Narrative:

On taxiing out for takeoff at wheatland, wy, there were 3 aircraft departing at roughly the same time. With the winds out of the west at approximately 10 KTS, an small transport a taxied out to runway 26 and departed. A twin small transport B taxied out next. We were still waiting for our passenger to show up as the small transport B was taxiing out. When our passenger did show up, we started up the engines, began going through our checklists, then taxiing out to the runway. We were flying an light transport. I was PNF, but company designated PIC. I broadcast on 122.9 that we were taxiing out for back-taxi for runway 26 at wheatland. We were sitting on the taxi apron visually checking for traffic and calling out 'clear left' and 'clear right,' before we taxied out onto the runway. As we were taxiing out, we heard a jumbled, static-filled, unintelligible piece of static on the radio. We didn't really think anything of it, because it seemed like a long distance static skip. We couldn't understand it anyway. But, as we get onto the runway, back- taxiing on runway 26, down at the end of the runway, the east end of runway 08-26, we see something white. Is it a tractor in a field? Is it an airplane? It was the twin small transport B just sitting there. We had just gotten onto the runway, so we called him to see what his intentions were. He said (over a very static filled radio) that he was trying to clear out a rough magneto. So, we turned around and taxied off the runway to let him takeoff. We should have verified where the twin small transport B was during our taxi and before taxiing onto the runway. However, due to his poor radio and the fact that the runway at wheatland is lower on the west half of the runway than the east half, and also contains a dip on the east end of the runway, we didn't have a positive visual on him even after we had seen him and idented him. Also, the heat currents waving across the horizon and off of the pavement, distorted the images on the ground, including his tail, even further. In talking with other pilots that fly into wheatland, they also have had trouble seeing the east end of the runway from the taxi ramp. A sign should be put near the runway on the taxi ramp that warns pilots that the east end of the runway may contain traffic on the ground that they can't see. Also, a sign reminding all pilots that the CTAF at wheatland is 122.9 would be in order on the same sign.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CPR ACFT BEGINS BACK-TAXI ON ACTIVE RWY. SIGHTS ACFT OPPOSITE END DOING RUN-UP. TAXIES OFF.

Narrative: ON TAXIING OUT FOR TKOF AT WHEATLAND, WY, THERE WERE 3 ACFT DEPARTING AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME. WITH THE WINDS OUT OF THE W AT APPROX 10 KTS, AN SMT A TAXIED OUT TO RWY 26 AND DEPARTED. A TWIN SMT B TAXIED OUT NEXT. WE WERE STILL WAITING FOR OUR PAX TO SHOW UP AS THE SMT B WAS TAXIING OUT. WHEN OUR PAX DID SHOW UP, WE STARTED UP THE ENGS, BEGAN GOING THROUGH OUR CHKLISTS, THEN TAXIING OUT TO THE RWY. WE WERE FLYING AN LTT. I WAS PNF, BUT COMPANY DESIGNATED PIC. I BROADCAST ON 122.9 THAT WE WERE TAXIING OUT FOR BACK-TAXI FOR RWY 26 AT WHEATLAND. WE WERE SITTING ON THE TAXI APRON VISUALLY CHKING FOR TFC AND CALLING OUT 'CLR L' AND 'CLR R,' BEFORE WE TAXIED OUT ONTO THE RWY. AS WE WERE TAXIING OUT, WE HEARD A JUMBLED, STATIC-FILLED, UNINTELLIGIBLE PIECE OF STATIC ON THE RADIO. WE DIDN'T REALLY THINK ANYTHING OF IT, BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE A LONG DISTANCE STATIC SKIP. WE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND IT ANYWAY. BUT, AS WE GET ONTO THE RWY, BACK- TAXIING ON RWY 26, DOWN AT THE END OF THE RWY, THE E END OF RWY 08-26, WE SEE SOMETHING WHITE. IS IT A TRACTOR IN A FIELD? IS IT AN AIRPLANE? IT WAS THE TWIN SMT B JUST SITTING THERE. WE HAD JUST GOTTEN ONTO THE RWY, SO WE CALLED HIM TO SEE WHAT HIS INTENTIONS WERE. HE SAID (OVER A VERY STATIC FILLED RADIO) THAT HE WAS TRYING TO CLR OUT A ROUGH MAGNETO. SO, WE TURNED AROUND AND TAXIED OFF THE RWY TO LET HIM TKOF. WE SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED WHERE THE TWIN SMT B WAS DURING OUR TAXI AND BEFORE TAXIING ONTO THE RWY. HOWEVER, DUE TO HIS POOR RADIO AND THE FACT THAT THE RWY AT WHEATLAND IS LOWER ON THE W HALF OF THE RWY THAN THE E HALF, AND ALSO CONTAINS A DIP ON THE E END OF THE RWY, WE DIDN'T HAVE A POSITIVE VISUAL ON HIM EVEN AFTER WE HAD SEEN HIM AND IDENTED HIM. ALSO, THE HEAT CURRENTS WAVING ACROSS THE HORIZON AND OFF OF THE PAVEMENT, DISTORTED THE IMAGES ON THE GND, INCLUDING HIS TAIL, EVEN FURTHER. IN TALKING WITH OTHER PLTS THAT FLY INTO WHEATLAND, THEY ALSO HAVE HAD TROUBLE SEEING THE E END OF THE RWY FROM THE TAXI RAMP. A SIGN SHOULD BE PUT NEAR THE RWY ON THE TAXI RAMP THAT WARNS PLTS THAT THE E END OF THE RWY MAY CONTAIN TFC ON THE GND THAT THEY CAN'T SEE. ALSO, A SIGN REMINDING ALL PLTS THAT THE CTAF AT WHEATLAND IS 122.9 WOULD BE IN ORDER ON THE SAME SIGN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.