Narrative:

In the traffic pattern; left downwind for runway 23 at fdk airport; my partner was flying our grumman aa-1B. I was in the right seat; helping him get re-familiarized with the airplane after he had not flown for 1 1/2 yrs. A local state police helicopter; called on a straight-in for runway 30. Mistake #1: I asked my partner; who flew gliders out of frederick; and is familiar with local operations; if the helicopter was going to stop before it got to the runway. He said yes. So I assumed (bad!) that helicopter was going to come to a hover before crossing our runway; runway 23. Unfortunately; my partner thought that helicopter was flying the normal frederick helicopter pattern; which was right traffic for runway 23. He didn't really hear helicopter's radio calls because he was focusing on flying. As we rolled out onto final; I saw helicopter heading straight-in for runway 30. I kept thinking that helicopter was going to come to a hover and not cross runway 23. On short final; helicopter was headed for the end of runway 30 still at a high rate of speed. My partner was focused on landing on runway 23 and didn't see helicopter (which appeared to be an augusta; with retractable landing gear). I finally told my partner that I didn't like the looks of this and I grabbed the controls and turned us away to the left as helicopter landed below us on runway 30. I never expected helicopter to fly so fast down to the runway. We missed helicopter by about 100 ft vertically and 200 ft horizontally. In talking it over later with my partner; we both realized that: 1) he never saw helicopter and he didn't listen well enough to helicopter's radio calls to understand what the helicopter was doing. 2) he assumed that helicopter would act like a normal helicopter and fly the r-hand pattern at frederick. 3) he was focused on flying and never saw helicopter. 4) I saw helicopter but I thought that my partner saw him; too; so I never pointed it out to him; which I should have. 5) I expected helicopter to do something and should have taken evasive action quicker instead of allowing my partner to fly too close to the helicopter. Lessons learned: never assume! Communicate even if you think everyone knows what you're about to say! Avoid a dangerous situation much earlier. I don't know if I should call the state police helicopter unit and discuss this with them. I don't believe they ever saw us. I believe that the state police helicopters should either use the helicopter traffic pattern or if they are going to fly onto the runway; act like airplanes and fly the airplane pattern. I think it is dangerous for them to fy a straight-in approach perpendicular to the normal traffic flow; especially landing across an active runway. Frederick is supposed to get a control tower. This type of potential accident will be prevented by having a tower; but it didn't have to be so close and I do take the blame for that.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN INSTRUCTOR AND HIS STUDENT IN A GRUMMAN AA-1B EXPERIENCED A NEAR MISS WITH AN AGUSTA HELI WHILE ON APCH TO FDK.

Narrative: IN THE TFC PATTERN; L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 23 AT FDK ARPT; MY PARTNER WAS FLYING OUR GRUMMAN AA-1B. I WAS IN THE R SEAT; HELPING HIM GET RE-FAMILIARIZED WITH THE AIRPLANE AFTER HE HAD NOT FLOWN FOR 1 1/2 YRS. A LCL STATE POLICE HELI; CALLED ON A STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 30. MISTAKE #1: I ASKED MY PARTNER; WHO FLEW GLIDERS OUT OF FREDERICK; AND IS FAMILIAR WITH LCL OPS; IF THE HELI WAS GOING TO STOP BEFORE IT GOT TO THE RWY. HE SAID YES. SO I ASSUMED (BAD!) THAT HELI WAS GOING TO COME TO A HOVER BEFORE XING OUR RWY; RWY 23. UNFORTUNATELY; MY PARTNER THOUGHT THAT HELI WAS FLYING THE NORMAL FREDERICK HELI PATTERN; WHICH WAS R TFC FOR RWY 23. HE DIDN'T REALLY HEAR HELI'S RADIO CALLS BECAUSE HE WAS FOCUSING ON FLYING. AS WE ROLLED OUT ONTO FINAL; I SAW HELI HEADING STRAIGHT-IN FOR RWY 30. I KEPT THINKING THAT HELI WAS GOING TO COME TO A HOVER AND NOT CROSS RWY 23. ON SHORT FINAL; HELI WAS HEADED FOR THE END OF RWY 30 STILL AT A HIGH RATE OF SPD. MY PARTNER WAS FOCUSED ON LNDG ON RWY 23 AND DIDN'T SEE HELI (WHICH APPEARED TO BE AN AUGUSTA; WITH RETRACTABLE LNDG GEAR). I FINALLY TOLD MY PARTNER THAT I DIDN'T LIKE THE LOOKS OF THIS AND I GRABBED THE CTLS AND TURNED US AWAY TO THE L AS HELI LANDED BELOW US ON RWY 30. I NEVER EXPECTED HELI TO FLY SO FAST DOWN TO THE RWY. WE MISSED HELI BY ABOUT 100 FT VERTLY AND 200 FT HORIZLY. IN TALKING IT OVER LATER WITH MY PARTNER; WE BOTH REALIZED THAT: 1) HE NEVER SAW HELI AND HE DIDN'T LISTEN WELL ENOUGH TO HELI'S RADIO CALLS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELI WAS DOING. 2) HE ASSUMED THAT HELI WOULD ACT LIKE A NORMAL HELI AND FLY THE R-HAND PATTERN AT FREDERICK. 3) HE WAS FOCUSED ON FLYING AND NEVER SAW HELI. 4) I SAW HELI BUT I THOUGHT THAT MY PARTNER SAW HIM; TOO; SO I NEVER POINTED IT OUT TO HIM; WHICH I SHOULD HAVE. 5) I EXPECTED HELI TO DO SOMETHING AND SHOULD HAVE TAKEN EVASIVE ACTION QUICKER INSTEAD OF ALLOWING MY PARTNER TO FLY TOO CLOSE TO THE HELI. LESSONS LEARNED: NEVER ASSUME! COMMUNICATE EVEN IF YOU THINK EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO SAY! AVOID A DANGEROUS SITUATION MUCH EARLIER. I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD CALL THE STATE POLICE HELI UNIT AND DISCUSS THIS WITH THEM. I DON'T BELIEVE THEY EVER SAW US. I BELIEVE THAT THE STATE POLICE HELIS SHOULD EITHER USE THE HELI TFC PATTERN OR IF THEY ARE GOING TO FLY ONTO THE RWY; ACT LIKE AIRPLANES AND FLY THE AIRPLANE PATTERN. I THINK IT IS DANGEROUS FOR THEM TO FY A STRAIGHT-IN APCH PERPENDICULAR TO THE NORMAL TFC FLOW; ESPECIALLY LNDG ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY. FREDERICK IS SUPPOSED TO GET A CTL TWR. THIS TYPE OF POTENTIAL ACCIDENT WILL BE PREVENTED BY HAVING A TWR; BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO CLOSE AND I DO TAKE THE BLAME FOR THAT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.