Beech 1900
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Conflict Ground Conflict; Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Weather; Human Factors; Procedure
There was a thunderstorm approaching the airport and our flight was behind schedule. Center was having difficulty getting a clearance.... We taxied to Runway 14 and held short of the runway on Taxiway C or B while waiting for clearance and made a call on CTAF that we were holding short of Runway 14. We were using Runway 14 because winds were relatively calm and there was a thunderstorm right off the departure end of Runway 32. After getting clearance; we called CTAF that we were back-taxiing on Runway 14 and completed our runway checklist. As we neared the end of Runway 14 and made a 180-degree turn; we heard a Cessna call that he was taking Runway 32 for departure. We immediately contacted CTAF to let the Cessna know that we were still on Runway 14 and back-taxiing. The Cessna responded by saying he was 'rolling' on Runway 32. I then moved the aircraft slightly off centerline in case I had to exit the runway with him taking off directly in front of us. We could not see each other from opposite ends of the runway because of the hump in the center of the runway. We waited at the end of Runway 14 and saw the Cessna take off and make a left turn out. We then waited on the runway for this aircraft to clear the area as he seemed to turn into our departure corridor on turn out. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps this pilot did not realize that the reciprocal of 14 was 32. I cannot understand why a pilot would willingly take off with another plane preparing to depart from the other end of the runway.
A B1900 flight crew; after back-taxiing on Runway 14 and announcing their movements on CTAF at a non-towered airport; moved off centerline to avoid conflict with a Cessna that departed on Runway 32.