NASA · Aviation Safety Reporting System
Experimental aircraft pilot reported an NMAC occurred during cruise. A helicopter flying in the opposite direction was at the wrong altitude while traveling eastbound.
What is ASRS?
The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.
Pilot narrative
Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the
reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time);
anonymization placeholders are ZZZ,
X, Y.
I was on a VFR flight plan in cruise configuration traveling westbound at 8500 ft. on a 260- degree heading. A small helicopter traveling opposite, eastbound, at my altitude nearly collided with me, missing me by approximately 150 ft. The helicopter was clearly at the incorrect altitude traveling eastbound. This near mid-air occurred approximately 25 - 30 NM miles east of BVL VOR. I would like you to investigate if you can determine who was operating the helicopter at the incorrect VFR altitude and take action.
NASA classification — Anomalies
- Conflict
- Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural
NASA classification — Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Human Factors · Procedure
- Primary Problem
- Procedure
ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.