Narrative:

While heading south on the assigned vector, the port columbus airport was sighted by both crew members at approximately the 10 O'clock position and approximately 10 mi away. At this time the aircraft was flying an assigned heading of 160-180 degrees while descending to an assigned altitude of 4000' MSL. Approach control issued a traffic advisory to the flight of, to the best of my recollection, 'traffic 11 O'clock, 3 mi, altitude unknown.' both pilots scanned for the reported traffic west/O sighting it. The lack of visual contact with the reported traffic was relayed to the approach control. Shortly thereafter, the approach controller pointed out the location of the port columbus as 10 O'clock and repeated the traffic advisory as 'traffic 12 O'clock less than a mile.' both pilots again scanned for the traffic west/O success. The first officer reported the airport in sight and no contact with the reported traffic. A visual approach clearance to runway 10R was issued by approach control. Flight then began a shallow, left hand descending turn in order to intercept the runway 10R final approach course for landing. Shortly after the aircraft began its descending left hand turn, the first officer spotted the aircraft. As the first officer exclaimed the close proximity of the light aircraft, captain initiated a left climbing turn from approximately 3750-3900' MSL. The aircraft in question was idented by the first officer as being an small aircraft. Due to the fact that he was flying the aircraft, focusing his attention to the left of aircraft toward the runway, and the aircraft was in a shallow descending left turn, captain did not see the small aircraft at any time. According to first officer, when he first sighted the aircraft, it was slightly forward and below the nose. The small aircraft was traveling in a south westerly direction. It was not able to determine whether the small aircraft was level, climbing, or descending due to the short amount of time involved with this incident. The small aircraft passed under the right wind of flight at a distance estimated to be less than 300'. Tower supervisor relayed some important information during his telephone conversation with captain: at the position of the near collision, the small aircraft in question was within the columbus arsa. The small aircraft was not in radio contact with anyone and in clear violation of the rules concerning flight within the arsa. The small aircraft in question had a transponder and was squawking code 1200. No altitude reporting information was available from the small aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WHILE BEING VECTORED FOR A VISUAL APCH, MLG HAS NMAC WITH SMA IN THE ARSA.

Narrative: WHILE HDG S ON THE ASSIGNED VECTOR, THE PORT COLUMBUS ARPT WAS SIGHTED BY BOTH CREW MEMBERS AT APPROX THE 10 O'CLOCK POS AND APPROX 10 MI AWAY. AT THIS TIME THE ACFT WAS FLYING AN ASSIGNED HDG OF 160-180 DEGS WHILE DSNDING TO AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 4000' MSL. APCH CTL ISSUED A TFC ADVISORY TO THE FLT OF, TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION, 'TFC 11 O'CLOCK, 3 MI, ALT UNKNOWN.' BOTH PLTS SCANNED FOR THE RPTED TFC W/O SIGHTING IT. THE LACK OF VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RPTED TFC WAS RELAYED TO THE APCH CTL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE APCH CTLR POINTED OUT THE LOCATION OF THE PORT COLUMBUS AS 10 O'CLOCK AND REPEATED THE TFC ADVISORY AS 'TFC 12 O'CLOCK LESS THAN A MILE.' BOTH PLTS AGAIN SCANNED FOR THE TFC W/O SUCCESS. THE F/O RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT AND NO CONTACT WITH THE RPTED TFC. A VISUAL APCH CLRNC TO RWY 10R WAS ISSUED BY APCH CTL. FLT THEN BEGAN A SHALLOW, LEFT HAND DSNDING TURN IN ORDER TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 10R FINAL APCH COURSE FOR LNDG. SHORTLY AFTER THE ACFT BEGAN ITS DSNDING LEFT HAND TURN, THE F/O SPOTTED THE ACFT. AS THE F/O EXCLAIMED THE CLOSE PROX OF THE LIGHT ACFT, CAPT INITIATED A LEFT CLBING TURN FROM APPROX 3750-3900' MSL. THE ACFT IN QUESTION WAS IDENTED BY THE F/O AS BEING AN SMA. DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS FLYING THE ACFT, FOCUSING HIS ATTN TO THE LEFT OF ACFT TOWARD THE RWY, AND THE ACFT WAS IN A SHALLOW DSNDING LEFT TURN, CAPT DID NOT SEE THE SMA AT ANY TIME. ACCORDING TO F/O, WHEN HE FIRST SIGHTED THE ACFT, IT WAS SLIGHTLY FORWARD AND BELOW THE NOSE. THE SMA WAS TRAVELING IN A S WESTERLY DIRECTION. IT WAS NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SMA WAS LEVEL, CLBING, OR DSNDING DUE TO THE SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME INVOLVED WITH THIS INCIDENT. THE SMA PASSED UNDER THE RIGHT WIND OF FLT AT A DISTANCE ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN 300'. TWR SUPVR RELAYED SOME IMPORTANT INFO DURING HIS TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH CAPT: AT THE POS OF THE NEAR COLLISION, THE SMA IN QUESTION WAS WITHIN THE COLUMBUS ARSA. THE SMA WAS NOT IN RADIO CONTACT WITH ANYONE AND IN CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE RULES CONCERNING FLT WITHIN THE ARSA. THE SMA IN QUESTION HAD A TRANSPONDER AND WAS SQUAWKING CODE 1200. NO ALT RPTING INFO WAS AVAILABLE FROM THE SMA.

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.