Narrative:

The malibu announced taking runway 31. Somebody made a radio call, with considerable urgency, 'malibu hold short, there is an aircraft on final!' malibu said, 'ok, I see him now. I'll cross the runway.' I watched closely as he did in fact cross the runway to the east ramp, so I continued the approach and completed the landing. I touched down in a wheel landing and commenced the rollout. At about the time the tail came down, I saw the malibu turn onto the runway and proceed in my direction. After watching closely for a moment, I decided he wasn't beginning a takeoff roll, as he did not seem to be accelerating, but I was prepared to take to the weeds between the runway and the taxiway. I was going a little too fast to safely turn off on the first exit, so proceeded to the second. The malibu continued to taxi, saying, 'I'm going back on runway 13.' we passed going opposite directions on the runway just at the second exit, which I took. My hangar is on the east ramp, so I taxied to the taxiway that crosses the runway. A cirrus wanted to cross the runway from east to west, so I told him I would wait, and I did. After he crossed, he asked my intentions, as he wanted to taxi in the opposite direction on the taxiway I was on. I told him I wanted to cross the runway, and he said he would wait. I approached the runway and kicked the tail around so I could see down the runway. There were at least 2 aircraft waiting to take off on runway 13. I looked to make sure neither was about to take the runway, announced my intentions, and crossed. I failed to see a cessna on very high final until I was halfway across the runway. The cessna went around. (The estimated miss distance is 300 ft vertical, 35 ft horizontal.) I am sure that I would have cleared the runway well before the cessna touched down, or even before he reached short final. Nevertheless, because it is my policy not to cross the runway when an aircraft is on final, unless it is an extremely long final, I felt at fault. I am certain that the cessna went around because of a too high approach rather than my presence on the runway. I think I failed to see the cessna because he was well out of the normal glide path, I did look in the normal glide path. There are 2 issues here. In failing to see the cessna on final, I think what I have to remember is that when there is a lot going on, don't speed up, slow down. The issue of the malibu on the runway is more difficult. By the time I saw him begin his back-taxi, I thought it was too late to take off again, my consideration being, of course that if the malibu were to take off we might meet. If we were going to collide, I would rather it be at taxi speed on the runway than at takeoff speed in the air. But part of the confusion here I believe is caused by an announcement on the AWOS that 'wind and traffic allowing, land runway 13, depart runway 31.' this is for noise abatement. In this case, I believe that traffic did not allow a takeoff on runway 31. It was much too busy. The malibu pilot evidently felt differently. Many of us at the airport think the AWOS announcement is dangerous because it encourages the situation that arose today. Pilots who are based here are aware of the noise abatement procedures and take them into account, and we invariably use whatever pattern is in use at the time if there is traffic. Personally, I think that safety takes precedence over noise abatement, and that the announcement should go away.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CH7A ENCOUNTERS OPPOSITE DIRECTION TAXI TFC ON RWY AFTER LNDG AND THEN HAS A POSSIBLE CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER LNDG ACFT WHICH EXECUTES A GAR AT NOT.

Narrative: THE MALIBU ANNOUNCED TAKING RWY 31. SOMEBODY MADE A RADIO CALL, WITH CONSIDERABLE URGENCY, 'MALIBU HOLD SHORT, THERE IS AN ACFT ON FINAL!' MALIBU SAID, 'OK, I SEE HIM NOW. I'LL CROSS THE RWY.' I WATCHED CLOSELY AS HE DID IN FACT CROSS THE RWY TO THE E RAMP, SO I CONTINUED THE APCH AND COMPLETED THE LNDG. I TOUCHED DOWN IN A WHEEL LNDG AND COMMENCED THE ROLLOUT. AT ABOUT THE TIME THE TAIL CAME DOWN, I SAW THE MALIBU TURN ONTO THE RWY AND PROCEED IN MY DIRECTION. AFTER WATCHING CLOSELY FOR A MOMENT, I DECIDED HE WASN'T BEGINNING A TKOF ROLL, AS HE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ACCELERATING, BUT I WAS PREPARED TO TAKE TO THE WEEDS BTWN THE RWY AND THE TXWY. I WAS GOING A LITTLE TOO FAST TO SAFELY TURN OFF ON THE FIRST EXIT, SO PROCEEDED TO THE SECOND. THE MALIBU CONTINUED TO TAXI, SAYING, 'I'M GOING BACK ON RWY 13.' WE PASSED GOING OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ON THE RWY JUST AT THE SECOND EXIT, WHICH I TOOK. MY HANGAR IS ON THE E RAMP, SO I TAXIED TO THE TXWY THAT CROSSES THE RWY. A CIRRUS WANTED TO CROSS THE RWY FROM E TO W, SO I TOLD HIM I WOULD WAIT, AND I DID. AFTER HE CROSSED, HE ASKED MY INTENTIONS, AS HE WANTED TO TAXI IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON THE TXWY I WAS ON. I TOLD HIM I WANTED TO CROSS THE RWY, AND HE SAID HE WOULD WAIT. I APCHED THE RWY AND KICKED THE TAIL AROUND SO I COULD SEE DOWN THE RWY. THERE WERE AT LEAST 2 ACFT WAITING TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 13. I LOOKED TO MAKE SURE NEITHER WAS ABOUT TO TAKE THE RWY, ANNOUNCED MY INTENTIONS, AND CROSSED. I FAILED TO SEE A CESSNA ON VERY HIGH FINAL UNTIL I WAS HALFWAY ACROSS THE RWY. THE CESSNA WENT AROUND. (THE ESTIMATED MISS DISTANCE IS 300 FT VERT, 35 FT HORIZ.) I AM SURE THAT I WOULD HAVE CLRED THE RWY WELL BEFORE THE CESSNA TOUCHED DOWN, OR EVEN BEFORE HE REACHED SHORT FINAL. NEVERTHELESS, BECAUSE IT IS MY POLICY NOT TO CROSS THE RWY WHEN AN ACFT IS ON FINAL, UNLESS IT IS AN EXTREMELY LONG FINAL, I FELT AT FAULT. I AM CERTAIN THAT THE CESSNA WENT AROUND BECAUSE OF A TOO HIGH APCH RATHER THAN MY PRESENCE ON THE RWY. I THINK I FAILED TO SEE THE CESSNA BECAUSE HE WAS WELL OUT OF THE NORMAL GLIDE PATH, I DID LOOK IN THE NORMAL GLIDE PATH. THERE ARE 2 ISSUES HERE. IN FAILING TO SEE THE CESSNA ON FINAL, I THINK WHAT I HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT WHEN THERE IS A LOT GOING ON, DON'T SPEED UP, SLOW DOWN. THE ISSUE OF THE MALIBU ON THE RWY IS MORE DIFFICULT. BY THE TIME I SAW HIM BEGIN HIS BACK-TAXI, I THOUGHT IT WAS TOO LATE TO TAKE OFF AGAIN, MY CONSIDERATION BEING, OF COURSE THAT IF THE MALIBU WERE TO TAKE OFF WE MIGHT MEET. IF WE WERE GOING TO COLLIDE, I WOULD RATHER IT BE AT TAXI SPD ON THE RWY THAN AT TKOF SPD IN THE AIR. BUT PART OF THE CONFUSION HERE I BELIEVE IS CAUSED BY AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE AWOS THAT 'WIND AND TFC ALLOWING, LAND RWY 13, DEPART RWY 31.' THIS IS FOR NOISE ABATEMENT. IN THIS CASE, I BELIEVE THAT TFC DID NOT ALLOW A TKOF ON RWY 31. IT WAS MUCH TOO BUSY. THE MALIBU PLT EVIDENTLY FELT DIFFERENTLY. MANY OF US AT THE ARPT THINK THE AWOS ANNOUNCEMENT IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGES THE SIT THAT AROSE TODAY. PLTS WHO ARE BASED HERE ARE AWARE OF THE NOISE ABATEMENT PROCS AND TAKE THEM INTO ACCOUNT, AND WE INVARIABLY USE WHATEVER PATTERN IS IN USE AT THE TIME IF THERE IS TFC. PERSONALLY, I THINK THAT SAFETY TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER NOISE ABATEMENT, AND THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD GO AWAY.

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.