Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 2 Eng; Retractable Gear
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 24; Flight Crew Total 1150; Flight Crew Type 1000
Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
About forty miles out [from SEZ] I started to monitor CTAF and heard various aircraft coming and going from the airport. Because of the wind; aircraft were using Runway 21. At 10 miles out I made my first position announcement; at 5 miles out I made my second position announcement; at which time the only other aircraft announcing on the CTAF landed at Sedona. I then made an announcement at mid-field downwind; again turning base and my last call turning final. During this time; no other aircraft were announcing on the CTAF. As I completed my turn to final and was just beginning my final descent; I caught something in my peripheral vision at my 3 o'clock. It took a second for me to process that something was actually at my 3 o'clock as I had just cleared that area visually on my turn from base to final. As I glanced back out the window at my 3 o'clock; I see a commercial sightseeing helicopter now paralleling my flight path at 100 to 150 lateral feet away from me and at my altitude. I would estimated that I was at least 800 FT AGL and on a 3/4 mile final when I encountered the helicopter. What a sightseeing helicopter is doing in the final approach path of fixed wing aircraft is beyond me; especially in light of the fact that he was landing on the northeast side of the runway. The pilot must not be familiar with 91.126 (b) (2). I also think that it is very careless that a radio equipped helicopter was not making position calls; nor was he obviously monitoring his radio for mine. I also wonder if the helicopter has an inoperative transponder or if it was simply off too; as my Skywatch Traffic Advisory System never picked him up. It seems to me that the commercial pilot of this sightseeing helicopter was operating in a reckless and careless manner.
The pilot of light single reported an NMAC with a helicopter who allegedly was not following procedures at SEZ.