A close call

[Michael]

Yesterday morning I flew my Daughter back to California. Before I left I checked weather with DUATS, they reported 5 miles haze and mist around and at my destination. Definitely doable for me, so off we went. Upon reaching riverside, I was able to tune in ATIS for FUL and heard 1 1/2 mile vis, so I start checking around, and all the airports were reporting under 2 miles vis. I ended up landing at riverside, who just changed from 2 1/2 to 3 while I was circling and was able to get a ride from there.
Takeoff around 10am, and head for home, unusual heavy traffic this time of morning and am vectored around a bit before reaching the banning pass. For those of you unfamiliar with the pass, SoCal App will tell you to keep assigned transponder code but radar service is terminated, contact palm springs App after east of Banning. this is where it got exciting for me. Just before SoCal releases me he asks if I see a cessna at my 12 approx 5 miles, I spot him and answer in sight, and he releases me, telling me to contact palm springs on the other side of banning. I watched the cessna go through the pass and make a right turn towards Palm Springs, when I was sure he was heading south I stopped watching him. a few miles later I call up Palm Springs Approach, "Mooney 6229U level 7500". The controller comes back (with no call sign) "Do you see him off your right wing?" I pause, thinking he cant be talking to me, I must've stepped on a transmission. then a second later, "Mooney 29U, Do you see the aircraft off to your right, Turn immediately 90 degrees"..Ok the heart is racing now..I answer negative and start a 90 degree turn very fast, looking everywhere..where is he? the controller come back and asks again "Do you see him, he is at your altitude and on your right wing..turn immediately"..Ok , now I am starting to get scared and a little ****ed. fist off I AM turning, second, I don't see anything, and why aren't you telling the other guy to turn for gods sake!!
Within a minute ATC comes back "Mooney 29U, traffic no factor, resume own nav"...I am looking everywhere and still do not see any plane anywhere. 2 minutes pass, and he calls traffic again, this time below at 2 o'clock. I spot traffic right away and advise traffic in sight.
What the heck was that all about?? Scared the living hell right out of me.
Either he had bogus traffic info on his screen ( I never heard him talking to that other plane) or he just wasn't paying attention to incoming traffic in his area, maybe he had already released that traffic on his way into the LA basin? don't know, but I am for sure going to be very very careful going through that pass in the future.

 

[bbchien]

The controller comes back (with no call sign) "Do you see him off your right wing?" I pause, thinking he cant be talking to me, I must've stepped on a transmission. then a second later, "Mooney 29U, Do you see the aircraft off to your right, Turn immediately 90 degrees"..Ok the heart is racing now..I answer negative and start a 90 degree turn very fast, looking everywhere..where is he? the controller come back and asks again "Do you see him, he is at your altitude and on your right wing..turn immediately"..Ok , now I am starting to get scared and a little ****ed. fist off I AM turning, second, I don't see anything, and why aren't you telling the other guy to turn for gods sake!!

Since this was VMC I would have returned "left turn 90 degrees. Say altitude for traffic". The big airfoil (wing) is your most powerful direction changing tool. Nothing but nothing beats altitude separation.

It probably scared the hell out of him, too. He was only trying to prevent a real problem.....Sigh. They're retiring Mode S traffic service....sigh.

 

[river_rat]

but I am for sure going to be very very careful going through that pass in the future.

Michael,

The Banning Pass scares the heck out of me.
Going through the pass VFR I always use
11,500 east bound and 10,500 west bound.
At those altitudes you are always in radar contact.

greg

 

[Areeda]

Personally I prefer a route like V64 TRM PKE HII, It's about the same as V388 PSP TNP PKE HII. MEA over the mountains is 11K but you do less on a calm VFR day. If I do the Banning Pass, I also go 10 or 11K even higher on a windy day, turbulence in that pass sucks.

Joe

 

[Richard]

Yesterday morning I flew my Daughter back to California. Before I left I checked weather with DUATS, they reported 5 miles haze and mist around and at my destination. Definitely doable for me, so off we went. Upon reaching riverside, I was able to tune in ATIS for FUL and heard 1 1/2 mile vis, so I start checking around, and all the airports were reporting under 2 miles vis. I ended up landing at riverside, who just changed from 2 1/2 to 3 while I was circling and was able to get a ride from there.
Takeoff around 10am, and head for home, unusual heavy traffic this time of morning and am vectored around a bit before reaching the banning pass. For those of you unfamiliar with the pass, SoCal App will tell you to keep assigned transponder code but radar service is terminated, contact palm springs App after east of Banning. this is where it got exciting for me. Just before SoCal releases me he asks if I see a cessna at my 12 approx 5 miles, I spot him and answer in sight, and he releases me, telling me to contact palm springs on the other side of banning. I watched the cessna go through the pass and make a right turn towards Palm Springs, when I was sure he was heading south I stopped watching him. a few miles later I call up Palm Springs Approach, "Mooney 6229U level 7500". The controller comes back (with no call sign) "Do you see him off your right wing?" I pause, thinking he cant be talking to me, I must've stepped on a transmission. then a second later, "Mooney 29U, Do you see the aircraft off to your right, Turn immediately 90 degrees"..Ok the heart is racing now..I answer negative and start a 90 degree turn very fast, looking everywhere..where is he? the controller come back and asks again "Do you see him, he is at your altitude and on your right wing..turn immediately"..Ok , now I am starting to get scared and a little ****ed. fist off I AM turning, second, I don't see anything, and why aren't you telling the other guy to turn for gods sake!!
Within a minute ATC comes back "Mooney 29U, traffic no factor, resume own nav"...I am looking everywhere and still do not see any plane anywhere. 2 minutes pass, and he calls traffic again, this time below at 2 o'clock. I spot traffic right away and advise traffic in sight.
What the heck was that all about?? Scared the living hell right out of me.
Either he had bogus traffic info on his screen ( I never heard him talking to that other plane) or he just wasn't paying attention to incoming traffic in his area, maybe he had already released that traffic on his way into the LA basin? don't know, but I am for sure going to be very very careful going through that pass in the future.

That aircraft could have been non-participating, hence the controller not talking to him. Or maybe that aircraft just now popped up on his screen but since you wer already in the system he was talking to you--a known quanity. The truth is I don't know for sure but those are two reasons which revealed themselves in my past experiences.

Now you know why to stay high through the passes into and out of the LA basin.