Narrative:

I live within the cameron park airport district and can taxi to the runway from my home. The airport is in a narrow valley with ridges paralleling the runway on both sides. The ridges average about 200 ft above the runway and are about a mi apart at the top. Downwind for both runway 13 and runway 31 is outside of the ridges. Also, there is a 200 ft hill 1/2 mi off the departure and of runway 13 and a 150 ft hill about 1000 ft due south of the pavement end of runway 13. Due to the close in ridges and hills, we rarely have strong winds, and quite often pilots will inadvertently be using both runway 13 and runway 31 throughout the day. Local pilots, therefore, use their radios a great deal to report runway entry, takeoff and direction of departure and 45 degree entry, downwind, base, final and runway clearance on lndgs. I taxied from my home to the runway 13 runup area with my wife as copilot. During the entire time until departing the area. There was only 1 aircraft talking to the cameron park unicom. That was a helicopter discussing where he should park for fueling. After runup, we looked for landing aircraft at both ends of the runway and then taxied the 300 ft to the end of runway 13. I announced departure on runway 13 and began the takeoff roll. The airport manager was checking the electric gate at the road entering the runway. As we went past, he pointed towards left base for runway 31. I looked, but saw nothing. As I looked back down the runway, I saw a high wing plane about 75 ft high on about 1/4 mi final. The cameron park runway is only 50 ft wide with unimproved soft field on both sides. Besides the 2 entrances at the ends, there is only a midpoint turnoff. Had I tried to stop. I probably would have gone past the center turnoff and forcing the other aircraft to go around or land over me. Since I was at rotation speed, I felt the best way to clear the runway was to takeoff and climb out over the landing aircraft. We were not near gross and could climb out at 1000 FPM. The manager told us today that the cessna 180 landed and turned off at the midpoint exit. He also stated: 'I thought you were talking to each other. He did not know the plane, so we don't know whether the other pilot saw me, nor why he was not using his radios. As an active search and rescue pilot for 8 yrs, I know how difficult it is to see objects even aircraft, from a mi away. At uncontrolled fields with sometimes unattended unicoms, it is an important added safety factor for pilots to transmit and listen for TA's when landing and taking off.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NMAC AT NON TWR ARPT WITH OPPOSITE DIRECTION TFC.

Narrative: I LIVE WITHIN THE CAMERON PARK ARPT DISTRICT AND CAN TAXI TO THE RWY FROM MY HOME. THE ARPT IS IN A NARROW VALLEY WITH RIDGES PARALLELING THE RWY ON BOTH SIDES. THE RIDGES AVERAGE ABOUT 200 FT ABOVE THE RWY AND ARE ABOUT A MI APART AT THE TOP. DOWNWIND FOR BOTH RWY 13 AND RWY 31 IS OUTSIDE OF THE RIDGES. ALSO, THERE IS A 200 FT HILL 1/2 MI OFF THE DEP AND OF RWY 13 AND A 150 FT HILL ABOUT 1000 FT DUE S OF THE PAVEMENT END OF RWY 13. DUE TO THE CLOSE IN RIDGES AND HILLS, WE RARELY HAVE STRONG WINDS, AND QUITE OFTEN PLTS WILL INADVERTENTLY BE USING BOTH RWY 13 AND RWY 31 THROUGHOUT THE DAY. LCL PLTS, THEREFORE, USE THEIR RADIOS A GREAT DEAL TO RPT RWY ENTRY, TKOF AND DIRECTION OF DEP AND 45 DEG ENTRY, DOWNWIND, BASE, FINAL AND RWY CLRNC ON LNDGS. I TAXIED FROM MY HOME TO THE RWY 13 RUNUP AREA WITH MY WIFE AS COPLT. DURING THE ENTIRE TIME UNTIL DEPARTING THE AREA. THERE WAS ONLY 1 ACFT TALKING TO THE CAMERON PARK UNICOM. THAT WAS A HELI DISCUSSING WHERE HE SHOULD PARK FOR FUELING. AFTER RUNUP, WE LOOKED FOR LNDG ACFT AT BOTH ENDS OF THE RWY AND THEN TAXIED THE 300 FT TO THE END OF RWY 13. I ANNOUNCED DEP ON RWY 13 AND BEGAN THE TKOF ROLL. THE ARPT MGR WAS CHKING THE ELECTRIC GATE AT THE ROAD ENTERING THE RWY. AS WE WENT PAST, HE POINTED TOWARDS L BASE FOR RWY 31. I LOOKED, BUT SAW NOTHING. AS I LOOKED BACK DOWN THE RWY, I SAW A HIGH WING PLANE ABOUT 75 FT HIGH ON ABOUT 1/4 MI FINAL. THE CAMERON PARK RWY IS ONLY 50 FT WIDE WITH UNIMPROVED SOFT FIELD ON BOTH SIDES. BESIDES THE 2 ENTRANCES AT THE ENDS, THERE IS ONLY A MIDPOINT TURNOFF. HAD I TRIED TO STOP. I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE GONE PAST THE CTR TURNOFF AND FORCING THE OTHER ACFT TO GAR OR LAND OVER ME. SINCE I WAS AT ROTATION SPD, I FELT THE BEST WAY TO CLR THE RWY WAS TO TKOF AND CLB OUT OVER THE LNDG ACFT. WE WERE NOT NEAR GROSS AND COULD CLB OUT AT 1000 FPM. THE MGR TOLD US TODAY THAT THE CESSNA 180 LANDED AND TURNED OFF AT THE MIDPOINT EXIT. HE ALSO STATED: 'I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER. HE DID NOT KNOW THE PLANE, SO WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE OTHER PLT SAW ME, NOR WHY HE WAS NOT USING HIS RADIOS. AS AN ACTIVE SEARCH AND RESCUE PLT FOR 8 YRS, I KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO SEE OBJECTS EVEN ACFT, FROM A MI AWAY. AT UNCTLED FIELDS WITH SOMETIMES UNATTENDED UNICOMS, IT IS AN IMPORTANT ADDED SAFETY FACTOR FOR PLTS TO XMIT AND LISTEN FOR TA'S WHEN LNDG AND TAKING OFF.

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.