Narrative:

Approached fdk airport in cavu conditions at XA15 pm on a saturday afternoon for landing after canceling IFR with iad approach over mrb VOR, so I was VFR at time of the incidents. Monitored AWOS and got briefing from fdk unicom. Overflew fdk w-e at 3000 ft, monitored unicom, noted very heavy traffic in the pattern. Spiraled down to pattern altitude (1300 ft) well east of the field and orbited there looking for a break to enter pattern. While orbiting and watching/listening for traffic, 2 other planes joined me in turn. Finally there was no one on downwind (right traffic for runway 5), so I announced and made a 45 degree downwind leg pattern entry. The other planes followed me at a well-spaced distance. As soon as I had turned downwind I had to turn violently to the left to avoid a very fast aircraft coming in from the right rear. It was a t-tailed twin, later idented as a piper seminole. The other 2 aircraft following me also had to take evasive action. The twin had entered downwind from straight-in at very high speed (estimate greater than or equal to 130 KTS) with no radio announcement. I re-entered the pattern and landed behind the twin. The only radio announcement made by the twin that I or any other pilots heard (we compared notes later) was when he announced 'clearing the runway' as he taxied off. 10 mins later, while tying down my aircraft on the ramp, I heard a loud roar of engines and looked up. A tampico was just taking off from runway 5 and at an altitude of about only 150-200 ft. The same twin (I saw the n-number) was flying at what sounded like full power under the tampico and racing in front of him, where the twin executed a hard pull-up and right turn to downwind. The twin missed the tampico by less than 50 ft, passing under the slower low wing aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated fdk should have a control tower. The traffic is heavy, and highly diversified. The intermix includes J-3 club with no radio operating off the grass on its own pattern, to corporate hawker and charter lear jets. The airport has many visitors from around the country and world. There is heavy training activity. Fdk is the only airport within miles with an ILS available to GA for practice. There is glider training and helicopter training. The seminole came from gaithersburg airport and does so frequently to use the ILS and VOR and other fdk facilities as do other airplanes from other airports in the area. Baltimore is the controling agency even though their radar can not see much below 3000 ft. While dulles radar can see airplanes to the surface at fdk with their radar. Why then doesn't dulles control the aircraft in the fdk area? Because of the need to even the traffic count between dulles and baltimore. Unfortunately, a cessna 210 flew into a hill while maneuvering for an ILS and talking to baltimore who could not see what is happening with their radar. Dulles would have been able to see and prevent that fatal accident. The cessna 210 was the second such accident within the last few yrs. The reporter, himself an ATP and an instructor pilot, feels strongly that in addition to having a control tower that if baltimore is going to continue to be the controling agency then baltimore should have the radar information from dulles relayed to their facility.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWIN ENG AIRPLANE FLOWN TO PRACTICE SINGLE ENG APCH CUTS OUT OTHER ACFT IN TFC PATTERN.

Narrative: APCHED FDK ARPT IN CAVU CONDITIONS AT XA15 PM ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR LNDG AFTER CANCELING IFR WITH IAD APCH OVER MRB VOR, SO I WAS VFR AT TIME OF THE INCIDENTS. MONITORED AWOS AND GOT BRIEFING FROM FDK UNICOM. OVERFLEW FDK W-E AT 3000 FT, MONITORED UNICOM, NOTED VERY HVY TFC IN THE PATTERN. SPIRALED DOWN TO PATTERN ALT (1300 FT) WELL E OF THE FIELD AND ORBITED THERE LOOKING FOR A BREAK TO ENTER PATTERN. WHILE ORBITING AND WATCHING/LISTENING FOR TFC, 2 OTHER PLANES JOINED ME IN TURN. FINALLY THERE WAS NO ONE ON DOWNWIND (R TFC FOR RWY 5), SO I ANNOUNCED AND MADE A 45 DEG DOWNWIND LEG PATTERN ENTRY. THE OTHER PLANES FOLLOWED ME AT A WELL-SPACED DISTANCE. AS SOON AS I HAD TURNED DOWNWIND I HAD TO TURN VIOLENTLY TO THE L TO AVOID A VERY FAST ACFT COMING IN FROM THE R REAR. IT WAS A T-TAILED TWIN, LATER IDENTED AS A PIPER SEMINOLE. THE OTHER 2 ACFT FOLLOWING ME ALSO HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. THE TWIN HAD ENTERED DOWNWIND FROM STRAIGHT-IN AT VERY HIGH SPD (ESTIMATE GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 130 KTS) WITH NO RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT. I RE-ENTERED THE PATTERN AND LANDED BEHIND THE TWIN. THE ONLY RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY THE TWIN THAT I OR ANY OTHER PLTS HEARD (WE COMPARED NOTES LATER) WAS WHEN HE ANNOUNCED 'CLRING THE RWY' AS HE TAXIED OFF. 10 MINS LATER, WHILE TYING DOWN MY ACFT ON THE RAMP, I HEARD A LOUD ROAR OF ENGS AND LOOKED UP. A TAMPICO WAS JUST TAKING OFF FROM RWY 5 AND AT AN ALT OF ABOUT ONLY 150-200 FT. THE SAME TWIN (I SAW THE N-NUMBER) WAS FLYING AT WHAT SOUNDED LIKE FULL PWR UNDER THE TAMPICO AND RACING IN FRONT OF HIM, WHERE THE TWIN EXECUTED A HARD PULL-UP AND R TURN TO DOWNWIND. THE TWIN MISSED THE TAMPICO BY LESS THAN 50 FT, PASSING UNDER THE SLOWER LOW WING ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED FDK SHOULD HAVE A CTL TWR. THE TFC IS HVY, AND HIGHLY DIVERSIFIED. THE INTERMIX INCLUDES J-3 CLUB WITH NO RADIO OPERATING OFF THE GRASS ON ITS OWN PATTERN, TO CORPORATE HAWKER AND CHARTER LEAR JETS. THE ARPT HAS MANY VISITORS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AND WORLD. THERE IS HVY TRAINING ACTIVITY. FDK IS THE ONLY ARPT WITHIN MILES WITH AN ILS AVAILABLE TO GA FOR PRACTICE. THERE IS GLIDER TRAINING AND HELI TRAINING. THE SEMINOLE CAME FROM GAITHERSBURG ARPT AND DOES SO FREQUENTLY TO USE THE ILS AND VOR AND OTHER FDK FACILITIES AS DO OTHER AIRPLANES FROM OTHER ARPTS IN THE AREA. BALTIMORE IS THE CTLING AGENCY EVEN THOUGH THEIR RADAR CAN NOT SEE MUCH BELOW 3000 FT. WHILE DULLES RADAR CAN SEE AIRPLANES TO THE SURFACE AT FDK WITH THEIR RADAR. WHY THEN DOESN'T DULLES CTL THE ACFT IN THE FDK AREA? BECAUSE OF THE NEED TO EVEN THE TFC COUNT BTWN DULLES AND BALTIMORE. UNFORTUNATELY, A CESSNA 210 FLEW INTO A HILL WHILE MANEUVERING FOR AN ILS AND TALKING TO BALTIMORE WHO COULD NOT SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THEIR RADAR. DULLES WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE AND PREVENT THAT FATAL ACCIDENT. THE CESSNA 210 WAS THE SECOND SUCH ACCIDENT WITHIN THE LAST FEW YRS. THE RPTR, HIMSELF AN ATP AND AN INSTRUCTOR PLT, FEELS STRONGLY THAT IN ADDITION TO HAVING A CTL TWR THAT IF BALTIMORE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE THE CTLING AGENCY THEN BALTIMORE SHOULD HAVE THE RADAR INFO FROM DULLES RELAYED TO THEIR FACILITY.

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.