Narrative:

I was finishing the last leg of my first solo cross country flight to potomac airfield kvkx. Standard northbound inbound procedure calls for making a report over a marina near fort washington park, md. At 1000 ft, I made my call on 122.80, the CTAF for kvkx. In the 3 mins it took to get to the airfield from there, I heard no one else report a position. I did, however, hear someone key their microphone 3 times to get a unicom wind report from kvkx, but it was not clear whether they were in the air or on the ground. Just as I was about to enter the 45 degree for downwind to runway 24 vkx, I was about to key my microphone to make another report when someone else made the exact same report I was about to make. I scanned the area quickly and found a low wing aircraft entering the downwind for runway 24 exactly in front of me. Had I not seen the aircraft, our paths would have converged on the downwind. I immediately performed a left 360 degree turn over the field and reported my intentions and maneuver to re-enter the traffic pattern on downwind. Upon returning to downwind, I saw the other aircraft on base, so I proceeded won without further incident. Upon talking with the other pilot, I found he was entering vkx from the north, and had just switched from andrew's radar frequency. Since we were both on different frequencys, we had no way of knowing the other was there. Kvkx lies 1/2 mi south of andrews AFB (adw) class B airspace 'sfc' zone, thus the other pilot was talking to adw when I made my position report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 PLT, WHILE ENTERING DOWNWIND AT A NON TWR ARPT, ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER ACFT ENTERING DOWNWIND AT THE SAME TIME AND PLACE.

Narrative: I WAS FINISHING THE LAST LEG OF MY FIRST SOLO XCOUNTRY FLT TO POTOMAC AIRFIELD KVKX. STANDARD NBOUND INBOUND PROC CALLS FOR MAKING A RPT OVER A MARINA NEAR FORT WASHINGTON PARK, MD. AT 1000 FT, I MADE MY CALL ON 122.80, THE CTAF FOR KVKX. IN THE 3 MINS IT TOOK TO GET TO THE AIRFIELD FROM THERE, I HEARD NO ONE ELSE RPT A POS. I DID, HOWEVER, HEAR SOMEONE KEY THEIR MIKE 3 TIMES TO GET A UNICOM WIND RPT FROM KVKX, BUT IT WAS NOT CLR WHETHER THEY WERE IN THE AIR OR ON THE GND. JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE 45 DEG FOR DOWNWIND TO RWY 24 VKX, I WAS ABOUT TO KEY MY MIKE TO MAKE ANOTHER RPT WHEN SOMEONE ELSE MADE THE EXACT SAME RPT I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE. I SCANNED THE AREA QUICKLY AND FOUND A LOW WING ACFT ENTERING THE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 24 EXACTLY IN FRONT OF ME. HAD I NOT SEEN THE ACFT, OUR PATHS WOULD HAVE CONVERGED ON THE DOWNWIND. I IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED A L 360 DEG TURN OVER THE FIELD AND RPTED MY INTENTIONS AND MANEUVER TO RE-ENTER THE TFC PATTERN ON DOWNWIND. UPON RETURNING TO DOWNWIND, I SAW THE OTHER ACFT ON BASE, SO I PROCEEDED WON WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON TALKING WITH THE OTHER PLT, I FOUND HE WAS ENTERING VKX FROM THE N, AND HAD JUST SWITCHED FROM ANDREW'S RADAR FREQ. SINCE WE WERE BOTH ON DIFFERENT FREQS, WE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THE OTHER WAS THERE. KVKX LIES 1/2 MI S OF ANDREWS AFB (ADW) CLASS B AIRSPACE 'SFC' ZONE, THUS THE OTHER PLT WAS TALKING TO ADW WHEN I MADE MY POS RPT.

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.