Cessna 180 Skywagon
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Glider; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 75; Flight Crew Total 8250; Flight Crew Type 1225
Distraction
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure; Airspace Structure; Human Factors
Climbing from 10;500 to 12;500 FT; northwest bound on V105; talking to Nellis Control. My TAS (Traffic Alert System) (not a full TCAS) sounded a verbal warning: 'Traffic 12 o'clock; one mile; same altitude'; and displayed a visual warning on my Garmin 530. After a brief search I saw the other aircraft; descending through my altitude; head-on. We both saw each other at about the same time with maybe a quarter-mile separation; closing speed probably 300 KTS. We both turned right; and passed each other with approximately a 200 FT horizontal clearance; and no vertical separation. We both were already in communication with Nellis Control; and the Controller did not call out the traffic to either of us. I believe that Controller distraction may have lead to this omission; I think he was working military traffic on UHF. I also feel that if my TAS system had not warned me; there could likely have been a collision due to GPS navigation accuracy. The other aircraft apparently had a TAS system as well; as he told Nellis he had seen me on his traffic system. We both reported the incident to Nellis Control; but I did not file a formal near-miss report; I do not know if the other pilot did.
C180 pilot reports a NMAC with an opposite direction Columbia northwest of LAS on V105. The C180 pilot was climbing and the other descending and both were talking to Nellis Control; but no warning was provided. Both aircraft were equipped with a TAS; which allowed both pilots to take evasive action.