TBM PLT ON VISUAL APCH TO DVT EXPERIENCED NMAC AT 2700 FT WHEN TRACON CTLR ISSUED LATE CLRNC/FREQ CHANGE WITH HEAVY PATTERN TFC.

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I WAS APCHING DVT ARPT ON AN INST FLT PLAN; TALKING TO PHX APCH (120.7). WHILE BEING VECTORED TO THE VICINITY OF THE ARPT; I WAS IN AND OUT OF IMC; MORE IN THAN OUT; THROUGH SOME BROKEN CUMULUS. THE ATIS DIDN'T STATE A CLOUD COVER; ONLY VISIBILITY 10 MI AND VISUAL APCH IN USE. IT ALSO SAID RADAR OTS. I HEARD APCH QUERY ANOTHER ACFT WHO WAS GOING INTO SDL AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HE COULD SEE DVT; AS HE WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER A VISUAL APCH WOULD WORK FOR ME OR NOT. THE CTLR SEEMED FRUSTRATED; ASKING ME TWICE MY FLT CONDITIONS. HE VECTORED ME AROUND; DSNDING ME TO 3500 FT. HE INFORMED ME THAT 3500 FT IS THE MVA; AND THAT IF I DIDN'T END UP IN A SITUATION WHERE A VISUAL APCH WAS POSSIBLE; TO EXPECT A CLB; BUT THAT HE WAS GOING TO VECTOR ME TOWARDS THE ARPT. HE GOT ME ESE OF THE ARPT; AND THEN TURNED ME TO A HDG OF 070 DEGS; ESSENTIALLY LINED UP WITH THE RWY. AS I CAME AROUND I COULD SEE THE ARPT THROUGH THE CLOUDS; AND HAD A CLR SHOT TOWARDS IT AND THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT. HE TOLD ME THAT THE ARPT WAS 6 MI; 12 O'CLOCK POS; AND I RPTED IT IN SIGHT. HE CLRED ME FOR THE VISUAL AND TOLD ME TO CALL THE TWR. I BEGAN DSNDING; BEING CLRLY HIGH AND CLOSE; AND CALLED THE TWR. THE TWR TOLD ME TO STAND BY; AND IT SOUNDED LIKE A TYPICAL DVT BUSY PATTERN. AT THAT POINT I WAS PROBABLY 3 MI OUT LINED UP. MY EYES WERE OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE; AND SUDDENLY TO MY L THERE WAS AN ACFT; ABOUT 400 FT LATERAL AND 100 FT BELOW ME. ABOUT 20 SECONDS HAD PASSED SINCE I WAS CLRED FOR THE VISUAL. EVIDENTLY; THE OTHER ACFT MUST HAVE JUST TURNED FINAL AFTER AN EXTENDED DOWNWIND; TO BE SO HIGH AT THAT SPOT. I STOPPED MY DSCNT; PUT PWR IN; AND STARTED CLBING; CLR OF THE OTHER ACFT'S FLT PATH. TWR DIDN'T GET BACK TO ME UNTIL I WAS PAST THE DEP END OF THE RWY; AND I ENDED UP ENTERING R CLOSED TFC AND LNDG. CLOUD BASES WERE ABOUT 3300 FT MSL (1800 FT AGL). I WAS SHOCKED BY THE INCIDENT; BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY. IN HINDSIGHT; HAD I REFUSED THE CLRNC FOR A VISUAL APCH IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED; BUT I DON'T SEE HOW I COULD HAVE KNOWN THAT. I CALLED THE TWR; AND THE CTLR I TALKED TO ASKED FOR MY TAIL NUMBER; AND KNEW IMMEDIATELY WHO I WAS; MY ACFT TYPE; AND WHAT HAD HAPPENED. SHE TOLD ME THAT THE CTLR WHO HANDLED ME WAS DISTURBED ABOUT WHERE APCH HAD HANDED ME OFF. I DON'T SEE HOW THERE COULD HAVE BEEN ANY COORD; I WAS JUST DUMPED. I DON'T SEE ANY FAULT ON THE TWR'S PART. I CALLED APCH AND TALKED TO THE SUPVR. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NO WAY OF SEEING WHAT'S IN DVT'S AIRSPACE; THAT THEIR RADAR DOESN'T COVER. AND; OF COURSE; ONCE CLRED FOR THE VISUAL; IT WASN'T THEIR RESPONSIBILITY ANYMORE. I ASKED ABOUT COORD AND HE DIDN'T REALLY ANSWER ME; JUST SAYING THAT THEY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON IN DVT'S AIRSPACE; SO IT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO SEPARATE FROM THAT TFC. I ASKED WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IF I HAD REFUSED THE VISUAL CLRNC. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE CLBED ME AND VECTORED ME FOR A FULL APCH. I ASKED HOW THAT WOULD BE COORDINATED WITH THE TWR TO ENSURE SEPARATION WITHOUT TWR RADAR; AND HE SAID THEY WOULD HAVE CALLED THE TWR TO TELL THEM THEY HAD AN INBOUND FLT. HE DIDN'T ASK FOR MY TAIL NUMBER; AND SEEMED THAT HE JUST WANTED ME OFF THE PHONE; NOT TO CHECK OUT A MAJOR SAFETY FAILURE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT APCH WANTED TO GET ME ON A VISUAL APCH TO GET RID OF ME; RATHER THAN ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MY FLT. SO IT SEEMS TO BE A HUGE HOLE IN THE SYS. YOU GET CLRED FOR A VISUAL APCH AT A POINT WHERE IN FACT YOU ARE NOT SEPARATED FROM TFC NOT BEING HANDLED BY APCH; BUT YOU HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW THAT; HAVING BEEN IN IMC UNTIL SECONDS BEFORE. JUST LUCK KEPT THE 2 ACFT APART. OBVIOUSLY; RADAR OTS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT.