Narrative:

The majority of operations at IV5 are conducted on runway 08, characterized by variable winds, down-sloping terrain beginning with a drop off, and a l-hand pattern. Warm winter days and summer storms sometimes necessitate using runway 26, which is notable for strong shifting winds, windshear and downdrafts at the departure end, trees, rapidly upsloping terrain, mountains, a lake, and a r-hand pattern. Using runway 26 is never routine nor pleasant and usually results in a large reduction of airport use. In the hour prior to departure I noticed that while the wind was clearly out of the west, it was unusually sedate and seemed perfect for practicing the use of runway 26 without undue risk. As I approached the airport and during preflight I saw aircraft using both runways and the wind varying from almost calm to a 10 KT wind from the west. As I was taxiing, I heard an aircraft call unicom for an advisory. The unicom operator informed the aircraft that the wind was light out of the west but that aircraft had been using runway 08. There is no wind readout equipment available to the unicom operator. They depend upon the windsocks which at times can all show different speeds and directions. The aircraft used runway 08 for landing, vacating the runway at the opposite end where I was completing my run-up. When the aircraft was clear I proceeded toward the runway and announced over unicom that I was departing runway 26. The aircraft that had just landed had made numerous calls over unicom but there was no other radio activity. Just prior to and upon entering the runway I glanced down the runway and scanned the approach to runway 26 and the entire pattern. As I was planning a short field takeoff I lined up with the runway and stopped. During the line-up I looked all the way down the runway, if there was another aircraft there at the time I did not see it. Approximately 30 seconds had elapsed since my unicom broadcast. While holding the brakes, I applied full power and was occupied inside the cockpit for up to 15 seconds. When I released the brakes I looked outside and concentrated on directional control with my vision beginning just beyond the nose of my aircraft and gradually lifting toward the other end of the runway. It was then that I noticed another aircraft. It appeared to be stationary, led me to believe it was either off to the side or possibly holding for takeoff. By this time with 25 degrees of flap there was the need to decide whether to fly or stop. My thoughts included: is he moving? Is he actually on the runway? If he stops and I stop will we collide? Can I stop? We were airborne at about the same time. I was so focused on the other aircraft that I had begun to drift left. As the other aircraft was slightly out-climbing me, I leveled off slightly above the ground and sidestepped over to the taxiway to the left, hoping that he could see that I was already to the left and moving further in that direction. After we passed I turned back over the runway and commented over unicom to an aircraft I had just overflown that not everybody uses radios. When he responded, I knew at least that my radios were functional. The other aircraft in this incident was a white home-built that witnesses thought was based locally. I believe I have also seen this aircraft in a hangar. My best estimate as to our proximity is based on the width of the runway. Vertically I believe less than 20 ft separated us but I was more interested in flying my own aircraft once I knew we would not hit. Conclusions: people are afraid of runway 26 and will do anything to avoid using it if they have the power or are ignorant enough to attempt a downwind takeoff, extra vigilance is needed when there are no aircraft in the pattern and the wind is occasionally calm allowing the temporary use of runway 8. People do not listen to unicom when it seems that no one else is around. Without the flap setting I used I might have stalled and lost control of my aircraft (luck). My familiarity with the airport and aircraft allowed me to fly my aircraft safely in this unusual situation without panic or indecision. Recommendations: unicom operators should refrain from making statements about the runway in use unless aircraft are actually in the pattern.the aircraft that landed led others to use runway 8, and he was only doing so because the unicom operator had seen someone else doing so earlier.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28-140 ELECTED TO DEPART RWY 26 AFTER ACFT HAD LANDED RWY 08. ANNOUNCED INTENTIONS ON CTAF AND HEARD NO RESPONSE NOR NOTED ANY TFC IN THE PATTERN OR ON THE RWY. AT LIFT OFF ENCOUNTERED ACFT ON RWY 08 DEPARTING, RESULTING IN NMAC OF 50 FT VERT AND HORIZ.

Narrative: THE MAJORITY OF OPS AT IV5 ARE CONDUCTED ON RWY 08, CHARACTERIZED BY VARIABLE WINDS, DOWN-SLOPING TERRAIN BEGINNING WITH A DROP OFF, AND A L-HAND PATTERN. WARM WINTER DAYS AND SUMMER STORMS SOMETIMES NECESSITATE USING RWY 26, WHICH IS NOTABLE FOR STRONG SHIFTING WINDS, WINDSHEAR AND DOWNDRAFTS AT THE DEP END, TREES, RAPIDLY UPSLOPING TERRAIN, MOUNTAINS, A LAKE, AND A R-HAND PATTERN. USING RWY 26 IS NEVER ROUTINE NOR PLEASANT AND USUALLY RESULTS IN A LARGE REDUCTION OF ARPT USE. IN THE HR PRIOR TO DEP I NOTICED THAT WHILE THE WIND WAS CLRLY OUT OF THE W, IT WAS UNUSUALLY SEDATE AND SEEMED PERFECT FOR PRACTICING THE USE OF RWY 26 WITHOUT UNDUE RISK. AS I APCHED THE ARPT AND DURING PREFLT I SAW ACFT USING BOTH RWYS AND THE WIND VARYING FROM ALMOST CALM TO A 10 KT WIND FROM THE W. AS I WAS TAXIING, I HEARD AN ACFT CALL UNICOM FOR AN ADVISORY. THE UNICOM OPERATOR INFORMED THE ACFT THAT THE WIND WAS LIGHT OUT OF THE W BUT THAT ACFT HAD BEEN USING RWY 08. THERE IS NO WIND READOUT EQUIP AVAILABLE TO THE UNICOM OPERATOR. THEY DEPEND UPON THE WINDSOCKS WHICH AT TIMES CAN ALL SHOW DIFFERENT SPDS AND DIRECTIONS. THE ACFT USED RWY 08 FOR LNDG, VACATING THE RWY AT THE OPPOSITE END WHERE I WAS COMPLETING MY RUN-UP. WHEN THE ACFT WAS CLR I PROCEEDED TOWARD THE RWY AND ANNOUNCED OVER UNICOM THAT I WAS DEPARTING RWY 26. THE ACFT THAT HAD JUST LANDED HAD MADE NUMEROUS CALLS OVER UNICOM BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER RADIO ACTIVITY. JUST PRIOR TO AND UPON ENTERING THE RWY I GLANCED DOWN THE RWY AND SCANNED THE APCH TO RWY 26 AND THE ENTIRE PATTERN. AS I WAS PLANNING A SHORT FIELD TKOF I LINED UP WITH THE RWY AND STOPPED. DURING THE LINE-UP I LOOKED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, IF THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT THERE AT THE TIME I DID NOT SEE IT. APPROX 30 SECONDS HAD ELAPSED SINCE MY UNICOM BROADCAST. WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKES, I APPLIED FULL PWR AND WAS OCCUPIED INSIDE THE COCKPIT FOR UP TO 15 SECONDS. WHEN I RELEASED THE BRAKES I LOOKED OUTSIDE AND CONCENTRATED ON DIRECTIONAL CTL WITH MY VISION BEGINNING JUST BEYOND THE NOSE OF MY ACFT AND GRADUALLY LIFTING TOWARD THE OTHER END OF THE RWY. IT WAS THEN THAT I NOTICED ANOTHER ACFT. IT APPEARED TO BE STATIONARY, LED ME TO BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER OFF TO THE SIDE OR POSSIBLY HOLDING FOR TKOF. BY THIS TIME WITH 25 DEGS OF FLAP THERE WAS THE NEED TO DECIDE WHETHER TO FLY OR STOP. MY THOUGHTS INCLUDED: IS HE MOVING? IS HE ACTUALLY ON THE RWY? IF HE STOPS AND I STOP WILL WE COLLIDE? CAN I STOP? WE WERE AIRBORNE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME. I WAS SO FOCUSED ON THE OTHER ACFT THAT I HAD BEGUN TO DRIFT L. AS THE OTHER ACFT WAS SLIGHTLY OUT-CLIMBING ME, I LEVELED OFF SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE GND AND SIDESTEPPED OVER TO THE TXWY TO THE L, HOPING THAT HE COULD SEE THAT I WAS ALREADY TO THE L AND MOVING FURTHER IN THAT DIRECTION. AFTER WE PASSED I TURNED BACK OVER THE RWY AND COMMENTED OVER UNICOM TO AN ACFT I HAD JUST OVERFLOWN THAT NOT EVERYBODY USES RADIOS. WHEN HE RESPONDED, I KNEW AT LEAST THAT MY RADIOS WERE FUNCTIONAL. THE OTHER ACFT IN THIS INCIDENT WAS A WHITE HOME-BUILT THAT WITNESSES THOUGHT WAS BASED LOCALLY. I BELIEVE I HAVE ALSO SEEN THIS ACFT IN A HANGAR. MY BEST ESTIMATE AS TO OUR PROX IS BASED ON THE WIDTH OF THE RWY. VERTLY I BELIEVE LESS THAN 20 FT SEPARATED US BUT I WAS MORE INTERESTED IN FLYING MY OWN ACFT ONCE I KNEW WE WOULD NOT HIT. CONCLUSIONS: PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF RWY 26 AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO AVOID USING IT IF THEY HAVE THE PWR OR ARE IGNORANT ENOUGH TO ATTEMPT A DOWNWIND TKOF, EXTRA VIGILANCE IS NEEDED WHEN THERE ARE NO ACFT IN THE PATTERN AND THE WIND IS OCCASIONALLY CALM ALLOWING THE TEMPORARY USE OF RWY 8. PEOPLE DO NOT LISTEN TO UNICOM WHEN IT SEEMS THAT NO ONE ELSE IS AROUND. WITHOUT THE FLAP SETTING I USED I MIGHT HAVE STALLED AND LOST CTL OF MY ACFT (LUCK). MY FAMILIARITY WITH THE ARPT AND ACFT ALLOWED ME TO FLY MY ACFT SAFELY IN THIS UNUSUAL SIT WITHOUT PANIC OR INDECISION. RECOMMENDATIONS: UNICOM OPERATORS SHOULD REFRAIN FROM MAKING STATEMENTS ABOUT THE RWY IN USE UNLESS ACFT ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PATTERN.THE ACFT THAT LANDED LED OTHERS TO USE RWY 8, AND HE WAS ONLY DOING SO BECAUSE THE UNICOM OPERATOR HAD SEEN SOMEONE ELSE DOING SO EARLIER.

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.