PLT MAKES CIRCLING APCH BELOW CIRCLING MINIMUMS.

Narrative

I WAS ON AN IFR FLT PLAN AT ABOUT XX00 LCL; MAKING AN ILS APCH TO RWY 23 AT FDK. I BROKE OUT OF THE OVCST ON THE GS AND LOC AT ABOUT 1100 FT MSL (800 FT AGL) AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE BAL APCH CTLR WAS TERMINATING RADAR SVCS; INSTRUCTING ME TO SQUAWK VFR CODE; AND GIVING ME PERMISSION TO LEAVE THEIR FREQ (133.0). I WENT TO UNICOM FREQ (123.0) AND ASKED FOR A LNDG ADVISORY; AND WAS INFORMED THAT FDK WAS LNDG ON RWY 5. AWOS HAD STATED WINDS WERE LIGHT AND THE USUAL FAVORED RWY AT FDK IS RWY 23. AT THIS POINT I WAS ABOUT 600 FT AGL; IN THE CLR AND IN A POS FOR LNDG WITHOUT ANY EXTREME MANEUVERS. AT NEARLY THE SAME TIME; I SAW AN ACFT; ON THE TXWY AT THE APCH END OF RWY 5. HE DID NOT DECLARE HIS INTENTIONS. IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE CONFLICT; WHILE STILL IN TOTAL VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ENTIRE ARPT AREA; I DECIDED TO ENTER A R DOWNWIND (THE USUAL PATTERN AT FDK) FOR RWY 5; AND SO ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS ON CTAF (123.0). THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM ANY OTHER TFC. I WAS IN CLR CONDITIONS AT ALL TIMES; AT AN ALT OF 600 FT AGL; COMPLETED DOWNWIND; BASE; FINAL AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR CONFLICT. THE ACFT ON THE TXWY AT THE APCH END OF RWY 05 WAS STILL IN THE SAME POS. AFTER LNDG AND CLRING THE RWY I CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY (126.9); TOLD THEM I WAS ON THE GND AND CANCELED MY FLT PLAN. I ALSO GAVE THEM A PLT RPT THAT THE CEILING AT FDK WAS 600 FT AGL. ACTUALLY IT WAS SOMEWHAT VARIABLE FROM 700-900 FT AGL; BUT I THOUGHT IT BEST TO GIVE THE SLIGHTLY MORE CONSERVATIVE 600 FT FIGURE. AFTER MY RPT; THE ACFT ON THE GND; THE IDENT OF WHICH I DO NOT KNOW; ASKED ON THE CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ; IF I WAS AWARE OF THE CIRCLING TO LAND MINIMUMS AT FDK. THEY ARE 675 FT AGL. I INFORMED THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I HAD CHOSEN MY OPTION TO PRECLUDE ANY POSSIBILITY OF CONFUSION OR CONFLICT ON HIS PART; THAT I WAS IN THE CLR AND IN A POS TO LAND AT ALL TIMES. WE BOTH CEASED ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION; SINCE THE CLRNC DELIVERY FREQ SHOULD BE CLR. IN RETROSPECT; I PROBABLY COULD HAVE LEARNED FROM CTAF EARLIER WHAT THE FAVORED RWY (05) WAS; BUT I STILL WOULD HAVE BROKEN OUT AT 800 FT AND BEGUN MY CIRCLE TO LAND; SINCE I WAS CLR TO LAND ; SINCE I WAS CLR AT 800 FT AGL. I DON'T THINK IT IS REQUIRED THAT I NOT DSND BELOW CIRCLING MINIMUMS ONCE I AM IN THE CLR ABOVE CIRCLING MINIMUMS; BUT HAVE TO DSND TO REMAIN IN THE CLR. THE COURSE I TOOK WAS PRUDENT IN THAT IT PRECLUDED ANY CONFLICT WITH THE OTHER ACFT. CIRCLING MINIMUMS; TO BE SURE; WERE BORDERLINE; BUT PROBABLY THE CEILING WAS AT OR ABOVE CIRCLING MINIMUMS; THOUGH WHEN I GAVE MY PIREP THE CEILING I STATED; TO BE CONSERVATIVE; WAS 75 FT BELOW MINIMUMS. ONE OTHER THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS; THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF APCH CTL COULD BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE RWY BEING USED AT THE ARPT OF LNDG; AND WOULD SO ADVISE THE PLTS. AWOS; IN THIS CASE; WAS NOT HELPFUL IN MAKING THIS DETERMINATION. ANOTHER POINT OF INTEREST IS THAT NO SOONER HAD I LANDED THAN THE ACFT ON THE TXWY TOOK OFF ON RWY 05; AND THEN IN ANOTHER MINUTE OR TWO ANOTHER IFR ACFT LANDED ON RWY 23.