Cessna 425/441 Conquest I/Conquest II
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 93; Flight Crew Total 8217; Flight Crew Type 1421
Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Human Factors
I was maneuvering in the practice area conducting a routine maintenance check flight in Cessna Conquest II at 6;500 feet. This flight was conducted using radar flight following services from Approach Control. While on an east bound heading south of the airport and north of the mountain ridges; a DHC6 Twin Otter appeared at my 12 o'clock position in a steep climb west bound. I made an immediate left turn to avoid impact as the Twin Otter was just slightly to the right of my centerline of travel. If I would have made a right turn; impact would have been imminent. From the time the Twin Otter appeared in my sight; there was less than five seconds to impact of the two planes. As I made the left turn I was still concerned that the Twin Otter might strike the belly of the Conquest II. The Twin Otter made no attempt to maneuver to avoid the converging paths. I immediately advised Approach of the near miss and was advised that it is not their responsibility to avoid collisions during VFR operations. The Twin Otter was in contact with Approach and receiving VFR flight advisories. At no time did Approach notify either aircraft of collision advisory warnings. I called Approach and spoke with a Supervisor who was very helpful in reviewing the incident and assured me he would be filing an incident report through the ATC system.There were three individuals responsible for ensuring safety of flight during these operations. There was a failure in two of these three individuals. Though very traumatic; luckily no one was hurt. If these failures occur again; it could be very deadly and not restricted to small aircraft. I am willing to speak in detail about this incident.
Twin Cessna pilot reported an NMAC while receiving VFR flight following but not advised of conflicting traffic.