This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
Another aircraft was cleared through ZZZ airspace en route to ZZZ1 and was approved to do so via ZZZ Tower, which indicated that it did not have a visual on that aircraft. ZZZ does not have radar.
I was cleared for takeoff on Runway XX around the same time. Tower gave a frequency change to the other aircraft approximately one minute later and advised them of the aircraft taking off (me). The other aircraft responded that they were looking for traffic.
Tower gave me a frequency change one to two minutes after that and advised me of the other aircraft. I was unable to spot the aircraft, but saw them on my traffic system and used the visual display and audio traffic alerts to avoid the other aircraft. I kept searching for the plane, climbing away from their flight path during this time, but even so, the traffic system indicated that we came within 100 vertical feet of each other.
I believe that ZZZ Tower should have visually identified the transiting aircraft prior to clearing me for takeoff, or required me to identify the other aircraft prior to clearing me for takeoff. Both aircraft were in ZZZ airspace at the time of the event, and yet I am fairly certain that the controller did not have a visual on either of us (certainly not on the other aircraft).
If in this situation in the future, I will delay my takeoff until I have identified any aircraft that could become a hazard during my takeoff and climb-out. In addition, I will execute a turn away from the other aircraft, even when in controlled airspace.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1795211
Usually you tell the controller if you have a visual or not even if he asks for it or not.
I fly to a quite a few different towered airports. Most of them have RADAR. When I fly to a towered airport without RADAR, it just makes me wonder why they are there. Normally not much traffic at all. Do they add much with the tower? (yes, a little) Seems they could at least get ADS-B In added for the tower controllers. Not everything will show up of course, but not a very large investment required.
I have been flying with ADS-B IN/OUT for six years. I never trust traffic reports from ATC…they may add to awareness but the real way to stay safe is to use the technology. More than once I have been amazed at traffic coming right at me that ATC misses entirely but I always catch on my screen. And a few times ATC actually gave headings that would have produced a near miss that I catch and inform ATC that I will be unable to take that heading. And get new instructions. And of course, the tech more than pays for itself at non-towered airports.
Remember that not all aircraft have ADS-B out. Nor do they all have a radios. (It makes no sense to me in the year 2021) The technology is good but not perfect. Remember to look out the window!
I have several near misses. All at tower controlled airport in the pattern.
The first was as a student pilot doing touch and goes on runway 18.
An ANG C47 was doing tough and goes on runway 12.
Just before rotation a second ( suppervisor) controller called for me to abort. I got stopped a few feet from runway 12 as the C47 went through. ATC apologised. Trainee. Controller.
The last at a towered, radar equipped airport doing ILS 17L. Following known traffic. Told to extend downwind to allow room for a 727. Told to follow a C 150. Another C 150 was instructed to follow me.
I was instructing an instrument student in a BE23.
The instructor who was supposed to follow me lost sight and turned base. Just after passing the OM I told my student he was to the left of the localizer and suggested a side slip would put him back.
He dropped the wing and the C150 was about 25-50 feet away. He d been hidden by our wing.
We did a missed approach and told the tower.
The rivets on a C150 are huge. The plane never saw us. ATC apologised for not seeing their radar.