Narrative:

At XA40 huntsville approach cleared us to descend from 4000 ft to 3000 ft altitude. The AWOS at cullman (3a1) was reporting winds 120 degrees at 5 KTS; 3000 ft broken with visibility of 5 mi. We were 10 mi south of the cullman airport. First officer asked me to monitor huntsville approach while he went to communication #2 to contact unicom at cullman. He reported our position and asked for airport advisory. He was told by unicom that he had a citation that would hold at runway 20 for us to land. First officer responded that we would enter a left downwind for runway 20. The visibility while looking for the airport in the afternoon sun at 3000 ft was no more than 1 mi. Huntsville approach called and said to descend and maintain 2400 ft and that the airport was 12 O'clock position and 5 mi; and to advise in sight. Knowing that the citation waiting departure would be anxious to leave; I had planned on getting established in the traffic pattern at 2400 ft and had planned on canceling our IFR when we had the airport; runway; and the departing citation in sight. Suddenly; huntsville approach called and said they had pop-up traffic 12 O'clock position 2 mi; opposite direction climbing out of 2000 ft. We were at 2600 ft altitude still in a descent at that moment. Immediately the TCAS announced 'traffic; traffic.' I looked at the TCAS display and saw the solid square (solid meaning a threat); and that it was headed straight toward us in a climb. I immediately throttled up; clicked off the autoplt and started a climbing right turn; hoping the traffic would level out and turn to the right. He did neither. He remained for at least 30 seconds 300 ft underneath us climbing. At 4600 ft I noticed that he was behind us but the TCAS still said 300 ft below. In the meantime; a citation checked in on huntsville approach frequency and asked for an IFR clearance. Huntsville gave him a squawk code and told him to remain VFR. Another aircraft called huntsville at the time and blocked the frequency for a moment. After the frequency cleared I asked huntsville to tell me the position of the conflicting traffic. They told me he was now 3 mi behind and at 3000 ft. They then asked if I would like vectors back to cullman airport and I said affirmative. They told me to fly heading 270 degrees and descend and maintain 3000 ft. I told them I was leaving 4600 ft for 3000 ft as I had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with the departing citation. Huntsville approach then continued my left turn; descended me to 2400 ft when I got the airport in sight and we entered a left downwind; canceled our IFR clearance and landed safely. I went in the FBO and asked for the n-number of the departing citation. He told me. He said that when he departed he reported having the incoming citation in sight. This leaves me to several questions: 1) why would you depart opposite directions in the face of any traffic? 2) why would you depart VFR in IFR conditions? 3) if you have traffic in sight; why turn directly into them? I had reported in to cullman unicom that we were 5 mi south and would be entering a left downwind for runway 20 and switched back to huntsville approach. When huntsville called alerting us about the traffic; the TCAS went off about the same time. At no time did either of us see the other aircraft. We only had the TCAS system for information and it showed 300 ft below us as we abruptly turned out to the east and started our climb. The TCAS continued to show 300 ft as we climbed until we asked huntsville approach where the traffic was. I also question why anyone would turn left after takeoff when we had stated on unicom that we would enter a left downwind or runway 20. Looking into the sun left us with limited visibility even though the AWOS was broadcasting 5 mi.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CE650 CREW ARRIVING 3A1 RPTS CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH CE550 DEPARTING AT 2600 FT.

Narrative: AT XA40 HUNTSVILLE APCH CLRED US TO DSND FROM 4000 FT TO 3000 FT ALT. THE AWOS AT CULLMAN (3A1) WAS RPTING WINDS 120 DEGS AT 5 KTS; 3000 FT BROKEN WITH VISIBILITY OF 5 MI. WE WERE 10 MI S OF THE CULLMAN ARPT. FO ASKED ME TO MONITOR HUNTSVILLE APCH WHILE HE WENT TO COM #2 TO CONTACT UNICOM AT CULLMAN. HE RPTED OUR POS AND ASKED FOR ARPT ADVISORY. HE WAS TOLD BY UNICOM THAT HE HAD A CITATION THAT WOULD HOLD AT RWY 20 FOR US TO LAND. FO RESPONDED THAT WE WOULD ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 20. THE VISIBILITY WHILE LOOKING FOR THE ARPT IN THE AFTERNOON SUN AT 3000 FT WAS NO MORE THAN 1 MI. HUNTSVILLE APCH CALLED AND SAID TO DSND AND MAINTAIN 2400 FT AND THAT THE ARPT WAS 12 O'CLOCK POS AND 5 MI; AND TO ADVISE IN SIGHT. KNOWING THAT THE CITATION WAITING DEP WOULD BE ANXIOUS TO LEAVE; I HAD PLANNED ON GETTING ESTABLISHED IN THE TFC PATTERN AT 2400 FT AND HAD PLANNED ON CANCELING OUR IFR WHEN WE HAD THE ARPT; RWY; AND THE DEPARTING CITATION IN SIGHT. SUDDENLY; HUNTSVILLE APCH CALLED AND SAID THEY HAD POP-UP TFC 12 O'CLOCK POS 2 MI; OPPOSITE DIRECTION CLBING OUT OF 2000 FT. WE WERE AT 2600 FT ALT STILL IN A DSCNT AT THAT MOMENT. IMMEDIATELY THE TCAS ANNOUNCED 'TFC; TFC.' I LOOKED AT THE TCAS DISPLAY AND SAW THE SOLID SQUARE (SOLID MEANING A THREAT); AND THAT IT WAS HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARD US IN A CLB. I IMMEDIATELY THROTTLED UP; CLICKED OFF THE AUTOPLT AND STARTED A CLBING R TURN; HOPING THE TFC WOULD LEVEL OUT AND TURN TO THE R. HE DID NEITHER. HE REMAINED FOR AT LEAST 30 SECONDS 300 FT UNDERNEATH US CLBING. AT 4600 FT I NOTICED THAT HE WAS BEHIND US BUT THE TCAS STILL SAID 300 FT BELOW. IN THE MEANTIME; A CITATION CHKED IN ON HUNTSVILLE APCH FREQ AND ASKED FOR AN IFR CLRNC. HUNTSVILLE GAVE HIM A SQUAWK CODE AND TOLD HIM TO REMAIN VFR. ANOTHER ACFT CALLED HUNTSVILLE AT THE TIME AND BLOCKED THE FREQ FOR A MOMENT. AFTER THE FREQ CLRED I ASKED HUNTSVILLE TO TELL ME THE POS OF THE CONFLICTING TFC. THEY TOLD ME HE WAS NOW 3 MI BEHIND AND AT 3000 FT. THEY THEN ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE VECTORS BACK TO CULLMAN ARPT AND I SAID AFFIRMATIVE. THEY TOLD ME TO FLY HDG 270 DEGS AND DSND AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT. I TOLD THEM I WAS LEAVING 4600 FT FOR 3000 FT AS I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION TO AVOID A COLLISION WITH THE DEPARTING CITATION. HUNTSVILLE APCH THEN CONTINUED MY L TURN; DSNDED ME TO 2400 FT WHEN I GOT THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND WE ENTERED A L DOWNWIND; CANCELED OUR IFR CLRNC AND LANDED SAFELY. I WENT IN THE FBO AND ASKED FOR THE N-NUMBER OF THE DEPARTING CITATION. HE TOLD ME. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE DEPARTED HE RPTED HAVING THE INCOMING CITATION IN SIGHT. THIS LEAVES ME TO SEVERAL QUESTIONS: 1) WHY WOULD YOU DEPART OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS IN THE FACE OF ANY TFC? 2) WHY WOULD YOU DEPART VFR IN IFR CONDITIONS? 3) IF YOU HAVE TFC IN SIGHT; WHY TURN DIRECTLY INTO THEM? I HAD RPTED IN TO CULLMAN UNICOM THAT WE WERE 5 MI S AND WOULD BE ENTERING A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 20 AND SWITCHED BACK TO HUNTSVILLE APCH. WHEN HUNTSVILLE CALLED ALERTING US ABOUT THE TFC; THE TCAS WENT OFF ABOUT THE SAME TIME. AT NO TIME DID EITHER OF US SEE THE OTHER ACFT. WE ONLY HAD THE TCAS SYS FOR INFO AND IT SHOWED 300 FT BELOW US AS WE ABRUPTLY TURNED OUT TO THE E AND STARTED OUR CLB. THE TCAS CONTINUED TO SHOW 300 FT AS WE CLBED UNTIL WE ASKED HUNTSVILLE APCH WHERE THE TFC WAS. I ALSO QUESTION WHY ANYONE WOULD TURN L AFTER TKOF WHEN WE HAD STATED ON UNICOM THAT WE WOULD ENTER A L DOWNWIND OR RWY 20. LOOKING INTO THE SUN LEFT US WITH LIMITED VISIBILITY EVEN THOUGH THE AWOS WAS BROADCASTING 5 MI.

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.