Narrative:

I started our department's C185 and taxied from the hangar area to runway 12 at brd. The east side of runway 5/23 was covered with a thin layer of ground fog. This was causing the ASOS, which is located on the northeast side of the airport, to give the WX as: wind calm, visibility 1/4 mi, vertical visibility 100 ft. Conditions over runway 12/30 were clear, high thin cirrus, and unrestr visibility. Since I planned to depart VFR and the wind was calm, I chose runway 12. While taxiing out, I noticed the commuter on their ramp. The engines were shut down. Upon arriving at runway 12, I did my runup. The fog was burning off rapidly. I listened to the ASOS on communication #2. It was still saying the field was IFR. I then contacted princeton FSS and gave them a VFR PIREP and asked about departure with the ASOS still giving IFR conditions. I was advised that since the ASOS was still reporting IFR I would have to get a SVFR from ZMP to depart. Upon contacting ZMP and requesting a SVFR departure, I was informed that there was an arrival and some other operations and it would be a while before they could give me an SVFR. I informed them of the VFR conditions and that only a few wisps of fog remained in the vicinity of the ASOS. These conditions were confirmed by a flight that was on an ILS final to runway 23 at brainerd. Still the ASOS was reporting IFR and center would get back to me. This took approximately 10 mins. What little fog was left was gone so I listened to the ASOS again. The report was wind calm, 6 mi visibility, sky 100 scattered. To make sure I heard right, I listened to the sequence again. This time it gave the visibility as 8 mi. Upon hearing this, I contacted ZMP again to cancel my request for an SVFR and advised them I could now depart VFR. I had heard the flight that had landed earlier call clear of all runways and taxiing to the ramp on CTAF 122.7. My radio transmission was 'brainerd traffic cessna departing runway 12 brainerd and will be wbound.' I then taxied onto the runway and began my takeoff roll. Since this is my home base of operation, I'm familiar with the blind spot caused by trees that block the view of the takeoff ends of runway 12 and 23 and tend to look in that direction as I take off. Shortly after breaking ground and clearing the trees, I saw a commuter aircraft about 1/2 way down runway 23. Having enough speed and altitude I was able to make a climbing left turn before reaching and crossing over runway 23. Since I hadn't heard any traffic on the radio, I transmitted asking where the commuter aircraft had come from. I was thinking they had just arrived. To my shock they had aborted their takeoff and replied they had transmitted their departure 3 times. I honestly did not hear one of them. Even after announcing my intentions before departure, I heard no response. Thinking back to how this could have occurred, these are the events and actions that seemed most prominent. After taxiing to runway 12, I was parked for my runup facing the approach to the runway. In this position, I would not have seen commuter taxiing from their ramp to runway 23. One of the biggest contributing factors I feel was having the ASOS report, prohibiting VFR operations, when in fact excellent VFR conditions existed and were verified by another aircraft in the immediate vicinity. Even though CTAF was being monitored, between talking to FSS, ZMP, listening to ASOS and transmitting my own departure call, I could have missed commuter's departure call. Finally I could have given more than 1 departure announcement, since I knew the takeoff end of an intersecting runway is blocked from view and during calm wind conditions when multiple runways may be in use at an uncontrolled airport such as brainerd. Supplemental information from acn 415632: the first problem was the other aircraft departing the intersecting runway was VFR when the ASOS at the field was calling visibility between 1/4 - 1 NM. The field was clearing up quickly. I saw him sitting at the end of the runway 12 when we taxied to runway 23. I thought he was waiting for the field to go VFR. The second problem he was not monitoring CTAF when we made 3 calls stating our intentions of departing runway 23. While we were on the roll, the other aircraft announced his intentions of departing runway 12. Another thing that should be corrected is the tree line at brd that blocks the view of both aircraft at runway 12 and runway 23. Callback conversation with reporter acn 415833 revealed the following information: reporter states that the commuter made a report to his company, but no other follow up has occurred. The ASOS is located near a hillside and the fog hangs in there a bit longer than in open areas. This is not the first time this problem has occurred. Since it is a non tower airport, pilots chose the runway to use in calm wind conditions. Many pilots like the 'big super slab' on runway 23. The trees in the area are about 40 ft tall and block the departure ends of runways 23 and 12. Callback conversation with reporter acn 415632 revealed the following information: reporter states that he filed/spoke to his chief pilot who contacted the other aircraft's chief pilot. Pilots then wrote letters to each other stating their view of the incident. Commuter pilot had waited 1 1/2 hours for WX to reach 1/4 mi so he could depart. Since he listened to the ASOS 4 mins prior to the departure, he finds it difficult to believe that the WX had changed from 1/4 to 8 mi in such a brief time. Also, there would be no possibility of an SVFR clearance until WX was 1 mi and pilot could remain clear of clouds. He does admit the WX was much better at the end of runway 12. He believes the trees are a great problem as he could have seen the movement of the other aircraft if they were cleared. He thought the other aircraft was not moving until he sighted the cessna near the runway intersection.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C185 ON TKOF AT NON TWR ARPT SIGHTS A COMMUTER ON TKOF ROLL ON INTERSECTING RWY. CESSNA PLT LIFTS OFF AND MAKES AN ABRUPT TURN TO AVOID THE COMMUTER ACFT. COMMUTER ABORTS HIS TKOF.

Narrative: I STARTED OUR DEPT'S C185 AND TAXIED FROM THE HANGAR AREA TO RWY 12 AT BRD. THE E SIDE OF RWY 5/23 WAS COVERED WITH A THIN LAYER OF GND FOG. THIS WAS CAUSING THE ASOS, WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE NE SIDE OF THE ARPT, TO GIVE THE WX AS: WIND CALM, VISIBILITY 1/4 MI, VERT VISIBILITY 100 FT. CONDITIONS OVER RWY 12/30 WERE CLR, HIGH THIN CIRRUS, AND UNRESTR VISIBILITY. SINCE I PLANNED TO DEPART VFR AND THE WIND WAS CALM, I CHOSE RWY 12. WHILE TAXIING OUT, I NOTICED THE COMMUTER ON THEIR RAMP. THE ENGS WERE SHUT DOWN. UPON ARRIVING AT RWY 12, I DID MY RUNUP. THE FOG WAS BURNING OFF RAPIDLY. I LISTENED TO THE ASOS ON COM #2. IT WAS STILL SAYING THE FIELD WAS IFR. I THEN CONTACTED PRINCETON FSS AND GAVE THEM A VFR PIREP AND ASKED ABOUT DEP WITH THE ASOS STILL GIVING IFR CONDITIONS. I WAS ADVISED THAT SINCE THE ASOS WAS STILL RPTING IFR I WOULD HAVE TO GET A SVFR FROM ZMP TO DEPART. UPON CONTACTING ZMP AND REQUESTING A SVFR DEP, I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS AN ARR AND SOME OTHER OPS AND IT WOULD BE A WHILE BEFORE THEY COULD GIVE ME AN SVFR. I INFORMED THEM OF THE VFR CONDITIONS AND THAT ONLY A FEW WISPS OF FOG REMAINED IN THE VICINITY OF THE ASOS. THESE CONDITIONS WERE CONFIRMED BY A FLT THAT WAS ON AN ILS FINAL TO RWY 23 AT BRAINERD. STILL THE ASOS WAS RPTING IFR AND CTR WOULD GET BACK TO ME. THIS TOOK APPROX 10 MINS. WHAT LITTLE FOG WAS LEFT WAS GONE SO I LISTENED TO THE ASOS AGAIN. THE RPT WAS WIND CALM, 6 MI VISIBILITY, SKY 100 SCATTERED. TO MAKE SURE I HEARD RIGHT, I LISTENED TO THE SEQUENCE AGAIN. THIS TIME IT GAVE THE VISIBILITY AS 8 MI. UPON HEARING THIS, I CONTACTED ZMP AGAIN TO CANCEL MY REQUEST FOR AN SVFR AND ADVISED THEM I COULD NOW DEPART VFR. I HAD HEARD THE FLT THAT HAD LANDED EARLIER CALL CLR OF ALL RWYS AND TAXIING TO THE RAMP ON CTAF 122.7. MY RADIO XMISSION WAS 'BRAINERD TFC CESSNA DEPARTING RWY 12 BRAINERD AND WILL BE WBOUND.' I THEN TAXIED ONTO THE RWY AND BEGAN MY TKOF ROLL. SINCE THIS IS MY HOME BASE OF OP, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE BLIND SPOT CAUSED BY TREES THAT BLOCK THE VIEW OF THE TKOF ENDS OF RWY 12 AND 23 AND TEND TO LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION AS I TAKE OFF. SHORTLY AFTER BREAKING GND AND CLRING THE TREES, I SAW A COMMUTER ACFT ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN RWY 23. HAVING ENOUGH SPD AND ALT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A CLBING L TURN BEFORE REACHING AND XING OVER RWY 23. SINCE I HADN'T HEARD ANY TFC ON THE RADIO, I XMITTED ASKING WHERE THE COMMUTER ACFT HAD COME FROM. I WAS THINKING THEY HAD JUST ARRIVED. TO MY SHOCK THEY HAD ABORTED THEIR TKOF AND REPLIED THEY HAD XMITTED THEIR DEP 3 TIMES. I HONESTLY DID NOT HEAR ONE OF THEM. EVEN AFTER ANNOUNCING MY INTENTIONS BEFORE DEP, I HEARD NO RESPONSE. THINKING BACK TO HOW THIS COULD HAVE OCCURRED, THESE ARE THE EVENTS AND ACTIONS THAT SEEMED MOST PROMINENT. AFTER TAXIING TO RWY 12, I WAS PARKED FOR MY RUNUP FACING THE APCH TO THE RWY. IN THIS POS, I WOULD NOT HAVE SEEN COMMUTER TAXIING FROM THEIR RAMP TO RWY 23. ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTORS I FEEL WAS HAVING THE ASOS RPT, PROHIBITING VFR OPS, WHEN IN FACT EXCELLENT VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED AND WERE VERIFIED BY ANOTHER ACFT IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. EVEN THOUGH CTAF WAS BEING MONITORED, BTWN TALKING TO FSS, ZMP, LISTENING TO ASOS AND XMITTING MY OWN DEP CALL, I COULD HAVE MISSED COMMUTER'S DEP CALL. FINALLY I COULD HAVE GIVEN MORE THAN 1 DEP ANNOUNCEMENT, SINCE I KNEW THE TKOF END OF AN INTERSECTING RWY IS BLOCKED FROM VIEW AND DURING CALM WIND CONDITIONS WHEN MULTIPLE RWYS MAY BE IN USE AT AN UNCTLED ARPT SUCH AS BRAINERD. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 415632: THE FIRST PROB WAS THE OTHER ACFT DEPARTING THE INTERSECTING RWY WAS VFR WHEN THE ASOS AT THE FIELD WAS CALLING VISIBILITY BTWN 1/4 - 1 NM. THE FIELD WAS CLRING UP QUICKLY. I SAW HIM SITTING AT THE END OF THE RWY 12 WHEN WE TAXIED TO RWY 23. I THOUGHT HE WAS WAITING FOR THE FIELD TO GO VFR. THE SECOND PROB HE WAS NOT MONITORING CTAF WHEN WE MADE 3 CALLS STATING OUR INTENTIONS OF DEPARTING RWY 23. WHILE WE WERE ON THE ROLL, THE OTHER ACFT ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTIONS OF DEPARTING RWY 12. ANOTHER THING THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED IS THE TREE LINE AT BRD THAT BLOCKS THE VIEW OF BOTH ACFT AT RWY 12 AND RWY 23. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 415833 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE COMMUTER MADE A RPT TO HIS COMPANY, BUT NO OTHER FOLLOW UP HAS OCCURRED. THE ASOS IS LOCATED NEAR A HILLSIDE AND THE FOG HANGS IN THERE A BIT LONGER THAN IN OPEN AREAS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS PROB HAS OCCURRED. SINCE IT IS A NON TWR ARPT, PLTS CHOSE THE RWY TO USE IN CALM WIND CONDITIONS. MANY PLTS LIKE THE 'BIG SUPER SLAB' ON RWY 23. THE TREES IN THE AREA ARE ABOUT 40 FT TALL AND BLOCK THE DEP ENDS OF RWYS 23 AND 12. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 415632 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE FILED/SPOKE TO HIS CHIEF PLT WHO CONTACTED THE OTHER ACFT'S CHIEF PLT. PLTS THEN WROTE LETTERS TO EACH OTHER STATING THEIR VIEW OF THE INCIDENT. COMMUTER PLT HAD WAITED 1 1/2 HRS FOR WX TO REACH 1/4 MI SO HE COULD DEPART. SINCE HE LISTENED TO THE ASOS 4 MINS PRIOR TO THE DEP, HE FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT THE WX HAD CHANGED FROM 1/4 TO 8 MI IN SUCH A BRIEF TIME. ALSO, THERE WOULD BE NO POSSIBILITY OF AN SVFR CLRNC UNTIL WX WAS 1 MI AND PLT COULD REMAIN CLR OF CLOUDS. HE DOES ADMIT THE WX WAS MUCH BETTER AT THE END OF RWY 12. HE BELIEVES THE TREES ARE A GREAT PROB AS HE COULD HAVE SEEN THE MOVEMENT OF THE OTHER ACFT IF THEY WERE CLRED. HE THOUGHT THE OTHER ACFT WAS NOT MOVING UNTIL HE SIGHTED THE CESSNA NEAR THE RWY INTXN.

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.