"Michelle P" wrote in message
ink.net...
Hi all,
While I was on my way home this evening from Flying Traffic survey. I was
nearly run over by a Baron driver coming out of Stafford Airport (RMN) on
his way to Frederick (FDK).
He called Potomac approach saying level 3200. I was cruising at 3000
between Stafford, Virginia near Quantico (NYG) and Culpeper (CJR). I
needed to go around the Quantico Restricted areas (R-6608ABC). They were
all hot, one to 10,000.

This is one of my usual routes to/from work. I have flown it 50 maybe 100
times without any problems.
He came up at my 7 o'clock and departed at the 1 o'clock. He said he never
saw me. He passed directly over my head by about 200 feet. He was so
non-chalant about the whole thing. I immediately reported a near mid-air.
Once on the ground I called the supervisor and they called me back. They
are sending me the forms. A NASA form is being filled out tonight.
To compound the problem the controller was having trouble getting the
Baron radar identified. His transponder did not start working until he
"recycled it" (turned it from standby to Mode C, I suspect). By now it
was too late he had passed me. All the controller could tell me was I had
another airplane in the area.

I live to fly another day.

TCAS anyone? ok so it would not have helped since he did not have his
transponder on.

Michelle

Glad you made it.

This is a tough call, and roughly involves something I've been screaming
about for many years in safety meetings. Don't know what you were flying,
but the general design of a lot of our airplanes isn't all that conducive to
visual checks behind the 3-9 line. Taking a hit through your 7-1 line would
be right there in your blind spot. Even low wing is hard to check visually
at 7-1.
There really isn't a solid safety data point on this from your side. There
is of course something for the Baron to chew.
It brings home quite clearly that in the three dimensional world we enter
when we fly, even though we do everything right and by the book, even
exceeding the book in many cases, we're STILL dependent on OTHERS doing the
right thing to complete the safety picture for us.
It's a sobering thought, but something we have to live with every day both
in aviation and in our normal lives on the ground as well.
I know how you must have felt coming out of this one because I've had close
ones as well. We're all defensive ahead of our wing line, at least those of
us who fly defensively as we should........but strapped into the seat with a
fuselage behind us leaves a blind spot that has to be filled by whoever it
is overtaking us back there.
If there's a safety data point that can be made by your experience, it would
be to remind EVERYBODY (in this case the Baron pilot) that as they are
scanning ahead, as well as protecting their nose, they are as well
responsible for our tail!!! Impact has no right of way. It's too late at
that point. Everybody dies!!
Dudley Henriques