Cessna 140
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 100; Flight Crew Total 20000; Flight Crew Type 35
Distraction; Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown; Ground Incursion Runway
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Airport; Aircraft
I was taxiing out to depart a non towered paved airport with grass taxiways serving residential homes. I had noticed prior to getting into the aircraft that a light twin had done a low pass over the runway in a northerly direction (wind was light out of the north). After starting; I taxied down the taxiway (oriented perpendicular to the runway and intersecting it about 1;000 FT from the south end) and stopped at the end; prior to crossing the runway to join the paved parallel taxiway on the far side. At this point I turned my tailwheel aircraft to the south; then the north to check for runway traffic. After turning north; my tailwheel got stuck in a small depression in the taxiway; delaying my crossing of the runway momentarily. By the time I got across the runway; I had become too close to a light twin on final; who was forced to go-around. It surprised me how quickly he appeared; as it did not seem that long since I had cleared final prior to starting across. Perhaps the twin; with his faster approach speed was a factor that I didn't fully account for; but I had no indication that he was on final or even still in the pattern. This airport sees virtually no twin engine/faster traffic. It also has tall trees surrounding the runway; with a dogleg area on final that doesn't have trees; so perhaps the traffic was slightly west of final on the dogleg. Finally; my radio was (I later discovered) only working intermittently. I had not received the conflicting traffic pattern callouts.Lessons learned for me: Double and triple check final; instead of just one time (I normally do this; but inexplicably didn't this one time). Secondly; expect the unexpected; especially at uncontrolled airports. Finally; I had suspected the radio problem prior to this flight; but what I hadn't expected was it being intermittent. When it worked on startup; I thought that there wasn't a problem; when actually there was; just a different one than I thought.
While preparing to depart a non towered airport; the pilot of a C-140 taxied onto the runway forcing a twin on short final to go around.