Near midair collision on short final.

Attributes
ACN	281138
Time
Date	199408
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : dca
State Reference	DC
Altitude	agl bound lower : 300 agl bound upper : 300
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : dca
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	DHC-7
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : approach
Route In Use	approach : visual
Flight Plan	IFR
Aircraft 2
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	King Air 100 A/B
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	descent : approach landing : go around
Route In Use	approach : circling
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 6850 flight time type : 150
ASRS Report	281138
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	conflict : nmac non adherence : far non adherence : clearance non adherence other other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other controllera other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : exited adverse environment flight crew : took evasive action other
Consequence	Other
Miss Distance	horizontal : 500 vertical : 200
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation Operational Error
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

Our aircraft was cleared for a visual approach to dca runway 21 to hold short of runway 18. While on base to final leg, tower told king air 'Y' that he was #2 for runway 21. 'Traffic was on a left base.' 'Y' being on a river visual approach to runway 18 was to circle to land on runway 21, following our aircraft. 'Y' responded that he did not have that traffic in sight! At that time we turned base to final about 1 mi from the end of runway 21. A different voice in dca tower came on and told king air to go around and he did. As our aircraft rolled wings level at about 400 ft AGL we saw king air approaching our aircraft rapidly from the right side, apparently at our altitude. I pushed our aircraft's nose down to maintain a comfortable separation and followed the king air's flight path cross from right to left. TCASII displayed his target at pwe 200 ft and no perceptible horizontal deviation. Estimated horizontal distance from 500-1000 ft. Our altitude at this time was well below the VASI indicating about 300 ft AGL and 1/2 mi from the threshold of runway 21. Dca tower should not break off traffic from runway 18 to circle to runway 21 to get out departures. If our aircraft remained on the VASI to runway 21 I would not be writing this now.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC ON SHORT FINAL.

Narrative: OUR ACFT WAS CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH TO DCA RWY 21 TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 18. WHILE ON BASE TO FINAL LEG, TWR TOLD KING AIR 'Y' THAT HE WAS #2 FOR RWY 21. 'TFC WAS ON A L BASE.' 'Y' BEING ON A RIVER VISUAL APCH TO RWY 18 WAS TO CIRCLE TO LAND ON RWY 21, FOLLOWING OUR ACFT. 'Y' RESPONDED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THAT TFC IN SIGHT! AT THAT TIME WE TURNED BASE TO FINAL ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE END OF RWY 21. A DIFFERENT VOICE IN DCA TWR CAME ON AND TOLD KING AIR TO GAR AND HE DID. AS OUR ACFT ROLLED WINGS LEVEL AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL WE SAW KING AIR APCHING OUR ACFT RAPIDLY FROM THE R SIDE, APPARENTLY AT OUR ALT. I PUSHED OUR ACFT'S NOSE DOWN TO MAINTAIN A COMFORTABLE SEPARATION AND FOLLOWED THE KING AIR'S FLT PATH CROSS FROM R TO L. TCASII DISPLAYED HIS TARGET AT PWE 200 FT AND NO PERCEPTIBLE HORIZ DEV. ESTIMATED HORIZ DISTANCE FROM 500-1000 FT. OUR ALT AT THIS TIME WAS WELL BELOW THE VASI INDICATING ABOUT 300 FT AGL AND 1/2 MI FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RWY 21. DCA TWR SHOULD NOT BREAK OFF TFC FROM RWY 18 TO CIRCLE TO RWY 21 TO GET OUT DEPS. IF OUR ACFT REMAINED ON THE VASI TO RWY 21 I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS NOW.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.