Narrative:

After my run-up I positioned my aircraft about 30-45 degrees across the narrow taxiway so that I could visually observe final and base leg as much as possible ahead of my left wing. One aircraft landed during my run-up, followed by another as I positioned my aircraft to view base and final. As the second aircraft rolled down the runway, I visually scanned base and final. As I had heard no other aircraft position reports since the aircraft just landing had called final, and seeing no traffic on base or final, I anticipated I could depart as soon as the aircraft on the runway was clear. So, I announced my intention on CTAF 'to take runway 22 for departure.' I applied power and turned the aircraft back toward taxiway centerline and crossed the hold line, while directing my attention to the aircraft on the runway. Although this aircraft was now about 1/2 way down the runway it appeared that he was too fast for a turnoff and not yet fast enough to be doing a touch and go. As I lined up on the active, this aircraft was still on the runway, so I delayed applying power to wait for him to clear the runway or become airborne. He finally called 'on the go' so I anticipated applying power as soon as he broke ground. When this aircraft lifted off I started my power application. After I had rolled approximately 150 ft, just past the next available turnoff, and with about 1/2-2/3 of my power applied, I heard an aircraft call on CTAF 'short final.' as it was too late to turn off, and not sure how 'short' on final this aircraft was, I rapidly pushed in the remaining power -- hoping to give this aircraft room to land behind me. At about 40-50 KTS on my airspeed indicator, I heard 'cessna on the runway, I'm at your 6 O'clock and rapidly overtaking you.' I knew now that the other aircraft saw me, but I still did not know how close he really was or what his intentions were. As I reached lift-off speed the other aircraft passed directly over me at about 75 ft to 100 ft above the runway. He was maintaining this low altitude and the exact centerline of the runway. I am very confident of my estimation of his altitude/separation above me as I spent many yrs refueling behind and below air force tankers. Having overtaken me from behind this other aircraft appeared to stagnate about 150-200 ft ahead of me and still only about 100 ft above me. I now began to slowly overtake the aircraft overhead as my aircraft continued to accelerate after lift-off. I decided to leave my gear down for the time being as I did not want to 'underfly' the other aircraft and thereby lose sight of him. It was obvious then, as I was looking directly up at the bottom of his aircraft (no offset by him from the runway centerline), that he had long since lost sight of me as I went under his nose. As I slowly overtook him, and as he did not appear to be climbing at all, I turned left off runway heading (at about 10-15 ft AGL) far enough to gain some lateral separation before I passed abeam and he disappeared from my view above my right wing. Only when I was absolutely sure that I was ahead and went off to the left did I raise the nose and finally retract my landing gear. In reflection, I feel I diligently followed proper procedures, yet we still wound up in a very dangerous situation. I wondered why I did not hear a 'turning base' or 'turning final' call from the other aircraft. In reflection, it may be that we 'stepped' on each other when I made my 'taking runway 22' call on CTAF. If he was just turning base, and announced this action at the same time, neither of us would have been able to hear the other. At this time, he might have been just behind the leading edge of my left wing (where he would have remained as I made a right turn back to taxiway and another right turn onto the runway). My moderate delay on the runway, waiting for the touch and go aircraft to lift-off, might have allowed time for a short base leg and turn to final. Why, however, did the other aircraft not say anything until 'short' final? Why didn't he start a go around as soon as he saw me, and above all else, why didn't he offset from the runway so he could at least keep me in sight? As I have not been able to ascertain the identify of the other aircraft and pilot, these and other questions may remain unanswered.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNCTLED ARPT. PLT COMMUNICATED TAKING RWY 22 AFTER LNDG ACFT. DELAYED TKOF FOR ACFT TO CLR RWY. ACFT ON FINAL CALLED SHORT FINAL AND CONTINUED APCH. RPTR HAD STARTED TKOF AND ELECTED TO CONTINUE. LNDG ACFT CONTINUED ON CTRLINE OF RWY PASSING OVERHEAD WITH 75 FT. NMAC. C210.

Narrative: AFTER MY RUN-UP I POSITIONED MY ACFT ABOUT 30-45 DEGS ACROSS THE NARROW TXWY SO THAT I COULD VISUALLY OBSERVE FINAL AND BASE LEG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AHEAD OF MY L WING. ONE ACFT LANDED DURING MY RUN-UP, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER AS I POSITIONED MY ACFT TO VIEW BASE AND FINAL. AS THE SECOND ACFT ROLLED DOWN THE RWY, I VISUALLY SCANNED BASE AND FINAL. AS I HAD HEARD NO OTHER ACFT POS RPTS SINCE THE ACFT JUST LNDG HAD CALLED FINAL, AND SEEING NO TFC ON BASE OR FINAL, I ANTICIPATED I COULD DEPART AS SOON AS THE ACFT ON THE RWY WAS CLR. SO, I ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION ON CTAF 'TO TAKE RWY 22 FOR DEP.' I APPLIED PWR AND TURNED THE ACFT BACK TOWARD TXWY CTRLINE AND CROSSED THE HOLD LINE, WHILE DIRECTING MY ATTN TO THE ACFT ON THE RWY. ALTHOUGH THIS ACFT WAS NOW ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN THE RWY IT APPEARED THAT HE WAS TOO FAST FOR A TURNOFF AND NOT YET FAST ENOUGH TO BE DOING A TOUCH AND GO. AS I LINED UP ON THE ACTIVE, THIS ACFT WAS STILL ON THE RWY, SO I DELAYED APPLYING PWR TO WAIT FOR HIM TO CLR THE RWY OR BECOME AIRBORNE. HE FINALLY CALLED 'ON THE GO' SO I ANTICIPATED APPLYING PWR AS SOON AS HE BROKE GND. WHEN THIS ACFT LIFTED OFF I STARTED MY PWR APPLICATION. AFTER I HAD ROLLED APPROX 150 FT, JUST PAST THE NEXT AVAILABLE TURNOFF, AND WITH ABOUT 1/2-2/3 OF MY PWR APPLIED, I HEARD AN ACFT CALL ON CTAF 'SHORT FINAL.' AS IT WAS TOO LATE TO TURN OFF, AND NOT SURE HOW 'SHORT' ON FINAL THIS ACFT WAS, I RAPIDLY PUSHED IN THE REMAINING PWR -- HOPING TO GIVE THIS ACFT ROOM TO LAND BEHIND ME. AT ABOUT 40-50 KTS ON MY AIRSPD INDICATOR, I HEARD 'CESSNA ON THE RWY, I'M AT YOUR 6 O'CLOCK AND RAPIDLY OVERTAKING YOU.' I KNEW NOW THAT THE OTHER ACFT SAW ME, BUT I STILL DID NOT KNOW HOW CLOSE HE REALLY WAS OR WHAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE. AS I REACHED LIFT-OFF SPD THE OTHER ACFT PASSED DIRECTLY OVER ME AT ABOUT 75 FT TO 100 FT ABOVE THE RWY. HE WAS MAINTAINING THIS LOW ALT AND THE EXACT CTRLINE OF THE RWY. I AM VERY CONFIDENT OF MY ESTIMATION OF HIS ALT/SEPARATION ABOVE ME AS I SPENT MANY YRS REFUELING BEHIND AND BELOW AIR FORCE TANKERS. HAVING OVERTAKEN ME FROM BEHIND THIS OTHER ACFT APPEARED TO STAGNATE ABOUT 150-200 FT AHEAD OF ME AND STILL ONLY ABOUT 100 FT ABOVE ME. I NOW BEGAN TO SLOWLY OVERTAKE THE ACFT OVERHEAD AS MY ACFT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AFTER LIFT-OFF. I DECIDED TO LEAVE MY GEAR DOWN FOR THE TIME BEING AS I DID NOT WANT TO 'UNDERFLY' THE OTHER ACFT AND THEREBY LOSE SIGHT OF HIM. IT WAS OBVIOUS THEN, AS I WAS LOOKING DIRECTLY UP AT THE BOTTOM OF HIS ACFT (NO OFFSET BY HIM FROM THE RWY CTRLINE), THAT HE HAD LONG SINCE LOST SIGHT OF ME AS I WENT UNDER HIS NOSE. AS I SLOWLY OVERTOOK HIM, AND AS HE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE CLBING AT ALL, I TURNED L OFF RWY HEADING (AT ABOUT 10-15 FT AGL) FAR ENOUGH TO GAIN SOME LATERAL SEPARATION BEFORE I PASSED ABEAM AND HE DISAPPEARED FROM MY VIEW ABOVE MY R WING. ONLY WHEN I WAS ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT I WAS AHEAD AND WENT OFF TO THE L DID I RAISE THE NOSE AND FINALLY RETRACT MY LNDG GEAR. IN REFLECTION, I FEEL I DILIGENTLY FOLLOWED PROPER PROCS, YET WE STILL WOUND UP IN A VERY DANGEROUS SIT. I WONDERED WHY I DID NOT HEAR A 'TURNING BASE' OR 'TURNING FINAL' CALL FROM THE OTHER ACFT. IN REFLECTION, IT MAY BE THAT WE 'STEPPED' ON EACH OTHER WHEN I MADE MY 'TAKING RWY 22' CALL ON CTAF. IF HE WAS JUST TURNING BASE, AND ANNOUNCED THIS ACTION AT THE SAME TIME, NEITHER OF US WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HEAR THE OTHER. AT THIS TIME, HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN JUST BEHIND THE LEADING EDGE OF MY L WING (WHERE HE WOULD HAVE REMAINED AS I MADE A R TURN BACK TO TXWY AND ANOTHER R TURN ONTO THE RWY). MY MODERATE DELAY ON THE RWY, WAITING FOR THE TOUCH AND GO ACFT TO LIFT-OFF, MIGHT HAVE ALLOWED TIME FOR A SHORT BASE LEG AND TURN TO FINAL. WHY, HOWEVER, DID THE OTHER ACFT NOT SAY ANYTHING UNTIL 'SHORT' FINAL? WHY DIDN'T HE START A GAR AS SOON AS HE SAW ME, AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, WHY DIDN'T HE OFFSET FROM THE RWY SO HE COULD AT LEAST KEEP ME IN SIGHT? AS I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ASCERTAIN THE IDENT OF THE OTHER ACFT AND PLT, THESE AND OTHER QUESTIONS MAY REMAIN UNANSWERED.

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.