Narrative:

We had an open house at the wenatchee airport, with all the associated congestion. I was giving 'hop rides' around town. 2 other company pilots were doing the same. 2 local pilots were giving rides in small aircraft. One was no radio. I was entering 45 to downwind runway 29 when FSS changed the runway to runway 11. Right traffic is standard for runway 11, so I revised my call to right base runway 11. With the runway change everyone was extra alert. An small aircraft that had taxied to runway 29 said he would wait for me to clear, a commuter was holding ready to go runway 11, and I had all (reported) local airborne traffic located. I was running strobes, beacon and taxi lights. On about 1/2 mi final I noticed the small aircraft NORDO (park maroon colored) had just departed runway 29 and was headed straight at me head on. I turned right, started to go around, but decided that would put me back in the fray in the pattern, so I just side stepped around her, slid back over and landed. With no evasive action we would have met at about 150' over the perimeter road. I never saw any evasive action on her part.I haven't yet talked to her to see if she saw me. Her dark color made her very difficult to see against the runway, especially head on. She had apparently departed the mid-field intersection, putting her climb right in line with the normal approach path. She had no radio, and missed the runway change in progress. Her visibility was limited from the back seat of the biplane. The commuter apparently didn't see her depart in front of them, because they radioed no warning to me. I was watching the pattern and both ends of the runway, and had checked the mid-field taxiway a couple times on the approach because I was aware of their operation, but somehow I missed seeing her until we were pretty close.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNCONTROLLED ARPT. NUMEROUS ACFT IN PATTERN AND AWAITING TKOF. RWY CHANGE ANNOUNCED BY FSS. A NO RADIO ACFT TOOK OFF ON RWY THAT HAD BEEN IN USE. WAS SIGHTED HEAD ON BY REPORTER WHO WAS COMPLYING WITH RWY CHANGE AND THE REVERSED PATTERN. REPORTER TURNED AWAY, AVOIDING THE ACFT TAKING OFF, THEN SLID BACK TO RWY ALIGNMENT AND LANDED.

Narrative: WE HAD AN OPEN HOUSE AT THE WENATCHEE ARPT, WITH ALL THE ASSOCIATED CONGESTION. I WAS GIVING 'HOP RIDES' AROUND TOWN. 2 OTHER COMPANY PLTS WERE DOING THE SAME. 2 LCL PLTS WERE GIVING RIDES IN SMA. ONE WAS NO RADIO. I WAS ENTERING 45 TO DOWNWIND RWY 29 WHEN FSS CHANGED THE RWY TO RWY 11. RIGHT TFC IS STANDARD FOR RWY 11, SO I REVISED MY CALL TO RIGHT BASE RWY 11. WITH THE RWY CHANGE EVERYONE WAS EXTRA ALERT. AN SMA THAT HAD TAXIED TO RWY 29 SAID HE WOULD WAIT FOR ME TO CLR, A COMMUTER WAS HOLDING READY TO GO RWY 11, AND I HAD ALL (RPTED) LCL AIRBORNE TFC LOCATED. I WAS RUNNING STROBES, BEACON AND TAXI LIGHTS. ON ABOUT 1/2 MI FINAL I NOTICED THE SMA NORDO (PARK MAROON COLORED) HAD JUST DEPARTED RWY 29 AND WAS HEADED STRAIGHT AT ME HEAD ON. I TURNED RIGHT, STARTED TO GO AROUND, BUT DECIDED THAT WOULD PUT ME BACK IN THE FRAY IN THE PATTERN, SO I JUST SIDE STEPPED AROUND HER, SLID BACK OVER AND LANDED. WITH NO EVASIVE ACTION WE WOULD HAVE MET AT ABOUT 150' OVER THE PERIMETER ROAD. I NEVER SAW ANY EVASIVE ACTION ON HER PART.I HAVEN'T YET TALKED TO HER TO SEE IF SHE SAW ME. HER DARK COLOR MADE HER VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE AGAINST THE RWY, ESPECIALLY HEAD ON. SHE HAD APPARENTLY DEPARTED THE MID-FIELD INTXN, PUTTING HER CLB RIGHT IN LINE WITH THE NORMAL APCH PATH. SHE HAD NO RADIO, AND MISSED THE RWY CHANGE IN PROGRESS. HER VISIBILITY WAS LIMITED FROM THE BACK SEAT OF THE BIPLANE. THE COMMUTER APPARENTLY DIDN'T SEE HER DEPART IN FRONT OF THEM, BECAUSE THEY RADIOED NO WARNING TO ME. I WAS WATCHING THE PATTERN AND BOTH ENDS OF THE RWY, AND HAD CHKED THE MID-FIELD TXWY A COUPLE TIMES ON THE APCH BECAUSE I WAS AWARE OF THEIR OPERATION, BUT SOMEHOW I MISSED SEEING HER UNTIL WE WERE PRETTY CLOSE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 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.