Sundowner 23
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 73; Flight Crew Total 854; Flight Crew Type 405
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Environment - Non Weather Related; Human Factors
While practicing instrument approaches in visual conditions; established on the 069 radial inbound and descending to the Augusta airport; visual contact was made with a high-wing plane at a range of approximately 300 feet horizontally and 100 feet vertically. That aircraft suddenly passed beneath us from south to north at a range of less than 100 feet vertically and horizontally; visual contact was lost when the high-wing plane passed under our low-wing aircraft requiring immediate evasive actions by the instructor to halt the decent and climb to avoid a mid-air collision with the plane passing beneath us. When we informed the aircraft that they has passed extremely close beneath us on the local CTAF frequency; the response on the radio was: 'well I didn't see you and you weren't on my screen'; alluding to the fact that our aircraft did not appear on his ADS-B in equipped equipment as this training aircraft is not equipped with ADS-B. The level of complacency displayed with that single comment leads to the idea that pilots may have a significant misunderstanding of how ADS-B is required and works. Furthermore; the presence of such a system does not preclude the 'see and avoid' rules.
BE23 instructor reported a NMAC on approach.