Aeronca Champion
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Engineer; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 24000; Flight Crew Type 4
Other / Unknown
Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Incursion Runway
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; Flight Crew Rejected Takeoff
Human Factors
Landed in a non-radio; no electrical power aircraft (1932 Aeronca C-3) with a 4 knot tailwind after circling for 40 minutes for the pattern to clear to land into the wind as this was the aircrafts 2nd flight post restoration. The Beechcraft multi-engine Travelair was doing touch and goes in training exercises and against my better judgment I elected to land with the prevailing traffic. Entering the pattern as per AIM/FAR guidance and landed long and after taxing to the end and turned off to clear the runway I noticed over my right shoulder that a Beechcraft twin was taxing behind me. After I cleared the runway completely the Beechcraft did a 180 degree turn on the runway and departed opposite direction and departed the area. After landing a Mr. X approached me to inquire as to the incident and described the event from his perspective. His narrative to me was that the Beechcraft landed behind me and came to a complete stop; then attempted to takeoff and at approximately 50 knots; aborted the takeoff roll when it appeared to him that they first noticed another aircraft (me) occupying the runway directly in front of them; stopping some 250-500 feet from me. This airport is a rural uncontrolled airport with an unmonitored CTAF of 6;000 feet length that is used by many agricultural aircraft and NORDO (non-radio) vintage and light sport aircraft. It is also used by many other aircraft types and uses; mainly training from other local airports in the area. See and avoid only seems to work when BOTH aircraft have a radio. In my opinion very few pilots today consider an aircraft without a radio and bother to actually LOOK out the window. The perception always seems to be; 'Why don't you have a radio?' and somehow I have less rights to operate because of that fact in their eyes. I seriously believe a part of learning to fly should involve no-radio operation into and out of class E and/or G airspace to a complete stop.
We were in the traffic pattern and landed our airplane for a touch and go. The airport has a 6;000 foot runway and first taxiway to exit from the runway is 3;000 down the runway. After we configured our airplane for takeoff we noticed an airplane was on the departure end of our runway. Initially we couldn't tell if the aircraft was coming toward us or moving same direction as we were. There must have been more than 3;000 to 4;000 feet in distance between our airplane and his airplane. So we aborted our takeoff and brought our airplane to slow speed. As we reached at the end of runway; he was already clear of the runway and waiting for us. He was blocking our taxiway to exit from the runway. I could tell he was saying something to me. He looked very angry. So I didn't want to get involved in the road rage situation so we made u-turn on the runway and departed [opposite direction]. We never heard him making any radio calls. He was flying an experimental airplane with no radio. We just didn't see him at all. We never got close enough to endanger him or his airplane. He called our office on that day and complained that we have violated FAR's and he claims that he has proof of it.
Aeronca and BE-95 pilots describe the events leading up to the BE-95 pilot landing behind the Aeronca without seeing him. The runway is long and the BE-95 pilot had planned a stop and go but rejects when the Aeronca is sighted at the end of the runway.