Small aircraft on visual approach flew too close to air carrier light transport resulting in near mi...

Attributes
ACN	96490
Time
Date	198810
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : psp
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2500 msl bound upper : 2500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tracon : psp
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Light Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Phase	other
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 285 flight time total : 3300 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	96490
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe conflict : nmac non adherence : clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : took evasive action none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Miss Distance	horizontal : 100 vertical : 0
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

While on a base leg almost to turn final, I glanced to the right and saw the small aircraft in our 2:30 to 3:00 position at our altitude. I grabbed the controls and banked hard left and pitched up. My first officer saw the aircraft flash past us just aft of the tail. When small aircraft Y appeared on the left side of the aircraft, he was now below us but still basically wings level. A contributing factor in the incident was a door seal problem causing us to return to land. I had been off frequency during part of the downwind leg notifying company that we were returning to the gate. I was also primarily head down during late downwind, early base, while I ran the descent approach before landing checklists. Most of these checklists would normally have been completed prior to entering the terminal area. When I called the tower chief on the ground he said small aircraft Y had a visual on us and had been cleared for a visual approach behind us. Neither my first officer nor I had heard any of the conversation between the tower and small aircraft Y.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA ON VISUAL APCH FLEW TOO CLOSE TO ACR LTT RESULTING IN NMAC.

Narrative: WHILE ON A BASE LEG ALMOST TO TURN FINAL, I GLANCED TO THE RIGHT AND SAW THE SMA IN OUR 2:30 TO 3:00 POS AT OUR ALT. I GRABBED THE CONTROLS AND BANKED HARD LEFT AND PITCHED UP. MY F/O SAW THE ACFT FLASH PAST US JUST AFT OF THE TAIL. WHEN SMA Y APPEARED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ACFT, HE WAS NOW BELOW US BUT STILL BASICALLY WINGS LEVEL. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT WAS A DOOR SEAL PROB CAUSING US TO RETURN TO LAND. I HAD BEEN OFF FREQ DURING PART OF THE DOWNWIND LEG NOTIFYING COMPANY THAT WE WERE RETURNING TO THE GATE. I WAS ALSO PRIMARILY HEAD DOWN DURING LATE DOWNWIND, EARLY BASE, WHILE I RAN THE DSCNT APCH BEFORE LNDG CHKLISTS. MOST OF THESE CHKLISTS WOULD NORMALLY HAVE BEEN COMPLETED PRIOR TO ENTERING THE TERMINAL AREA. WHEN I CALLED THE TWR CHIEF ON THE GND HE SAID SMA Y HAD A VISUAL ON US AND HAD BEEN CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH BEHIND US. NEITHER MY F/O NOR I HAD HEARD ANY OF THE CONVERSATION BTWN THE TWR AND SMA Y.

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.

Small aircraft on visual approach flew too close to air carrier light transport resulting in near midair collision.