Helicopter
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 8000; Flight Crew Type 300
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure
Approaching SBA along the shoreline from the north for landing; Tower instructed us to make a right circle off College Point for spacing from a small aircraft turning short final on Runway 15L. We were to land on the same runway from the opposite direction; Runway 33R. I informed Tower I had the small aircraft on final in sight before we began the circle; but lost it while making the orbit. After the circle; Tower did not provide instruction; so I asked if we should continue to circle and Tower responded with; 'Clear to Land 33R; remain south of Runway 25.' We continued toward the airport. Shortly thereafter I saw a small aircraft taxiing on the airport near we were going to be parking; thinking it was the plane Tower just cleared to land and I informed Tower I had the aircraft down there; to which he responded Roger. I then heard Tower instruct an aircraft to make an early left crosswind and became concerned; since we were on short final and was not told about a departing aircraft. I looked up ahead and saw the departing aircraft on the upwind on a collision course with us and showed the pilot flying; in order to take evasive action; putting us less than 150 FT from the traffic. We made a quick descent and left turn to avoid the plane and the plane made a sharp climb. As this was happening; the Tower Controller told the plane; the traffic was no factor. The Tower should never have cleared us to land on the same runway as the plane was departing. It seems the Tower Controller; after the clearance was issued; may have thought my reference to the taxiing aircraft pertained to the upwind traffic; but the clearance should never have been issued in the first place. A subsequent call to the Tower revealed the Controller was a Trainee.
An aircraft on approach to SBA Runway 33R circled to provide distance from an aircraft landing Runway 15L. Then when the trainee Controller cleared them to land 33R they had near miss with another aircraft departing 15L.