Narrative:

The approach control facility at patuxent river NAS also serves wallops island. We had expected a VOR approach from snow hill to runway 22 at wallops, and the swesterly winds we got with the WX reinforced this. The WX report also told us it was muggy and hot -- and the visibility at lower altitudes was extremely hazy. Patuxent then told us to expect a visual approach to wallops as the tower was closed, and began to give us radar vectors. We were cleared to descend to 3000 ft, told to call the field in sight, and informed that we should hold visually over the field because of another aircraft in the pattern at wallops ahead of us. All of this transpired with great difficulty because of the language problems. About the time we called the field in sight, the controller told us that the other aircraft had cancelled out and we would be cleared for a visual approach. I asked for the winds and, as they had shifted to coming more out of the west, told the controller that we would be making a visual approach to runway 28. He rogered that, told us we were cleared for the approach to runway 28, and added that we should call patuxent clearance delivery when we were on the ground. I gave the headset back to first officer and he and captain began to configure for the landing. The approach looked normal, and so I settled into the pit that served as the flight engineer's jump seat and prepared for landing. On final, called patuxent clearance with a gear check. I didn't think patuxent clearance could clear us very well, but it was the only frequency that had been given to us and, as I recall, patuxent clearance did clear us to land. Just before touchdown, however, pulled back quickly on the yoke and then settled back down for what was his worst landing of the trip. As we pulled off the runway and began to call patuxent clearance to let them know we were down, alexander remarked with concern that an small aircraft plane had crossed directly in front of us and landed on runway 22. (Runways 22 and 28 intersect at the approach ends). It had been a very near miss. We were able to reconstruct later that the pilot in the other aircraft had been on a unicom frequency, and had been calling his position properly in the pattern. The IFR supplement lists the frequency among others available, but the approach plates we were using did not include it (and I would not have expected them to). In the airlines a 'visual approach' is still an IFR clearance, and we are accustomed to receiving the clearance for the approach from approach control. (We are also not accustomed to being cleared for an approach if there are uncontrolled aircraft in the pattern.) this doesn't excuse pilots from 'see and be seen' flying if conditions are VMC, of course, but it would have been a great help if the controller had said something like 'radar service terminated. Contact wallops unicom on 126.5 for VFR advisories. Contact patuxent clearance delivery on 121.7 when on the ground.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FOREIGN GOV X HAD NMAC WITH SMA WHILE ON APCH TO UNCTLED ARPT. SEE AND AVOID CONCEPT. NON ADHERENCE TO FARS.

Narrative: THE APCH CTL FACILITY AT PATUXENT RIVER NAS ALSO SERVES WALLOPS ISLAND. WE HAD EXPECTED A VOR APCH FROM SNOW HILL TO RWY 22 AT WALLOPS, AND THE SWESTERLY WINDS WE GOT WITH THE WX REINFORCED THIS. THE WX RPT ALSO TOLD US IT WAS MUGGY AND HOT -- AND THE VISIBILITY AT LOWER ALTS WAS EXTREMELY HAZY. PATUXENT THEN TOLD US TO EXPECT A VISUAL APCH TO WALLOPS AS THE TWR WAS CLOSED, AND BEGAN TO GIVE US RADAR VECTORS. WE WERE CLRED TO DSND TO 3000 FT, TOLD TO CALL THE FIELD IN SIGHT, AND INFORMED THAT WE SHOULD HOLD VISUALLY OVER THE FIELD BECAUSE OF ANOTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN AT WALLOPS AHEAD OF US. ALL OF THIS TRANSPIRED WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE PROBLEMS. ABOUT THE TIME WE CALLED THE FIELD IN SIGHT, THE CTLR TOLD US THAT THE OTHER ACFT HAD CANCELLED OUT AND WE WOULD BE CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH. I ASKED FOR THE WINDS AND, AS THEY HAD SHIFTED TO COMING MORE OUT OF THE W, TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE WOULD BE MAKING A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 28. HE ROGERED THAT, TOLD US WE WERE CLRED FOR THE APCH TO RWY 28, AND ADDED THAT WE SHOULD CALL PATUXENT CLRNC DELIVERY WHEN WE WERE ON THE GND. I GAVE THE HEADSET BACK TO FO AND HE AND CAPT BEGAN TO CONFIGURE FOR THE LNDG. THE APCH LOOKED NORMAL, AND SO I SETTLED INTO THE PIT THAT SERVED AS THE FE'S JUMP SEAT AND PREPARED FOR LNDG. ON FINAL, CALLED PATUXENT CLRNC WITH A GEAR CHK. I DIDN'T THINK PATUXENT CLRNC COULD CLR US VERY WELL, BUT IT WAS THE ONLY FREQ THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO US AND, AS I RECALL, PATUXENT CLRNC DID CLR US TO LAND. JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, HOWEVER, PULLED BACK QUICKLY ON THE YOKE AND THEN SETTLED BACK DOWN FOR WHAT WAS HIS WORST LNDG OF THE TRIP. AS WE PULLED OFF THE RWY AND BEGAN TO CALL PATUXENT CLRNC TO LET THEM KNOW WE WERE DOWN, ALEXANDER REMARKED WITH CONCERN THAT AN SMA PLANE HAD CROSSED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US AND LANDED ON RWY 22. (RWYS 22 AND 28 INTERSECT AT THE APCH ENDS). IT HAD BEEN A VERY NEAR MISS. WE WERE ABLE TO RECONSTRUCT LATER THAT THE PLT IN THE OTHER ACFT HAD BEEN ON A UNICOM FREQ, AND HAD BEEN CALLING HIS POS PROPERLY IN THE PATTERN. THE IFR SUPPLEMENT LISTS THE FREQ AMONG OTHERS AVAILABLE, BUT THE APCH PLATES WE WERE USING DID NOT INCLUDE IT (AND I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED THEM TO). IN THE AIRLINES A 'VISUAL APCH' IS STILL AN IFR CLRNC, AND WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO RECEIVING THE CLRNC FOR THE APCH FROM APCH CTL. (WE ARE ALSO NOT ACCUSTOMED TO BEING CLRED FOR AN APCH IF THERE ARE UNCTLED ACFT IN THE PATTERN.) THIS DOESN'T EXCUSE PLTS FROM 'SEE AND BE SEEN' FLYING IF CONDITIONS ARE VMC, OF COURSE, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP IF THE CTLR HAD SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'RADAR SVC TERMINATED. CONTACT WALLOPS UNICOM ON 126.5 FOR VFR ADVISORIES. CONTACT PATUXENT CLRNC DELIVERY ON 121.7 WHEN ON THE GND.'

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.