A B757-200 CREW MADE AN UNANTICIPATED RAPID STOP TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH A B737 TAXIING AT A HIGH SPD.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA57Z; DEC/SUN/04; BWI; WHILE TAXIING FOR TKOF; WE NARROWLY AVERTED A GND COLLISION WITH A B737. OUR ACFT WAS LESS THAN 500 FT FROM STOPPING AT THE HOLD BAR FOR RWY 28 ON TXWY C. I HAD JUST FINISHED SWITCHING FROM GND TO TWR FREQ WHEN THE CAPT NOTICED THE B737 APCHING US FROM OUR 4 O'CLOCK POS ON TXWY U. THE B737'S OVERTAKE WAS EASILY 4-5 TIMES OUR TAXI SPD. BECAUSE OF THE ACUTE ANGLE FROM WHICH HE APCHED; WE DID NOT HAVE HIM IN SIGHT UNTIL THAT MOMENT. HIS APPARENT MOTIVE WAS TO BEAT US TO THE RWY; FOR WE SOON LEARNED HE HAD SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ EARLY AND TOLD THEM HE WAS 'READY.' WE MADE AN ABRUPT STOP TO STAY OUT OF HIS WAY. HAD WE NOT; HE WOULD EITHER HAVE HIT US OR HAVE HAD TO ABANDON THE TXWY TO AVOID THE COLLISION. AT A HIGH SPD; LEAVING RUBBER DEPOSITS; HE MADE THE 150 DEG TURN ONTO RWY 28 AND RAPIDLY ACCELERATED HIS TKOF ROLL. WE THOUGHT WE WERE #1 FOR THE RWY AS THE ONLY OTHER ACFT IN SIGHT WAS IN THE HOLDING AREA OFF TO THE L OF THE HOLD BARS. NO CALLS FROM GND OR TWR WERE GIVEN TO ALERT US TO ANYTHING DIFFERENT. WE QUESTIONED TWR ABOUT WHAT WE HAD JUST OBSERVED AND WERE SIMPLY TOLD; 'HE HAD CALLED READY.' THIS TYPE OF RECKLESS OP BY ACR X IS OBSERVED FREQUENTLY AT BWI. BWI IS AN ARPT FRAUGHT WITH POTENTIAL TAXI HAZARDS. WILLFUL DISREGARD FOR SAFE GND OPS BY ACR X CREW IS APPARENTLY AND UNFORTUNATELY TOLERATED BY BWI ATC AND SEEMS TO BE SOP FOR ACR X OPS. HAD WE NOT BEEN PROCEEDING AT A SAFE AND ACCEPTABLE TAXI SPD; I FEAR THIS WOULD HAVE ENDED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.