Narrative:

Approaching mhk from mci in communication with kansas city center, ATC called traffic, small aircraft a at 12 O'clock, 9 mi. Continuing inbound we eventually spotted the small aircraft a at 12 O'clock and approximately 4 mi. At that time we cancelled IFR and deviated left to enter the traffic pattern for runway 31 on left base at a distance of about 2 mi. By this time our speed was down to 180 KTS. While we were in the left deviation an small aircraft B called 2 mi final for runway 31. Keeping the small aircraft a in sight I initiated a right turn to join the left base behind him. During the turn I reduced speed to 160 KTS and called for 1/2 flaps and gear. Upon rolling level the captain and I both had the small aircraft a in sight ahead and I spotted and called small aircraft B on final ahead of the small aircraft a. The first small aircraft B landed and the small aircraft a was on about a 1/2 mi final as we began our base to final turn. During this turn another aircraft called that, 'I see the small transport and I'm breaking off.' at this time the captain and I both observed a red aircraft in a left turn slightly above our altitude at a distance of approximately 1 mi. The rest of the approach and landing was uneventful. Supplemental information from acn 83003: when I acquired the small aircraft C again during our turn, he was about 2 O'clock and moving to our left (which was a function of his direction, southwest, and our turn). At this time I heard him call to mhk traffic that he saw an small transport turning into him, and something to the effect that he was breaking off the pattern. I then saw him begin a descending left hand turn towards us. He was at our altitude, 2500' MSL, and approximately 4000-6000' away from us. We rolled out of our turn on a heading for the base leg entry for our approach. The small aircraft C passed well off to our right. We completed the pattern and landed west/O incident. When I first saw the small aircraft C, I had assumed from his position and his calls on CTAF that he was entering the base leg behind the small aircraft a, so I can neither explain why he was heading southwest against the traffic flow that close to the airport, nor why he was at 2500' MSL (1500' AGL), which is turbine aircraft pattern altitude. I am also puzzled by the fact that his evasive maneuver was a turn to his left (in effect, turning into our turn), because this was the safety of the flight in question. I had the small aircraft C in sight at all times except for the 10 seconds or so when we started our turn, and he had not moved by more than a few thousand ft in that time. The small aircraft C filed a near miss report, claiming that we had passed within 400' of his aircraft, and was angry at us, claiming that we had intentionally cut him out of the pattern. I later found out that the small aircraft C was heading to the southwest to enter on a left downwind for runway 21. He was much too close to the field to be traveling against the traffic flow. By positioning himself against the traffic flow, and at the turbine engine pattern altitude, he was setting himself up for trouble. If he would have entered the base leg like all the other traffic was doing, this would have solved the conflict. Likewise, if he would have extended his swbnd leg farther to the south of the airport so as to enter the downwind leg at the recommended 45 degree angle, this too would have prevented this occurrence. In the small aircraft C drivers attempt to enter the mhk pattern on the downwind leg, he disregarded every other aircraft's position, and common sense. The standard entry into the mhk pattern from the east is a 45 degree entry into the base leg. This pilot flies out of mhk, so he should have known this fact as well as I. Mhk has been badly in need of a control tower for yrs. The traffic is much too heavy for see and avoid to work all the time. Mhk FSS is due to close sometime soon. This is a horrible mistake.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLOSE PROX TFC BETWEEN ACR-SMT AND GA-SMA AT NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative: APCHING MHK FROM MCI IN COM WITH KANSAS CITY CENTER, ATC CALLED TFC, SMA A AT 12 O'CLOCK, 9 MI. CONTINUING INBND WE EVENTUALLY SPOTTED THE SMA A AT 12 O'CLOCK AND APPROX 4 MI. AT THAT TIME WE CANCELLED IFR AND DEVIATED LEFT TO ENTER THE TFC PATTERN FOR RWY 31 ON LEFT BASE AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 2 MI. BY THIS TIME OUR SPD WAS DOWN TO 180 KTS. WHILE WE WERE IN THE LEFT DEVIATION AN SMA B CALLED 2 MI FINAL FOR RWY 31. KEEPING THE SMA A IN SIGHT I INITIATED A RIGHT TURN TO JOIN THE LEFT BASE BEHIND HIM. DURING THE TURN I REDUCED SPD TO 160 KTS AND CALLED FOR 1/2 FLAPS AND GEAR. UPON ROLLING LEVEL THE CAPT AND I BOTH HAD THE SMA A IN SIGHT AHEAD AND I SPOTTED AND CALLED SMA B ON FINAL AHEAD OF THE SMA A. THE FIRST SMA B LANDED AND THE SMA A WAS ON ABOUT A 1/2 MI FINAL AS WE BEGAN OUR BASE TO FINAL TURN. DURING THIS TURN ANOTHER ACFT CALLED THAT, 'I SEE THE SMT AND I'M BREAKING OFF.' AT THIS TIME THE CAPT AND I BOTH OBSERVED A RED ACFT IN A LEFT TURN SLIGHTLY ABOVE OUR ALT AT A DISTANCE OF APPROX 1 MI. THE REST OF THE APCH AND LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 83003: WHEN I ACQUIRED THE SMA C AGAIN DURING OUR TURN, HE WAS ABOUT 2 O'CLOCK AND MOVING TO OUR LEFT (WHICH WAS A FUNCTION OF HIS DIRECTION, SW, AND OUR TURN). AT THIS TIME I HEARD HIM CALL TO MHK TFC THAT HE SAW AN SMT TURNING INTO HIM, AND SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT HE WAS BREAKING OFF THE PATTERN. I THEN SAW HIM BEGIN A DSNDING LEFT HAND TURN TOWARDS US. HE WAS AT OUR ALT, 2500' MSL, AND APPROX 4000-6000' AWAY FROM US. WE ROLLED OUT OF OUR TURN ON A HDG FOR THE BASE LEG ENTRY FOR OUR APCH. THE SMA C PASSED WELL OFF TO OUR RIGHT. WE COMPLETED THE PATTERN AND LANDED W/O INCIDENT. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE SMA C, I HAD ASSUMED FROM HIS POS AND HIS CALLS ON CTAF THAT HE WAS ENTERING THE BASE LEG BEHIND THE SMA A, SO I CAN NEITHER EXPLAIN WHY HE WAS HDG SW AGAINST THE TFC FLOW THAT CLOSE TO THE ARPT, NOR WHY HE WAS AT 2500' MSL (1500' AGL), WHICH IS TURBINE ACFT PATTERN ALT. I AM ALSO PUZZLED BY THE FACT THAT HIS EVASIVE MANEUVER WAS A TURN TO HIS LEFT (IN EFFECT, TURNING INTO OUR TURN), BECAUSE THIS WAS THE SAFETY OF THE FLT IN QUESTION. I HAD THE SMA C IN SIGHT AT ALL TIMES EXCEPT FOR THE 10 SECS OR SO WHEN WE STARTED OUR TURN, AND HE HAD NOT MOVED BY MORE THAN A FEW THOUSAND FT IN THAT TIME. THE SMA C FILED A NEAR MISS RPT, CLAIMING THAT WE HAD PASSED WITHIN 400' OF HIS ACFT, AND WAS ANGRY AT US, CLAIMING THAT WE HAD INTENTIONALLY CUT HIM OUT OF THE PATTERN. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE SMA C WAS HDG TO THE SW TO ENTER ON A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 21. HE WAS MUCH TOO CLOSE TO THE FIELD TO BE TRAVELING AGAINST THE TFC FLOW. BY POSITIONING HIMSELF AGAINST THE TFC FLOW, AND AT THE TURBINE ENG PATTERN ALT, HE WAS SETTING HIMSELF UP FOR TROUBLE. IF HE WOULD HAVE ENTERED THE BASE LEG LIKE ALL THE OTHER TFC WAS DOING, THIS WOULD HAVE SOLVED THE CONFLICT. LIKEWISE, IF HE WOULD HAVE EXTENDED HIS SWBND LEG FARTHER TO THE S OF THE ARPT SO AS TO ENTER THE DOWNWIND LEG AT THE RECOMMENDED 45 DEG ANGLE, THIS TOO WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS OCCURRENCE. IN THE SMA C DRIVERS ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE MHK PATTERN ON THE DOWNWIND LEG, HE DISREGARDED EVERY OTHER ACFT'S POS, AND COMMON SENSE. THE STANDARD ENTRY INTO THE MHK PATTERN FROM THE E IS A 45 DEG ENTRY INTO THE BASE LEG. THIS PLT FLIES OUT OF MHK, SO HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS FACT AS WELL AS I. MHK HAS BEEN BADLY IN NEED OF A CTL TWR FOR YRS. THE TFC IS MUCH TOO HEAVY FOR SEE AND AVOID TO WORK ALL THE TIME. MHK FSS IS DUE TO CLOSE SOMETIME SOON. THIS IS A HORRIBLE MISTAKE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.