After a near midair collision, what is the PIC's responsibility if they believe they came within 500 feet of another aircraft?

• A. File a flight incident report with OCC.
• B. Discuss the event with dispatch before reporting.
• C. Immediately inform the nearest ATC facility by radio or phone.
• D. Log the event in the flight log and continue.

Answer: (C)

When a near-miss situation is suspected, the top priority is to alert air traffic control immediately. The PIC must immediately inform the nearest ATC facility by radio or phone. This ensures ATC is aware of the potential loss of separation, can provide safety advisories, coordinate traffic to prevent further risk, and document the event for investigation. Prompt ATC notification supports timely actions to maintain overall airspace safety and allows controllers to issue guidance to other aircraft as needed. Other steps, like discussing with dispatch first or logging the event later, do not provide the critical real-time safety coordination that ATC can offer, and simply logging the event without alerting ATC would miss the immediate safety impact. After ATC contact, appropriate internal reporting can follow as required.