Narrative:

Flight dro - den, we taxied out. Made taxi to runway call on unicom frequency 122.8. Reply from caravan that he was turning final runway 02. We completed our checklists. Gained our clearance from denver center for departure. I had the first officer on the right side of the aircraft visually clear the runway (approximately 5 mins had lapsed since the other aircraft had called turning final. We had heard no other xmissions since.) we were to depart runway 20. It was dusk/dark the first officer replied the runway was clear. I asked the first officer to transmit that we were departing runway 20, at dro. He did no immediate reply then as we were taxiing out we heard, '(runway) 11, landing.' it was a weak garbled transmission that I thought was at a different airport. However, since we earlier had conflicting traffic I asked the first officer to check again that the runway was clear. He did and said it was clear. As an extra precaution I had him again call that we were departing runway 20, at dro. About this time we are taxiing into position. I had cleared the left side of the runway as we turned right into position and hold, I looked intently down the runway. All the lights I saw looked like they were part of the runway environment. There was no strobe and no landing light that would identify an aircraft on the runway. In response to our second take off call we heard 'hey wait a minute, I'm still rolling out.' coming from the caravan pilot. I immediately turned the aircraft back to the hold short area and exited the runway. After he was clear I advised him, his xmissions appeared to be weak. We departed normally. Factors: 1. Uncontrolled airport -- dro needs a tower with the amount of traffic both there and animas field 5 NM away, stories of numerous conflicts. 2. Time of day -- dusk (dark) visual acuity may be its weakest. Lights of the caravan were not distinguishable from the runway environment at that distance. 3. IFR clearance -- there is a certain urgency to get airborne quickly after getting your IFR clearance. This is constantly implied by center asking 'how soon till you will be off.' 4. Cessna caravan -- both the lights and transmitter on this caravan appear weak. 5. Caravan pilot -- made too few of calls in blind as to where he was on approach. 6. CRM -- first officer was difficult to work with on trip (at times) initiated checklists before they were called for, weak or improper intra cockpit communication. Difficult to build team concept. First officer wanted to rush -- may have not set proper atmosphere. I should have better briefed him and demanded standard practices. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stressed it should be mandated that the unicom/CTAF frequencies be manned during busy hours at all uncontrolled airports where there is a good mix of traffic. Reporter also said that he has tried several times to utilize his TCAS ii to pick up other traffic while on the ground at dro, but because of the high terrain it has been useless.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AFTER BROADCASTING HIS INTENSIONS AND CHECKING FOR TFC, A DO328 TAXIS IN POS ON RWY 20 AT DRO, AS A C208 ADVISES THEM THAT HE'S STILL ON HIS LNDG ROLL FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

Narrative: FLT DRO - DEN, WE TAXIED OUT. MADE TAXI TO RWY CALL ON UNICOM FREQ 122.8. REPLY FROM CARAVAN THAT HE WAS TURNING FINAL RWY 02. WE COMPLETED OUR CHECKLISTS. GAINED OUR CLEARANCE FROM DENVER CENTER FOR DEP. I HAD THE FO ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT VISUALLY CLEAR THE RWY (APPROX 5 MINS HAD LAPSED SINCE THE OTHER ACFT HAD CALLED TURNING FINAL. WE HAD HEARD NO OTHER XMISSIONS SINCE.) WE WERE TO DEPART RWY 20. IT WAS DUSK/DARK THE FO REPLIED THE RWY WAS CLEAR. I ASKED THE FO TO XMIT THAT WE WERE DEPARTING RWY 20, AT DRO. HE DID NO IMMEDIATE REPLY THEN AS WE WERE TAXIING OUT WE HEARD, '(RWY) 11, LANDING.' IT WAS A WEAK GARBLED XMISSION THAT I THOUGHT WAS AT A DIFFERENT ARPT. HOWEVER, SINCE WE EARLIER HAD CONFLICTING TFC I ASKED THE FO TO CHECK AGAIN THAT THE RWY WAS CLEAR. HE DID AND SAID IT WAS CLEAR. AS AN EXTRA PRECAUTION I HAD HIM AGAIN CALL THAT WE WERE DEPARTING RWY 20, AT DRO. ABOUT THIS TIME WE ARE TAXIING INTO POS. I HAD CLEARED THE L SIDE OF THE RWY AS WE TURNED R INTO POS AND HOLD, I LOOKED INTENTLY DOWN THE RWY. ALL THE LIGHTS I SAW LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE PART OF THE RWY ENVIRONMENT. THERE WAS NO STROBE AND NO LNDG LIGHT THAT WOULD IDENTIFY AN ACFT ON THE RWY. IN RESPONSE TO OUR SECOND TAKE OFF CALL WE HEARD 'HEY WAIT A MINUTE, I'M STILL ROLLING OUT.' COMING FROM THE CARAVAN PLT. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE ACFT BACK TO THE HOLD SHORT AREA AND EXITED THE RWY. AFTER HE WAS CLEAR I ADVISED HIM, HIS XMISSIONS APPEARED TO BE WEAK. WE DEPARTED NORMALLY. FACTORS: 1. UNCONTROLLED ARPT -- DRO NEEDS A TOWER WITH THE AMOUNT OF TFC BOTH THERE AND ANIMAS FIELD 5 NM AWAY, STORIES OF NUMEROUS CONFLICTS. 2. TIME OF DAY -- DUSK (DARK) VISUAL ACUITY MAY BE ITS WEAKEST. LIGHTS OF THE CARAVAN WERE NOT DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE RWY ENVIRONMENT AT THAT DISTANCE. 3. IFR CLEARANCE -- THERE IS A CERTAIN URGENCY TO GET AIRBORNE QUICKLY AFTER GETTING YOUR IFR CLEARANCE. THIS IS CONSTANTLY IMPLIED BY CENTER ASKING 'HOW SOON TILL YOU WILL BE OFF.' 4. CESSNA CARAVAN -- BOTH THE LIGHTS AND XMITTER ON THIS CARAVAN APPEAR WEAK. 5. CARAVAN PLT -- MADE TOO FEW OF CALLS IN BLIND AS TO WHERE HE WAS ON APCH. 6. CRM -- FO WAS DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH ON TRIP (AT TIMES) INITIATED CHKLISTS BEFORE THEY WERE CALLED FOR, WEAK OR IMPROPER INTRA COCKPIT COM. DIFFICULT TO BUILD TEAM CONCEPT. FO WANTED TO RUSH -- MAY HAVE NOT SET PROPER ATMOSPHERE. I SHOULD HAVE BETTER BRIEFED HIM AND DEMANDED STANDARD PRACTICES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STRESSED IT SHOULD BE MANDATED THAT THE UNICOM/CTAF FREQUENCIES BE MANNED DURING BUSY HOURS AT ALL UNCONTROLLED ARPTS WHERE THERE IS A GOOD MIX OF TFC. RPTR ALSO SAID THAT HE HAS TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO UTILIZE HIS TCAS II TO PICK UP OTHER TFC WHILE ON THE GROUND AT DRO, BUT BECAUSE OF THE HIGH TERRAIN IT HAS BEEN USELESS.

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.