Narrative:

While taxiing for an IFR departure from mhk airport; we were listening to CTAF. 2 uh-60 (blackhawk) helicopters were working in the VFR pattern at the airport. They were both giving position reports; and my student and I were doing the same as we taxied. 1 helicopter reported final and we watched it land and we were taxiing across the cross runway at the airport for a departure on runway 21. We had received our IFR clearance from center; and there were no warnings of traffic from that controller. The second uh-60 reported final; but we were reaching the end of the runway as they were landing; and their final approach put them out of our view. We stopped at the end of the taxiway and did our before takeoff checklist. We visually scanned final and the departure end of the runway once again before reporting that our aircraft was taking runway 21 for departure. Both the student and myself saw the lights of a uh-60 on climb out. We heard no response and taxied for departure. We applied full power and accelerated. I began to see a figure and a red light on the runway. At what appeared to be the intersection of the runway; I saw one of the uh-60's sitting on the runway. I immediately took control of the aircraft; rotated; lifted off; and sidestepped to our right. My student never saw the helicopter. About the time we were 200 ft to the right and maybe 150 ft above the helicopter; the pilot radioed that they would soon be lifting off the runway. I responded by saying that we were already to their right and above them. My student claims that if he had been alone; he would have hit the helicopter. I know that I needed to be a bit more assertive when looking for traffic; but my biggest complaint is the amount of time that elapsed from my call of taking the runway; till we heard a response from the copter. I must have mistaken the uh-60 on climb out for the second helicopter; or the one I thought I was following. Both aircraft were on training flts; and then we were operating at an airport that has an operating control tower from XA00-XO00. Better monitoring of CTAF by the uh-60 and more diligent scanning would have improved the situation. An operating control tower would have also prevented the incident.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C172 INSTRUCTOR RPTS AN NMAC WITH A UH-60 AT MHK FOLLOWING CONFUSION ABOUT ONE OF TWO UN-60'S IN THE CTAF PRACTICE LNDG PATTERN.

Narrative: WHILE TAXIING FOR AN IFR DEP FROM MHK ARPT; WE WERE LISTENING TO CTAF. 2 UH-60 (BLACKHAWK) HELIS WERE WORKING IN THE VFR PATTERN AT THE ARPT. THEY WERE BOTH GIVING POS RPTS; AND MY STUDENT AND I WERE DOING THE SAME AS WE TAXIED. 1 HELI RPTED FINAL AND WE WATCHED IT LAND AND WE WERE TAXIING ACROSS THE CROSS RWY AT THE ARPT FOR A DEP ON RWY 21. WE HAD RECEIVED OUR IFR CLRNC FROM CTR; AND THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OF TFC FROM THAT CTLR. THE SECOND UH-60 RPTED FINAL; BUT WE WERE REACHING THE END OF THE RWY AS THEY WERE LNDG; AND THEIR FINAL APCH PUT THEM OUT OF OUR VIEW. WE STOPPED AT THE END OF THE TXWY AND DID OUR BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. WE VISUALLY SCANNED FINAL AND THE DEP END OF THE RWY ONCE AGAIN BEFORE RPTING THAT OUR ACFT WAS TAKING RWY 21 FOR DEP. BOTH THE STUDENT AND MYSELF SAW THE LIGHTS OF A UH-60 ON CLBOUT. WE HEARD NO RESPONSE AND TAXIED FOR DEP. WE APPLIED FULL PWR AND ACCELERATED. I BEGAN TO SEE A FIGURE AND A RED LIGHT ON THE RWY. AT WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE INTXN OF THE RWY; I SAW ONE OF THE UH-60'S SITTING ON THE RWY. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT; ROTATED; LIFTED OFF; AND SIDESTEPPED TO OUR R. MY STUDENT NEVER SAW THE HELI. ABOUT THE TIME WE WERE 200 FT TO THE R AND MAYBE 150 FT ABOVE THE HELI; THE PLT RADIOED THAT THEY WOULD SOON BE LIFTING OFF THE RWY. I RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT WE WERE ALREADY TO THEIR R AND ABOVE THEM. MY STUDENT CLAIMS THAT IF HE HAD BEEN ALONE; HE WOULD HAVE HIT THE HELI. I KNOW THAT I NEEDED TO BE A BIT MORE ASSERTIVE WHEN LOOKING FOR TFC; BUT MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT ELAPSED FROM MY CALL OF TAKING THE RWY; TILL WE HEARD A RESPONSE FROM THE COPTER. I MUST HAVE MISTAKEN THE UH-60 ON CLBOUT FOR THE SECOND HELI; OR THE ONE I THOUGHT I WAS FOLLOWING. BOTH ACFT WERE ON TRAINING FLTS; AND THEN WE WERE OPERATING AT AN ARPT THAT HAS AN OPERATING CTL TWR FROM XA00-XO00. BETTER MONITORING OF CTAF BY THE UH-60 AND MORE DILIGENT SCANNING WOULD HAVE IMPROVED THE SITUATION. AN OPERATING CTL TWR WOULD HAVE ALSO PREVENTED THE INCIDENT.

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.