Small Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 1600; Flight Crew Type 400
Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Distraction
Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
Me and my copilot were flying VFR northbound. I got a Traffic Advisory on my GPS and saw the advised traffic southbound along the coastline in front of me at the same approximate altitude. I then deviated to a lower altitude. I was focused on the deviation from the traffic and I lost altitude and went to around 100 ft over the water. Once I felt we were safe and clear from the southbound traffic I climbed back up to our altitude that we were originally cruising at.
My Captain and I were flying a part 135 cargo mission at 1;000 ft AGL; in daytime; VFR conditions. At one point in the flight; while I was performing pilot monitoring duties; my Captain called out a visual traffic alert; and placed the aircraft in a rapid descent. He lost track of altitude and I alerted him of his deviation. At approximately 100 ft AGL he recognized his mistake and immediately pitched the aircraft up to regain his altitude. On previous flights with this same Captain; I've had to repeatedly warned him of his altitude as he would regularly become unaware and deviate. No personnel injury or property damage came as a result of this action.
Air taxi flight crew reported a rapid descent to avoid traffic that resulted in a low altitude situation.