Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100; Flight Crew Total 650; Flight Crew Type 400
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
We were on initial climbout of our home airport with a commercial student and had just cleared our Class D airspace. Had changed frequencies and made a traffic call on our air to air frequency. We were at 3;800 MSL and climbing when I saw a Pilatus immediately in front of our Piper which appeared to be on a head on course with our aircraft. I made an immediate right descending bank and the Pilatus flew past us within 2 seconds. We had been looking for traffic the entire time but saw the Pilatus very late as there was no apparent motion to our aircraft and it appeared that he was traveling at a relatively high airspeed.When we got back I telephoned our Tower to see if a Pilatus had landed at our airport; which it had not. After being put in touch with the Manager of the area TRACON I was informed that the Pilatus had landed at a nearby airport. The TRACON Manager also informed me that the unverified radar showed that the two aircraft converged at 3;800 and 4;000 FT MSL; our Piper being at 3;800 FT and climbing. He also stated that the Pilatus had been given a traffic alert five miles before encountering our aircraft and been given a suggested heading of 280 which the pilot declined stating he had our aircraft in sight. The Pilatus made no visible effort to avoid our aircraft.
Instructor and student pilot aboard a PA-28 climbing out of a Class D area experienced a NMAC with an opposite direction Pilatus inbound to a nearby airport.