Narrative:

This incident began on a cavu day while I was flying near geist reservoir, approximately 25 mi northeast of ind, testing radio equipment and a flight director/autoplt in an small aircraft. At 2500' I set the heading bug to intercept the localizer for ind 22R. After looking for traffic I allowed the flight director, with the autoplt engaged, to capture the localizer and began tracking inbound at 2500' and 150 KTS. The G/south was in the arm mode so, after again checking for traffic, I initiated a climb to test the G/south capture mode. When the G/south captured at approximately 4500' I intended to turn right to a northerly heading to clear the area. When I checked for traffic, I observed an light transport at my 5 O'clock position approximately 1/2 mi away, and slightly lower, heading in approximately the same direction passing me on my right. Upon observing him I maintained heading and altitude and visual sep until he was well in front of me. I then turned northerly to clear the area. Upon landing at metropolitan ind (4i8) I was asked, on unicom, to call the ind tower. He asked if I had recently been flying near the ind downtown area. I told him I had, and he informed me that the light transport pilot was going to file a near miss because he had to be vectored around me on the approach. He then asked if I was aware of the ind arsa and I told him I was. I do not believe, however, that I entered the arsa nor would I ever do so intentionally west/O making radio contact. However, my attention was diverted from where I was, geographically, during the time I was maintaining visual sep from the other aircraft, since I had no way of knowing if he had visual contact with me. The only evasive action on my part was to maintain heading and altitude until I could turn safely behind the jet. I now realize how very inappropriate it was for me to have flown, even on a clear day, near the localizer of a busy airport west/O being in radio contact with the controling facility. I can guarantee it will never, under any circumstance, happen again. I do believe a contributing factor was my attentiveness to the proper operation of the flight director I was testing. I was also made aware of how something of this nature, which I have heard about in the numerous safety seminars and recurrent training sessions that I have taken, can happen even though you believe yourself to be a safety conscious pilot and have thought it could never happen to you. I have apologized, by telephone, to both the ATC controller, and the pilot of the other aircraft, for any inconvenience they may have experienced. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: reporter agrees that after G/south capture and then delaying turn because of traffic he probably did actually enter the arsa. He knows the pilot of the small transport and had flown with him in the small transport but unfortunately was unable to get hold of him before he filed the near midair collision. Has talked to FAA and they are investigating whether to file violation against pilot of small aircraft for unauthorized entry into arsa. They are not blaming him directly for the near midair collision since the small transport was overtaking the small aircraft from behind and it was small transport responsibility to see and avoid. Reporter stated he just became too engrossed in flight test and did not realize he was so close to arsa.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GA SMA ON ACFT FLT TEST PENETRATED ARSA WITHOUT AUTH WITH RESULTANT POTENTIAL AIRBOURNE CONFLICT.

Narrative: THIS INCIDENT BEGAN ON A CAVU DAY WHILE I WAS FLYING NEAR GEIST RESERVOIR, APPROX 25 MI NE OF IND, TESTING RADIO EQUIP AND A FLT DIRECTOR/AUTOPLT IN AN SMA. AT 2500' I SET THE HDG BUG TO INTERCEPT THE LOC FOR IND 22R. AFTER LOOKING FOR TFC I ALLOWED THE FLT DIRECTOR, WITH THE AUTOPLT ENGAGED, TO CAPTURE THE LOC AND BEGAN TRACKING INBND AT 2500' AND 150 KTS. THE G/S WAS IN THE ARM MODE SO, AFTER AGAIN CHKING FOR TFC, I INITIATED A CLB TO TEST THE G/S CAPTURE MODE. WHEN THE G/S CAPTURED AT APPROX 4500' I INTENDED TO TURN RIGHT TO A NORTHERLY HDG TO CLR THE AREA. WHEN I CHKED FOR TFC, I OBSERVED AN LTT AT MY 5 O'CLOCK POS APPROX 1/2 MI AWAY, AND SLIGHTLY LOWER, HDG IN APPROX THE SAME DIRECTION PASSING ME ON MY RIGHT. UPON OBSERVING HIM I MAINTAINED HDG AND ALT AND VISUAL SEP UNTIL HE WAS WELL IN FRONT OF ME. I THEN TURNED NORTHERLY TO CLR THE AREA. UPON LNDG AT METRO IND (4I8) I WAS ASKED, ON UNICOM, TO CALL THE IND TWR. HE ASKED IF I HAD RECENTLY BEEN FLYING NEAR THE IND DOWNTOWN AREA. I TOLD HIM I HAD, AND HE INFORMED ME THAT THE LTT PLT WAS GOING TO FILE A NEAR MISS BECAUSE HE HAD TO BE VECTORED AROUND ME ON THE APCH. HE THEN ASKED IF I WAS AWARE OF THE IND ARSA AND I TOLD HIM I WAS. I DO NOT BELIEVE, HOWEVER, THAT I ENTERED THE ARSA NOR WOULD I EVER DO SO INTENTIONALLY W/O MAKING RADIO CONTACT. HOWEVER, MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED FROM WHERE I WAS, GEOGRAPHICALLY, DURING THE TIME I WAS MAINTAINING VISUAL SEP FROM THE OTHER ACFT, SINCE I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING IF HE HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH ME. THE ONLY EVASIVE ACTION ON MY PART WAS TO MAINTAIN HDG AND ALT UNTIL I COULD TURN SAFELY BEHIND THE JET. I NOW REALIZE HOW VERY INAPPROPRIATE IT WAS FOR ME TO HAVE FLOWN, EVEN ON A CLEAR DAY, NEAR THE LOC OF A BUSY ARPT W/O BEING IN RADIO CONTACT WITH THE CTLING FAC. I CAN GUARANTEE IT WILL NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, HAPPEN AGAIN. I DO BELIEVE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS MY ATTENTIVENESS TO THE PROPER OPERATION OF THE FLT DIRECTOR I WAS TESTING. I WAS ALSO MADE AWARE OF HOW SOMETHING OF THIS NATURE, WHICH I HAVE HEARD ABOUT IN THE NUMEROUS SAFETY SEMINARS AND RECURRENT TRNING SESSIONS THAT I HAVE TAKEN, CAN HAPPEN EVEN THOUGH YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF TO BE A SAFETY CONSCIOUS PLT AND HAVE THOUGHT IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU. I HAVE APOLOGIZED, BY TELEPHONE, TO BOTH THE ATC CTLR, AND THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT, FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THEY MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: RPTR AGREES THAT AFTER G/S CAPTURE AND THEN DELAYING TURN BECAUSE OF TFC HE PROBABLY DID ACTUALLY ENTER THE ARSA. HE KNOWS THE PLT OF THE SMT AND HAD FLOWN WITH HIM IN THE SMT BUT UNFORTUNATELY WAS UNABLE TO GET HOLD OF HIM BEFORE HE FILED THE NMAC. HAS TALKED TO FAA AND THEY ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER TO FILE VIOLATION AGAINST PLT OF SMA FOR UNAUTH ENTRY INTO ARSA. THEY ARE NOT BLAMING HIM DIRECTLY FOR THE NMAC SINCE THE SMT WAS OVERTAKING THE SMA FROM BEHIND AND IT WAS SMT RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE AND AVOID. RPTR STATED HE JUST BECAME TOO ENGROSSED IN FLT TEST AND DID NOT REALIZE HE WAS SO CLOSE TO ARSA.

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.