SR20
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 110; Flight Crew Total 415; Flight Crew Type 330
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors
While flying in VMC to BTL; I encountered a near collision. I was conducting an instructional flight and while I had initially used flight following enroute back to BTL; I decided to cancel flight following upon gaining visual with BTL. As we cancelled flight following; Grand Rapids Approach provided one last traffic announcement about an aircraft flying northeast at 1 o'clock and 10 miles. I acknowledged the call and advised I would look for the traffic and then cancelled flight following. I scanned the horizon and Skywatch for any sign of the traffic and saw nothing; which was not a surprise due to its significant distance. I proceeded to then attempt to tune to the ATIS frequency at BTL and prepared myself and my student to begin the descent phase into BTL. My attention was then diverted completely to ATIS at BTL; which I was unable to receive for an unknown reason. In working through this ATIS frequency issue; I was distracted from the approaching traffic. In lieu of receiving ATIS; I decided instead to directly contact BTL Tower and query them as to why the ATIS was unavailable. BTL Tower simply told me to report 5 miles out for runway 13. I am unable to remember clearly if I had contacted BTL Tower or began to descend first. If I remember correctly; I think that I contacted Tower and began to descend shortly after receiving the 'report 5 miles out' call from BTL Tower. Prior to descending; I did not notice any visual traffic nor do I recall any traffic on Skywatch. I only finally spotted the near collision traffic shortly after the traffic advisory alert from Skywatch in the aircraft. Upon hearing the traffic advisory in the aircraft; I immediately spotted and avoided the passing northeast bound traffic; which did appear as a nearby aircraft but still very easily avoided. I believe this near collision would have been avoided had I continued to scan visually and not allowed the bulk of my attention to stray from the approaching traffic. It is an alarming circumstance looking back because my decision to cancel flight following fell at the precise same time that a potential collision was developing two to three minutes in the future. Also; while I feel that ATC did a very nice job providing alerts to the IFR aircraft after my flight following cancellation; they could have eliminated the situation completely by providing the IFR aircraft with an earlier vector away from a cross track with my aircraft.
SR20 instructor pilot experiences an NMAC with an IFR aircraft that had been pointed out by ATC immediately prior to flight following being canceled. On board; Skywatch re-alerted the reporter to the proximity of the intruder and allowed for visual acquisition and avoidance.