Narrative:

The incident occurred at sedona airport. Traffic was landing uphill on runway 03 and departing downhill on runway 21. I was departing sedona. I taxied from parking to runway 21, completed my preflight and was ready to depart. I had been monitoring the CTAF and didn't hear any aircraft in the pattern. I announced my intention to depart sez on runway 21 and taxied onto the runway. I didn't see any traffic approaching. As I taxied onto the runway, I heard an aircraft announce it was turning base for runway 03. Instead of holding at the end of the runway, I began my takeoff roll, thinking I would be off and climb out over the path of the landing aircraft. The other aircraft heard/saw me and executed a go-around, turning right out of the departure path. Because of the other pilot's evasive action, our 2 aircraft remained at safe distances. But I should have yielded the right-of-way to the landing aircraft. (Landing aircraft was a high fixed wing GA aircraft). Contributing factors. I had just completed my afr after not flying at all for 2 yrs; my head work was rusty. I was tired, had not slept well the night before. The situation of traffic landing and departing in opp directions is unusual. Once I took the runway, I felt committed to takeoff, a bad judgement. What would have prevented the conflict. I should have asked unicom for a traffic advisory before taxiing onto the runway, and looked more carefully for traffic in the pattern. I also could have waited a few moments after announcing my intention to depart on the CTAF to see if any other aircraft announced their positions in the pattern. I could have held at the end of the runway for the arriving traffic to land and clear the runway. Another prevention, given the unusual traffic pattern, would have been to anticipate and decide ahead of time what safe/unsafe conditions for taking off (visibility-a-visibility other local traffic positions). Finally, not flying when tired, it did seem to affect my judgement.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CLOSE PROX GA SMA ON TKOF FROM RWY 21 AND GA SMA IN LNDG PATTERN FOR RWY 03.

Narrative: THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT SEDONA ARPT. TFC WAS LNDG UPHILL ON RWY 03 AND DEPARTING DOWNHILL ON RWY 21. I WAS DEPARTING SEDONA. I TAXIED FROM PARKING TO RWY 21, COMPLETED MY PREFLT AND WAS READY TO DEPART. I HAD BEEN MONITORING THE CTAF AND DIDN'T HEAR ANY ACFT IN THE PATTERN. I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION TO DEPART SEZ ON RWY 21 AND TAXIED ONTO THE RWY. I DIDN'T SEE ANY TFC APCHING. AS I TAXIED ONTO THE RWY, I HEARD AN ACFT ANNOUNCE IT WAS TURNING BASE FOR RWY 03. INSTEAD OF HOLDING AT THE END OF THE RWY, I BEGAN MY TKOF ROLL, THINKING I WOULD BE OFF AND CLB OUT OVER THE PATH OF THE LNDG ACFT. THE OTHER ACFT HEARD/SAW ME AND EXECUTED A GO-AROUND, TURNING R OUT OF THE DEP PATH. BECAUSE OF THE OTHER PLT'S EVASIVE ACTION, OUR 2 ACFT REMAINED AT SAFE DISTANCES. BUT I SHOULD HAVE YIELDED THE RIGHT-OF-WAY TO THE LNDG ACFT. (LNDG ACFT WAS A HIGH FIXED WING GA ACFT). CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. I HAD JUST COMPLETED MY AFR AFTER NOT FLYING AT ALL FOR 2 YRS; MY HEAD WORK WAS RUSTY. I WAS TIRED, HAD NOT SLEPT WELL THE NIGHT BEFORE. THE SITUATION OF TFC LNDG AND DEPARTING IN OPP DIRECTIONS IS UNUSUAL. ONCE I TOOK THE RWY, I FELT COMMITTED TO TKOF, A BAD JUDGEMENT. WHAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE CONFLICT. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED UNICOM FOR A TFC ADVISORY BEFORE TAXIING ONTO THE RWY, AND LOOKED MORE CAREFULLY FOR TFC IN THE PATTERN. I ALSO COULD HAVE WAITED A FEW MOMENTS AFTER ANNOUNCING MY INTENTION TO DEPART ON THE CTAF TO SEE IF ANY OTHER ACFT ANNOUNCED THEIR POSITIONS IN THE PATTERN. I COULD HAVE HELD AT THE END OF THE RWY FOR THE ARRIVING TFC TO LAND AND CLR THE RWY. ANOTHER PREVENTION, GIVEN THE UNUSUAL TFC PATTERN, WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ANTICIPATE AND DECIDE AHEAD OF TIME WHAT SAFE/UNSAFE CONDITIONS FOR TAKING OFF (VIS-A-VIS OTHER LCL TFC POSITIONS). FINALLY, NOT FLYING WHEN TIRED, IT DID SEEM TO AFFECT MY JUDGEMENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.