Narrative:

The flight occurred in the traffic pattern on a training flight with a student. Upon our second landing; I noticed that the airport maintenance truck had turned onto a taxiway that leads into the runway 2000 ft down the runway. The truck appeared to be holding short of the runway and awaiting our arrival before taking the runway. No radio calls were made by the maintenance truck; but they don't usually make them until right before taking the runway. I decided to keep an eye on the truck because I didn't trust him; almost like watching a car come to a rolling stop at an intersection. Upon the landing flare I lost sight of the truck as it was on the left side of the aircraft and I was sitting on the right side. After the nose came down; I witnessed the truck start rolling onto the runway. We were about 500 ft away from the taxiway intersection at this point. The truck took the runway and moved almost directly across it. The truck was moving from our left to right. I took control of the aircraft from my student and started braking heavily. There was no room for trying to execute a touch-and-go as we would not have been off the ground before colliding with the truck. If I were to have attempted this; it would've been an even higher speed collision. At this point I was attempting to brake so hard that the wheels locked up and we started to skid for about 200 ft. We were 1/2 way between the centerline of the runway and the right edge making us about 25 ft from the centerline. There was nothing more I could do and the truck was still coming at us converging from our left side. The truck driver came within about 20 ft of a collision before he noticed us there and swerved sharply to his right to avoid the collision. We taxied down the runway to the next intersection and cleared the runway. No damage occurred and everyone was ok. The maintenance worker then came over the CTAF and apologized and admitted that he never had his radio on to monitor the CTAF before he rolled onto the runway. After we ended the flight; he came over to apologize in person and also admitted that he did not know whether we were taking off or landing. This gives me the impression that he did not even use his eyes to make sure the runway was clear. I will talk to airport management to try and implement revised procedures for the airport maintenance crew when inspecting the airport. There should be no reason that they cannot drive their trucks around the ends of the runway as opposed to driving on it and possibly creating another potential deadly accident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ALERT INTERVENTION ON THE PART OF A FLT INSTRUCTOR AVERTS A COLLISION WITH ARPT MAINT TRUCK ENTERING THE RWY UNANNOUNCED AT A NON-TWRED ARPT.

Narrative: THE FLT OCCURRED IN THE TFC PATTERN ON A TRAINING FLT WITH A STUDENT. UPON OUR SECOND LNDG; I NOTICED THAT THE ARPT MAINT TRUCK HAD TURNED ONTO A TXWY THAT LEADS INTO THE RWY 2000 FT DOWN THE RWY. THE TRUCK APPEARED TO BE HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY AND AWAITING OUR ARR BEFORE TAKING THE RWY. NO RADIO CALLS WERE MADE BY THE MAINT TRUCK; BUT THEY DON'T USUALLY MAKE THEM UNTIL RIGHT BEFORE TAKING THE RWY. I DECIDED TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE TRUCK BECAUSE I DIDN'T TRUST HIM; ALMOST LIKE WATCHING A CAR COME TO A ROLLING STOP AT AN INTXN. UPON THE LNDG FLARE I LOST SIGHT OF THE TRUCK AS IT WAS ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT AND I WAS SITTING ON THE R SIDE. AFTER THE NOSE CAME DOWN; I WITNESSED THE TRUCK START ROLLING ONTO THE RWY. WE WERE ABOUT 500 FT AWAY FROM THE TXWY INTXN AT THIS POINT. THE TRUCK TOOK THE RWY AND MOVED ALMOST DIRECTLY ACROSS IT. THE TRUCK WAS MOVING FROM OUR L TO R. I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT FROM MY STUDENT AND STARTED BRAKING HEAVILY. THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR TRYING TO EXECUTE A TOUCH-AND-GO AS WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OFF THE GND BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE TRUCK. IF I WERE TO HAVE ATTEMPTED THIS; IT WOULD'VE BEEN AN EVEN HIGHER SPD COLLISION. AT THIS POINT I WAS ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE SO HARD THAT THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND WE STARTED TO SKID FOR ABOUT 200 FT. WE WERE 1/2 WAY BTWN THE CTRLINE OF THE RWY AND THE R EDGE MAKING US ABOUT 25 FT FROM THE CTRLINE. THERE WAS NOTHING MORE I COULD DO AND THE TRUCK WAS STILL COMING AT US CONVERGING FROM OUR L SIDE. THE TRUCK DRIVER CAME WITHIN ABOUT 20 FT OF A COLLISION BEFORE HE NOTICED US THERE AND SWERVED SHARPLY TO HIS R TO AVOID THE COLLISION. WE TAXIED DOWN THE RWY TO THE NEXT INTXN AND CLRED THE RWY. NO DAMAGE OCCURRED AND EVERYONE WAS OK. THE MAINT WORKER THEN CAME OVER THE CTAF AND APOLOGIZED AND ADMITTED THAT HE NEVER HAD HIS RADIO ON TO MONITOR THE CTAF BEFORE HE ROLLED ONTO THE RWY. AFTER WE ENDED THE FLT; HE CAME OVER TO APOLOGIZE IN PERSON AND ALSO ADMITTED THAT HE DID NOT KNOW WHETHER WE WERE TAKING OFF OR LNDG. THIS GIVES ME THE IMPRESSION THAT HE DID NOT EVEN USE HIS EYES TO MAKE SURE THE RWY WAS CLR. I WILL TALK TO ARPT MGMNT TO TRY AND IMPLEMENT REVISED PROCS FOR THE ARPT MAINT CREW WHEN INSPECTING THE ARPT. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON THAT THEY CANNOT DRIVE THEIR TRUCKS AROUND THE ENDS OF THE RWY AS OPPOSED TO DRIVING ON IT AND POSSIBLY CREATING ANOTHER POTENTIAL DEADLY ACCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.