A BEECH KING AIR OVERTOOK AN AA1B ON FINAL APCH CAUSING AN NMAC.

Narrative

WE CALLED MRB TWR 7 MI S; INBOUND FOR LNDG. TWR TOLD US TO RPT 3 MI FINAL FOR RWY 35. TWR GAVE OUR POS; ACFT TYPE; AND COLOR TO A BEECH KING AIR THAT WAS FARTHER OUT. THE BEECH ACKNOWLEDGED. AT 3 MI FINAL (BY GPS) WE RPTED TO THE TWR AND WERE CLRED TO LAND RWY 35. AT 2 MI OUT THE BEECH KING AIR OVERRAN OUR SLOWER AA1B MISSING US LATERALLY AND VERTLY BY AN ESTIMATED 250 FT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK EVASIVE ACTION. THE BEECH THEN RPTED 3 MI FINAL FOR RWY 35. I REQUESTED A 360 DEG L TURN FOR SPACING. THE TWR ASKED IF THE BEECH WAS AHEAD OF US. WHEN I RESPONDED 'AFFIRMATIVE;' THE TWR APPROVED OUR TURN; CANCELED OUR LNDG CLRNC; AND CLRED THE BEECH TO LAND ON RWY 35. AFTER OUR TURN WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AND PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ON LNDG WE FOUND THAT THE BEECH HAD BEEN A TRAINING FLT PRACTICING AN INST APCH; VFR. CEILING AND VISIBILITY WERE UNLIMITED. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED. FIRST; THE BEECH KING AIR CREW WAS MAKING A PRACTICE INST APCH UNDER VFR AND MAY HAVE BEEN PREOCCUPIED INSIDE THE COCKPIT. SECOND; WE DID NOT KNOW HOW FAR OUT THE BEECH WAS AND COULD NOT ESTIMATE IF HE MIGHT OVERTAKE US. ONCE WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AHEAD OF THEM; WE ASSUMED THE BEECH WOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT FLYING THROUGH OUR RPTED POS. THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE TWR COMS. THIRD; THE VISIBILITY FROM OUR AA1B IS RESTR TO THE REAR. MY COPLT AND I WERE LOOKING FOR THE BEECH BUT COULD NOT SEE IT UNTIL IT WAS ALREADY ALONGSIDE US. IF IT HAD HIT US FROM THE REAR; WE WOULD NEVER HAVE SEEN IT. IT PASSED ABOVE AND TO OUR R. IT APPEARED THE VISIBILITY FROM THE BEECH DOWN AND TO THE SIDE; IN OUR DIRECTION; WAS LIKEWISE POOR. TO AVOID SUCH OCCURRENCES; I SUGGEST SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON WATCHFULNESS FOR TFC ON THE PART OF THOSE CLRED TO LAND IN CLASS D AIRSPACE; AND ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE CONDUCTING TRAINING FLTS AND PRACTICE IFR APCHS UNDER VFR CONDITIONS. ONCE WE WERE CLRED TO LAND ON 3 MI FINAL; CLRING TURNS WERE NO LONGER PRACTICAL. BUT TURNS TO LOOK FOR RPTED TFC MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA FOR THOSE NOT CLRED FIRST TO LAND. LISTENING TO THE TWR COMS WITH THE OTHER ACFT MIGHT ALSO HELP IDENT TFC CONFLICT. IF I OR THE OTHER ACFT HAD ASKED THE TWR FOR AN UPDATE ON THE POS OF OTHER TFC; WE MIGHT HAVE REALIZED THAT A CONFLICT EXISTED. PLTS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO DO THIS. EXTRA CAUTION SHOULD BE TAKEN BY FASTER TFC OVERTAKING THE RPTED POS OF OTHER TFC WITHOUT FIRST MAKING VISUAL CONTACT. I WOULD RECOMMEND MAKING A SPACING TURN UNTIL VISUAL CONTACT IS MADE OR RADIO RPT INDICATES THERE IS NO CONFLICT.