Small Aircraft; High Wing; 1 Eng; Fixed Gear
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 55; Flight Crew Total 295; Flight Crew Type 275
Workload; Time Pressure; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Procedure; Human Factors
Winds were 360 at 16 kts. While turning from base to short final to runway 35 during a power-off 180 accuracy approach; I noticed a yellow crop-duster more than halfway down the runway in a takeoff roll coming right at us using runway 17. I instructed the student to perform a go-around and then kindly urged the crop-duster to use the active runway on the radio. In addition to taking off with a 16 knot tailwind he also took off on the opposite runway while two [other aircraft] were in the pattern for runway 35; and did not make any traffic calls.
An instructor pilot saw a crop duster taking of opposite direction on CTAF GAF Runway 17 and so had his student execute a go-around to avoid the aircraft. The winds were 360°/17 kts and three aircraft in the Runway 36 pattern communicating on CTAF frequency. The crop dusting pilot was not communicating.