; THE WIND WAS 030 DEGS AT 4 KTS ON THE GND; BUT STRONGER AT PATTERN LEVEL; POTENTIALLY PUSHING TOUCH-AND-GO TFC IN MY DIRECTION. I HAD NOT HEARD ANYONE ELSE COMING IN TO RWY 34; AND TFC FROM THE S (IN MY 23 YRS OF FLYING OUT OF MERRILL FIELD) COMES IN TO THE E OF MY FINAL PATH TO ENTER DOWNWIND FOR RWY 7 OR RWY 25 UNLESS IT IS LNDG ON RWY 34. AS I WAS PLANNING MY TURN TO FINAL; THE NAVAJO CROSSED MY PATH FROM R TO L IN A L TURN. I REGISTERED THAT; THEN DID MY LNDG. THE TWR TOLD ME TO TAXI TO PARKING WITH NO INDICATION IN THE XMISSION THAT ANYTHING HAD HAPPENED. AFTER SECURING THE PLANE; I CALLED TWR AND SPOKE WITH A CTLR WHO WAS GOING TO TALK WITH ONE WHO HAD JUST WORKED ME IN. 2 HRS LATER; I CALLED THE TWR AGAIN AND SPOKE WITH THE CTLR WHO HAD HANDLED MY FLT. HE WAS VERY APOLOGETIC AND PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE CHEROKEE WAS A STUDENT PLT; AND THE NAVAJO HAD BEEN COMING IN FROM THE S FOR RWY 7. THE CTLR WAS WIDENING OUT THE CHEROKEE ON DOWNWIND TO ALLOW MORE SPACE FOR THE FASTER NAVAJO TO ENTER THE PATTERN RATHER THAN HAVE TO MANEUVER ABOUT. THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT HE SAW THE NAVAJO PASS AHEAD OF ME AND TURNED HIS ATTN TO THE CHEROKEE WHICH HE THOUGHT MIGHT BE A PROB. HE DID NOT CALL OUT ANY TFC TO ME OR ALERT THE NAVAJO TO ME; AND DID NOT SEE OUR NEAR MISS. THE NAVAJO SHOULD HAVE HEARD MY CALL INSIDE W HIGH AND MY CLRNC TO LAND ON RWY 34. I HAD NOT HEARD THE NAVAJO'S CALL AS TO WHERE HE WAS COMING FROM WHICH I ASSUME HAPPENED PRIOR TO MY FREQ CHANGE TO TWR. THE NAVAJO WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHERE THE RWY 34 PATTERN IS; AND WHILE I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS DIRECTIONS FROM THE TWR WERE; SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS LOW AS HE WAS OPERATING IN THE VICINITY OF THE RWY 34 BASE AND FINAL LEGS; AND SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COMING INTO THE W OF THE RWY 34 FINAL LEG. ALSO; THE TWR WAS RUNNING A RISK ASKING A STUDENT PLT TO WIDEN OUT HIS RWY 7 DOWNWIND WHICH COULD PUT HIM IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH THE RWY 34 BASE. MERRILL TWR DOES HAVE RADAR AND I WAS SQUAWKING A DISCRETE CODE WITH MODE C AS I ASSUME THE NAVAJO WAS. ALL 3 RWYS AT THE FIELD WERE USING THE SAME TWR FREQ. I HAD MONITORED RADIO CALLS TO OTHER ACFT; AND HAD EXPECTED THE TWR TO POINT OUT TFC IF THERE WERE A POTENTIAL CONFLICT OTHER THAN THE USUAL PATTERN ISSUES. THE APCH FROM THE S IS SUPPOSED TO BE WELL E OF THE RWY 34 PATTERN (CAMPBELL ARR/DEP); AND THE PATTERN ALTS ARE 900 FT FOR ACFT 105 KTS OF LESS; BUT 1200 FT IF FASTER. I ASSUME THAT THE TWR CTLR GAVE THE NAVAJO THE NONSTANDARD APCH INTO RWY 7 AND THAT THE NAVAJO WAS MORE VIGILANTLY WATCHING FOR THE CHEROKEE RATHER THAN FOR TFC IN THE RWY 34 PATTERN. REGARDLESS; I WOULD WANT TO BE HIGHER THAN 900 FT IF I WERE XING THE PATTERN FOR THE OTHER RWY IN USE.

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.