Narrative:

I was downwind for runway 27 for about my third full stop landing and had just self-announced downwind on the CTAF (uncontrolled field) when I heard a learjet also announce downwind for runway 27. I told him I'd make a short approach and he thanked me. I announced clear of runway 27, made the first turnoff, and was taxiing east toward the approach end when I watched the lear make a nice, smooth landing. I held short of runway 27 at the approach end, did a short run-up and check of trim, flaps, etc, and saw a low, long, thin aircraft taxi across the ramp at mid field, about 1/2 mi away. Since no other aircraft had landed except the lear and myself, and since the taxiing aircraft at midfield looked like the size and shape of the lear that had just landed perhaps 30 seconds previously, I concluded that the plane at midfield was the lear and thus it was clear of the runway. (This conclusion turned out to be mistaken.) there was no radio transmission that said 'lear clear of the runway.' however, since it has been my experience that many private and cpr pilots never announce 'clear' at uncontrolled fields, I didn't give it a second thought. I proceeded to announce clearly on the CTAF my intention to take runway 27 for takeoff and remain in the pattern, saying the airport name twice, once at the beginning of the radio transmission, and again at the end. There was no response or reply from the lear or any other aircraft. I then proceeded to taxi into position and hold at the approach end, at the extreme end of runway 27, and did full power with brakes on in order to practice a short-field takeoff. I was on the runway 27 centerline, looked down the runway, and saw absolutely no sign of any other aircraft. No one was on the runway except me. I began the short-field takeoff roll and was at rotation speed, and had the nosewheel lifted, when to my utter shock, surprise, and amazement, I heard on the CTAF: 'traffic at afj airport, lear back-taxiing on runway 27.' my heart jumped and missed a couple of beats. I looked down the runway and still no other aircraft was visible! (Although the AFD gives no upslope percent on the runway, there must have been a bow in the runway, making the low profile lear not visible at the end of runway 27.) evidently the lear was at the departure end of runway making the back-taxi call. By the time I processed the radio announcement that the lear was still on runway 27, I was airborne and climbing very steeply. Since I was in a very nose high attitude, I knew I would be vertically well above the lear and rather than risk lowering the nose, reducing power, putting gear and flaps down which would all take up valuable horizontal distance, I elected to continue the takeoff. As I was about 800 ft AGL, the lear pilot said on the CTAF in a perturbed voice: 'if you guys aren't going to use the radio, at least you could listen for 'clear of the runway.' I made no reply, but now understood that the lear pilot had not heard my CTAF radio call that I was taking off on runway 27. Lessons learned: 1) I should have questioned the lear to ask if he was clear of the active runway. I thought I saw the lear taxi across the main ramp. 2) I should have visually tracked the lear down runway 27 after he landed. The lear used the active runway for back-taxi when there was a perfectly good taxiway running the entire length of runway 27. He did not announce his back-taxi still on runway 27 until nearly a full min after landing. And he did not hear my radio transmission of taking the active runway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C177 PLT, ANNOUNCING HIS INTENTIONS TO TAKE THE RWY AND DEPART AT AFJ, DID NOT SEE A LEARJET, WHO HAD JUST LANDED, BACK-TAXIING ON THE RWY.

Narrative: I WAS DOWNWIND FOR RWY 27 FOR ABOUT MY THIRD FULL STOP LNDG AND HAD JUST SELF-ANNOUNCED DOWNWIND ON THE CTAF (UNCTLED FIELD) WHEN I HEARD A LEARJET ALSO ANNOUNCE DOWNWIND FOR RWY 27. I TOLD HIM I'D MAKE A SHORT APCH AND HE THANKED ME. I ANNOUNCED CLR OF RWY 27, MADE THE FIRST TURNOFF, AND WAS TAXIING E TOWARD THE APCH END WHEN I WATCHED THE LEAR MAKE A NICE, SMOOTH LNDG. I HELD SHORT OF RWY 27 AT THE APCH END, DID A SHORT RUN-UP AND CHK OF TRIM, FLAPS, ETC, AND SAW A LOW, LONG, THIN ACFT TAXI ACROSS THE RAMP AT MID FIELD, ABOUT 1/2 MI AWAY. SINCE NO OTHER ACFT HAD LANDED EXCEPT THE LEAR AND MYSELF, AND SINCE THE TAXIING ACFT AT MIDFIELD LOOKED LIKE THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE LEAR THAT HAD JUST LANDED PERHAPS 30 SECONDS PREVIOUSLY, I CONCLUDED THAT THE PLANE AT MIDFIELD WAS THE LEAR AND THUS IT WAS CLR OF THE RWY. (THIS CONCLUSION TURNED OUT TO BE MISTAKEN.) THERE WAS NO RADIO XMISSION THAT SAID 'LEAR CLR OF THE RWY.' HOWEVER, SINCE IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT MANY PVT AND CPR PLTS NEVER ANNOUNCE 'CLR' AT UNCTLED FIELDS, I DIDN'T GIVE IT A SECOND THOUGHT. I PROCEEDED TO ANNOUNCE CLRLY ON THE CTAF MY INTENTION TO TAKE RWY 27 FOR TKOF AND REMAIN IN THE PATTERN, SAYING THE ARPT NAME TWICE, ONCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RADIO XMISSION, AND AGAIN AT THE END. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE OR REPLY FROM THE LEAR OR ANY OTHER ACFT. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD AT THE APCH END, AT THE EXTREME END OF RWY 27, AND DID FULL PWR WITH BRAKES ON IN ORDER TO PRACTICE A SHORT-FIELD TKOF. I WAS ON THE RWY 27 CTRLINE, LOOKED DOWN THE RWY, AND SAW ABSOLUTELY NO SIGN OF ANY OTHER ACFT. NO ONE WAS ON THE RWY EXCEPT ME. I BEGAN THE SHORT-FIELD TKOF ROLL AND WAS AT ROTATION SPD, AND HAD THE NOSEWHEEL LIFTED, WHEN TO MY UTTER SHOCK, SURPRISE, AND AMAZEMENT, I HEARD ON THE CTAF: 'TFC AT AFJ ARPT, LEAR BACK-TAXIING ON RWY 27.' MY HEART JUMPED AND MISSED A COUPLE OF BEATS. I LOOKED DOWN THE RWY AND STILL NO OTHER ACFT WAS VISIBLE! (ALTHOUGH THE AFD GIVES NO UPSLOPE PERCENT ON THE RWY, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A BOW IN THE RWY, MAKING THE LOW PROFILE LEAR NOT VISIBLE AT THE END OF RWY 27.) EVIDENTLY THE LEAR WAS AT THE DEP END OF RWY MAKING THE BACK-TAXI CALL. BY THE TIME I PROCESSED THE RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE LEAR WAS STILL ON RWY 27, I WAS AIRBORNE AND CLBING VERY STEEPLY. SINCE I WAS IN A VERY NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, I KNEW I WOULD BE VERTLY WELL ABOVE THE LEAR AND RATHER THAN RISK LOWERING THE NOSE, REDUCING PWR, PUTTING GEAR AND FLAPS DOWN WHICH WOULD ALL TAKE UP VALUABLE HORIZ DISTANCE, I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE TKOF. AS I WAS ABOUT 800 FT AGL, THE LEAR PLT SAID ON THE CTAF IN A PERTURBED VOICE: 'IF YOU GUYS AREN'T GOING TO USE THE RADIO, AT LEAST YOU COULD LISTEN FOR 'CLR OF THE RWY.' I MADE NO REPLY, BUT NOW UNDERSTOOD THAT THE LEAR PLT HAD NOT HEARD MY CTAF RADIO CALL THAT I WAS TAKING OFF ON RWY 27. LESSONS LEARNED: 1) I SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED THE LEAR TO ASK IF HE WAS CLR OF THE ACTIVE RWY. I THOUGHT I SAW THE LEAR TAXI ACROSS THE MAIN RAMP. 2) I SHOULD HAVE VISUALLY TRACKED THE LEAR DOWN RWY 27 AFTER HE LANDED. THE LEAR USED THE ACTIVE RWY FOR BACK-TAXI WHEN THERE WAS A PERFECTLY GOOD TXWY RUNNING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF RWY 27. HE DID NOT ANNOUNCE HIS BACK-TAXI STILL ON RWY 27 UNTIL NEARLY A FULL MIN AFTER LNDG. AND HE DID NOT HEAR MY RADIO XMISSION OF TAKING THE ACTIVE RWY.

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.