Narrative:

This writer and 1 passenger began a return flight from perris valley back to fullerton after visiting friends in the perris valley area for the day. The aircraft was parked in the visitor parking area which is located mid-field on the west side of runway 15/33. There are no txwys at perris valley and therefore the approach end of runway 33 is reached by taxiing on the runway. I started the aircraft in the visitor parking area and announced on the CTAF (122.775) that I would back-taxi on runway 33 for departure. I then proceeded onto the runway and began my taxi and pretkof checklist. As I taxied on the runway there was a call on the radio from a jump plane overhead advising of a release of skydivers at 14000 ft. I continued my taxi to the approach end of runway 33 and completed a 180 degree turn at the end of the runway to line the aircraft up for departure on runway 33. After lining up for departure, I visually checked the area and could see skydivers descending for the landing zone located mid-field just west of runway 33. I held my position and watched a group of skydivers land. After a group of approximately 7 or 8 skydivers landed, I scanned the area and did not see any additional jumpers. I then reached down for the microphone to announce my takeoff. Just prior to keying the microphone I scanned the area again and noticed another smaller group of jumpers at approximately 500 ft. I put the microphone back and waited. As I waited for the second smaller group of jumpers to land, I heard another call on the radio from the jump plane advising that he was on a left base for runway 33. He apparently had descended from the jump altitude and was returning to the airport. The smaller group of jumpers were now just above the landing zone. Since the jump plane had called base and would soon be turning final, I needed to depart. I picked up the microphone and announced my intention to depart runway 33 and make a left downwind departure. I then started my takeoff roll as the smaller group of jumpers were touching down in the landing zone. As the aircraft accelerated, I glanced down at my engine instruments to verify that everything was in the green and then doublechked the engine controls to verify that all levers were forward. Another group apparently had come in from the southeast and so I did not see them as I held in position on runway 33 prior to takeoff. I was now approaching a point on the runway abeam the landing zone for the jumpers as they were descending to touchdown and as I was reaching liftoff speed. I was now in an uncomfortable position. If I had seen this third group of jumpers, I would not have started my takeoff roll. Unfortunately, I now found myself in a position where I was operating my aircraft too close to parachute jumpers. The jumpers were east of my position and I did not need to take any evasive action and so I continued my takeoff, rotating just beyond the landing zone and lifting off with the jumpers landing behind and to the right of me. I considered aborting the takeoff, but at that point the jumpers were to the east (to the right side of my aircraft) just about to touch down and so aborting the takeoff would not improve the situation. The conflict occurred as I started to lift off and continuing the takeoff meant that I continued to move farther away for the landing skydivers. I continued my departure via a left crosswind to a left downwind and departed the area. Contributing factors; when the jump plane called a left base to land on runway 33, I felt a sense of urgency to depart since I would be in direct conflict with a landing aircraft. Had the jump plane not been on approach to land, I probably would have held in position a little longer before starting my takeoff roll and probably would have seen the third group of jumpers. The lack of txwys was also a factor. I considered pulling off the runway and allowing the jump plane to land before I departed, but because there were no txwys there was nowhere to pull off. The only way to exit the runway was to taxi back down the runway or take off. There is a note in the flight guide that specifically states to only taxi on the runway and to not use the service roads. Another factor that influenced my decision to take off was the fact that the jump plane was on approach. I assumed that if the jump plane was on approach, there were no additional jumpers in the area. I clearly announced my intention to depart on the CTAF. I am surprised that the jump plane did not advise me that jumpers were still in the air. Corrective actions: in hindsight, when the jump plane called base, I could have called him and verified that the area was clear before starting my takeoff. Become more familiar with skydiving operations at the airport. I could have walked over to the FBO office and asked about operations at the airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: POTENTIAL CONFLICT AROSE WITH A DEPARTING PA32 PLT AND SKYDIVERS THAT WERE ARRIVING NEAR THE TKOF RWY AT L65, CA.

Narrative: THIS WRITER AND 1 PAX BEGAN A RETURN FLT FROM PERRIS VALLEY BACK TO FULLERTON AFTER VISITING FRIENDS IN THE PERRIS VALLEY AREA FOR THE DAY. THE ACFT WAS PARKED IN THE VISITOR PARKING AREA WHICH IS LOCATED MID-FIELD ON THE W SIDE OF RWY 15/33. THERE ARE NO TXWYS AT PERRIS VALLEY AND THEREFORE THE APCH END OF RWY 33 IS REACHED BY TAXIING ON THE RWY. I STARTED THE ACFT IN THE VISITOR PARKING AREA AND ANNOUNCED ON THE CTAF (122.775) THAT I WOULD BACK-TAXI ON RWY 33 FOR DEP. I THEN PROCEEDED ONTO THE RWY AND BEGAN MY TAXI AND PRETKOF CHKLIST. AS I TAXIED ON THE RWY THERE WAS A CALL ON THE RADIO FROM A JUMP PLANE OVERHEAD ADVISING OF A RELEASE OF SKYDIVERS AT 14000 FT. I CONTINUED MY TAXI TO THE APCH END OF RWY 33 AND COMPLETED A 180 DEG TURN AT THE END OF THE RWY TO LINE THE ACFT UP FOR DEP ON RWY 33. AFTER LINING UP FOR DEP, I VISUALLY CHKED THE AREA AND COULD SEE SKYDIVERS DSNDING FOR THE LNDG ZONE LOCATED MID-FIELD JUST W OF RWY 33. I HELD MY POS AND WATCHED A GROUP OF SKYDIVERS LAND. AFTER A GROUP OF APPROX 7 OR 8 SKYDIVERS LANDED, I SCANNED THE AREA AND DID NOT SEE ANY ADDITIONAL JUMPERS. I THEN REACHED DOWN FOR THE MIKE TO ANNOUNCE MY TKOF. JUST PRIOR TO KEYING THE MIKE I SCANNED THE AREA AGAIN AND NOTICED ANOTHER SMALLER GROUP OF JUMPERS AT APPROX 500 FT. I PUT THE MIKE BACK AND WAITED. AS I WAITED FOR THE SECOND SMALLER GROUP OF JUMPERS TO LAND, I HEARD ANOTHER CALL ON THE RADIO FROM THE JUMP PLANE ADVISING THAT HE WAS ON A L BASE FOR RWY 33. HE APPARENTLY HAD DSNDED FROM THE JUMP ALT AND WAS RETURNING TO THE ARPT. THE SMALLER GROUP OF JUMPERS WERE NOW JUST ABOVE THE LNDG ZONE. SINCE THE JUMP PLANE HAD CALLED BASE AND WOULD SOON BE TURNING FINAL, I NEEDED TO DEPART. I PICKED UP THE MIKE AND ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION TO DEPART RWY 33 AND MAKE A L DOWNWIND DEP. I THEN STARTED MY TKOF ROLL AS THE SMALLER GROUP OF JUMPERS WERE TOUCHING DOWN IN THE LNDG ZONE. AS THE ACFT ACCELERATED, I GLANCED DOWN AT MY ENG INSTS TO VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING WAS IN THE GREEN AND THEN DOUBLECHKED THE ENG CTLS TO VERIFY THAT ALL LEVERS WERE FORWARD. ANOTHER GROUP APPARENTLY HAD COME IN FROM THE SE AND SO I DID NOT SEE THEM AS I HELD IN POS ON RWY 33 PRIOR TO TKOF. I WAS NOW APCHING A POINT ON THE RWY ABEAM THE LNDG ZONE FOR THE JUMPERS AS THEY WERE DSNDING TO TOUCHDOWN AND AS I WAS REACHING LIFTOFF SPD. I WAS NOW IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POS. IF I HAD SEEN THIS THIRD GROUP OF JUMPERS, I WOULD NOT HAVE STARTED MY TKOF ROLL. UNFORTUNATELY, I NOW FOUND MYSELF IN A POS WHERE I WAS OPERATING MY ACFT TOO CLOSE TO PARACHUTE JUMPERS. THE JUMPERS WERE E OF MY POS AND I DID NOT NEED TO TAKE ANY EVASIVE ACTION AND SO I CONTINUED MY TKOF, ROTATING JUST BEYOND THE LNDG ZONE AND LIFTING OFF WITH THE JUMPERS LNDG BEHIND AND TO THE R OF ME. I CONSIDERED ABORTING THE TKOF, BUT AT THAT POINT THE JUMPERS WERE TO THE E (TO THE R SIDE OF MY ACFT) JUST ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN AND SO ABORTING THE TKOF WOULD NOT IMPROVE THE SIT. THE CONFLICT OCCURRED AS I STARTED TO LIFT OFF AND CONTINUING THE TKOF MEANT THAT I CONTINUED TO MOVE FARTHER AWAY FOR THE LNDG SKYDIVERS. I CONTINUED MY DEP VIA A L XWIND TO A L DOWNWIND AND DEPARTED THE AREA. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS; WHEN THE JUMP PLANE CALLED A L BASE TO LAND ON RWY 33, I FELT A SENSE OF URGENCY TO DEPART SINCE I WOULD BE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH A LNDG ACFT. HAD THE JUMP PLANE NOT BEEN ON APCH TO LAND, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HELD IN POS A LITTLE LONGER BEFORE STARTING MY TKOF ROLL AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SEEN THE THIRD GROUP OF JUMPERS. THE LACK OF TXWYS WAS ALSO A FACTOR. I CONSIDERED PULLING OFF THE RWY AND ALLOWING THE JUMP PLANE TO LAND BEFORE I DEPARTED, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO TXWYS THERE WAS NOWHERE TO PULL OFF. THE ONLY WAY TO EXIT THE RWY WAS TO TAXI BACK DOWN THE RWY OR TAKE OFF. THERE IS A NOTE IN THE FLT GUIDE THAT SPECIFICALLY STATES TO ONLY TAXI ON THE RWY AND TO NOT USE THE SVC ROADS. ANOTHER FACTOR THAT INFLUENCED MY DECISION TO TAKE OFF WAS THE FACT THAT THE JUMP PLANE WAS ON APCH. I ASSUMED THAT IF THE JUMP PLANE WAS ON APCH, THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL JUMPERS IN THE AREA. I CLRLY ANNOUNCED MY INTENTION TO DEPART ON THE CTAF. I AM SURPRISED THAT THE JUMP PLANE DID NOT ADVISE ME THAT JUMPERS WERE STILL IN THE AIR. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: IN HINDSIGHT, WHEN THE JUMP PLANE CALLED BASE, I COULD HAVE CALLED HIM AND VERIFIED THAT THE AREA WAS CLR BEFORE STARTING MY TKOF. BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH SKYDIVING OPS AT THE ARPT. I COULD HAVE WALKED OVER TO THE FBO OFFICE AND ASKED ABOUT OPS AT THE ARPT.

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.