Narrative:

I had positioned my aircraft at the far right edge of the entrance to GA parking at the FBO to prepare it for departure on runway 17. I made sure that I left plenty of room for aircraft to enter or leave GA parking. The entrance to favored runway 17 was directly across the taxiway and slightly to the left. It is important to note that due to construction; the runway is now 2500 ft with only a single entrance to the runway at each end. At the time; I was monitoring unicom and heard an aircraft on final for runway 17 (winds were 180 degrees at 9 KTS). After completing my run-up and setting my instruments and radio; I called clearance control at dulles (9 mi away). Clearance control gave me my IFR routing and asked when I would be ready to depart. With everything prepared; I replied that I could be off the ground in 30 seconds (it is a very short taxi to the end of the runway). Clearance then told me I was released for departure. My brief experience with potomac ATC is that once released from an uncontrolled field within the washington tfr; you need to get airborne right away. Just then; the cessna who had just landed and was taxiing down the taxiway as I was being released for departure stopped just short of the runway entrance; approximately 40 ft from my aircraft. He was close to the runway entrance; but he did not enter it; and he was not blocking my entrance to the runway. It was not at all clear to me whether he intended to take the active runway or to defer to me as I am sure he saw me a few ft away and knew that I was there before him. My huge error was that in the confusion -- and feeling pressure to depart having been released by clearance -- I forgot to switch my radio to the local unicom frequency. I tried to communication with the cessna to determine his intentions; but I got no reply because I was on the wrong frequency. I waited for a couple of mins; then finally having gotten no response from the cessna and hearing no other traffic in the area; I taxied past the cessna; looked for traffic; saw none; took the runway; and took off. Just as I was preparing to rotate; I realized my error; switched to radio #2 which was set to the unicom frequency; and declared that I was departing runway 17. The aircraft on the ground alerted me to an aircraft at my 3 O'clock position. I quickly found him and was able to easily avoid him; he was probably at 1000 ft AGL and 2000 ft away. I suspect that he was starting his base leg as I took the runway and that he aborted it when he saw me take the runway. In 800 hours of flying; I have never done anything this careless. It was a simple mistake -- I set up my radios as I always do; but I forgot to switch to radio #2; and given other circumstances; that could have had catastrophic results. While I take responsibility for the failure to communicate as I should have; there are a few things that contributed to this: 1) flying into an uncontrolled airport within the washington tfr is needlessly difficult and intimidating; particularly to those who do it infrequently. Having received my release from clearance; I felt a strong need to get into the air as soon as possible. 2) the cessna on the taxiway was out of position; and his intentions were not clear. That was perplexing and confusing to me. If he had turned onto the runway entrance as he should have; I would have pulled in behind him; and none of this would have happened. 3) I was tired and was concerned about the WX at my destination; and I allowed that to become a distraction.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF C182; CONFUSED AND DISTR BY VARIOUS FACTORS; DEPARTS JYO WITHOUT DECLARING INTENTIONS ON UNICOM AND EXPERIENCES MINOR TFC CONFLICT.

Narrative: I HAD POSITIONED MY ACFT AT THE FAR R EDGE OF THE ENTRANCE TO GA PARKING AT THE FBO TO PREPARE IT FOR DEP ON RWY 17. I MADE SURE THAT I LEFT PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ACFT TO ENTER OR LEAVE GA PARKING. THE ENTRANCE TO FAVORED RWY 17 WAS DIRECTLY ACROSS THE TXWY AND SLIGHTLY TO THE L. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT DUE TO CONSTRUCTION; THE RWY IS NOW 2500 FT WITH ONLY A SINGLE ENTRANCE TO THE RWY AT EACH END. AT THE TIME; I WAS MONITORING UNICOM AND HEARD AN ACFT ON FINAL FOR RWY 17 (WINDS WERE 180 DEGS AT 9 KTS). AFTER COMPLETING MY RUN-UP AND SETTING MY INSTS AND RADIO; I CALLED CLRNC CTL AT DULLES (9 MI AWAY). CLRNC CTL GAVE ME MY IFR ROUTING AND ASKED WHEN I WOULD BE READY TO DEPART. WITH EVERYTHING PREPARED; I REPLIED THAT I COULD BE OFF THE GND IN 30 SECONDS (IT IS A VERY SHORT TAXI TO THE END OF THE RWY). CLRNC THEN TOLD ME I WAS RELEASED FOR DEP. MY BRIEF EXPERIENCE WITH POTOMAC ATC IS THAT ONCE RELEASED FROM AN UNCTLED FIELD WITHIN THE WASHINGTON TFR; YOU NEED TO GET AIRBORNE RIGHT AWAY. JUST THEN; THE CESSNA WHO HAD JUST LANDED AND WAS TAXIING DOWN THE TXWY AS I WAS BEING RELEASED FOR DEP STOPPED JUST SHORT OF THE RWY ENTRANCE; APPROX 40 FT FROM MY ACFT. HE WAS CLOSE TO THE RWY ENTRANCE; BUT HE DID NOT ENTER IT; AND HE WAS NOT BLOCKING MY ENTRANCE TO THE RWY. IT WAS NOT AT ALL CLR TO ME WHETHER HE INTENDED TO TAKE THE ACTIVE RWY OR TO DEFER TO ME AS I AM SURE HE SAW ME A FEW FT AWAY AND KNEW THAT I WAS THERE BEFORE HIM. MY HUGE ERROR WAS THAT IN THE CONFUSION -- AND FEELING PRESSURE TO DEPART HAVING BEEN RELEASED BY CLRNC -- I FORGOT TO SWITCH MY RADIO TO THE LCL UNICOM FREQ. I TRIED TO COM WITH THE CESSNA TO DETERMINE HIS INTENTIONS; BUT I GOT NO REPLY BECAUSE I WAS ON THE WRONG FREQ. I WAITED FOR A COUPLE OF MINS; THEN FINALLY HAVING GOTTEN NO RESPONSE FROM THE CESSNA AND HEARING NO OTHER TFC IN THE AREA; I TAXIED PAST THE CESSNA; LOOKED FOR TFC; SAW NONE; TOOK THE RWY; AND TOOK OFF. JUST AS I WAS PREPARING TO ROTATE; I REALIZED MY ERROR; SWITCHED TO RADIO #2 WHICH WAS SET TO THE UNICOM FREQ; AND DECLARED THAT I WAS DEPARTING RWY 17. THE ACFT ON THE GND ALERTED ME TO AN ACFT AT MY 3 O'CLOCK POS. I QUICKLY FOUND HIM AND WAS ABLE TO EASILY AVOID HIM; HE WAS PROBABLY AT 1000 FT AGL AND 2000 FT AWAY. I SUSPECT THAT HE WAS STARTING HIS BASE LEG AS I TOOK THE RWY AND THAT HE ABORTED IT WHEN HE SAW ME TAKE THE RWY. IN 800 HRS OF FLYING; I HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING THIS CARELESS. IT WAS A SIMPLE MISTAKE -- I SET UP MY RADIOS AS I ALWAYS DO; BUT I FORGOT TO SWITCH TO RADIO #2; AND GIVEN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES; THAT COULD HAVE HAD CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. WHILE I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE AS I SHOULD HAVE; THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS: 1) FLYING INTO AN UNCTLED ARPT WITHIN THE WASHINGTON TFR IS NEEDLESSLY DIFFICULT AND INTIMIDATING; PARTICULARLY TO THOSE WHO DO IT INFREQUENTLY. HAVING RECEIVED MY RELEASE FROM CLRNC; I FELT A STRONG NEED TO GET INTO THE AIR ASAP. 2) THE CESSNA ON THE TXWY WAS OUT OF POS; AND HIS INTENTIONS WERE NOT CLR. THAT WAS PERPLEXING AND CONFUSING TO ME. IF HE HAD TURNED ONTO THE RWY ENTRANCE AS HE SHOULD HAVE; I WOULD HAVE PULLED IN BEHIND HIM; AND NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. 3) I WAS TIRED AND WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE WX AT MY DEST; AND I ALLOWED THAT TO BECOME A DISTR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.