Narrative:

It is my intention to report an airport hazard, which by personal incident I have found could have serious consequences. I will relate the following incident, referring to the attached sheet showing the airport layout: my wife and I boarded our aircraft at C73, il. It was a beautiful, clear day with very little wind, which appeared to be favoring runway 08. My wife, a low time private pilot was in the left seat, I was in the right seat. As we taxied from our hangar I noticed another single-engine low wing aircraft at the self-serve gasoline pumps. We continued on the taxiway toward runway 08 and then proceeded to do a run-up, short of turning onto the runway. My wife then announced her intentions on unicom and proceeded to turn onto runway 08, and began her takeoff roll. Just as she cleared the unicom, I heard a clipped transmission, where I only heard a portion of the word 'dixon.' at that point I pulled her throttle hand back and said we need to wait a min. A few seconds later as she was tring to figure out why I did what I did, that aircraft which I had noticed at the gas pumps crossed our runway about 20 ft off the ground, departing runway 12. Apparently the other pilot was transmitting at the same time my wife was, and for the most part, neither of us heard the other. We both just sat there quietly in a cold sweat, knowing what could have happened. The reason these two pilots did not see each other is the fact that the line of sight between the takeoff points is totally blocked by mature trees and brush. This is really a 'no man's lnd,' not farmed and inhabited by fox, coyote, deer and many small animals, which often stray onto the two runways. While we routinely watch for these animals, and while we also scan for other airborne aircraft, we have not previously thought about other aircraft in a takeoff mode on the crossing runway at the end of the field. I guess you could say, 'out of sight, out of mind.' it is my feeling that in using fields with crossing runways, pilots have to take extra precautions, especially on calm days when aircraft are apt to be using any runway. But this condition at C73 airport makes an already serious condition a real potential for disaster.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INTERSECTING RWYS AT C73, IL ARE NOT VISIBLE TO EACH OTHER FROM RWY 08 AND RWY 12 UNTIL APCHING THE INTXN OF THE TWO RWYS.

Narrative: IT IS MY INTENTION TO RPT AN ARPT HAZARD, WHICH BY PERSONAL INCIDENT I HAVE FOUND COULD HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. I WILL RELATE THE FOLLOWING INCIDENT, REFERRING TO THE ATTACHED SHEET SHOWING THE ARPT LAYOUT: MY WIFE AND I BOARDED OUR ACFT AT C73, IL. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL, CLEAR DAY WITH VERY LITTLE WIND, WHICH APPEARED TO BE FAVORING RWY 08. MY WIFE, A LOW TIME PRIVATE PLT WAS IN THE L SEAT, I WAS IN THE R SEAT. AS WE TAXIED FROM OUR HANGAR I NOTICED ANOTHER SINGLE-ENG LOW WING ACFT AT THE SELF-SERVE GASOLINE PUMPS. WE CONTINUED ON THE TXWY TOWARD RWY 08 AND THEN PROCEEDED TO DO A RUN-UP, SHORT OF TURNING ONTO THE RWY. MY WIFE THEN ANNOUNCED HER INTENTIONS ON UNICOM AND PROCEEDED TO TURN ONTO RWY 08, AND BEGAN HER TKOF ROLL. JUST AS SHE CLRED THE UNICOM, I HEARD A CLIPPED XMISSION, WHERE I ONLY HEARD A PORTION OF THE WORD 'DIXON.' AT THAT POINT I PULLED HER THROTTLE HAND BACK AND SAID WE NEED TO WAIT A MIN. A FEW SECS LATER AS SHE WAS TRING TO FIGURE OUT WHY I DID WHAT I DID, THAT ACFT WHICH I HAD NOTICED AT THE GAS PUMPS CROSSED OUR RWY ABOUT 20 FT OFF THE GND, DEPARTING RWY 12. APPARENTLY THE OTHER PLT WAS XMITTING AT THE SAME TIME MY WIFE WAS, AND FOR THE MOST PART, NEITHER OF US HEARD THE OTHER. WE BOTH JUST SAT THERE QUIETLY IN A COLD SWEAT, KNOWING WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THE REASON THESE TWO PLTS DID NOT SEE EACH OTHER IS THE FACT THAT THE LINE OF SIGHT BTWN THE TKOF POINTS IS TOTALLY BLOCKED BY MATURE TREES AND BRUSH. THIS IS REALLY A 'NO MAN'S LND,' NOT FARMED AND INHABITED BY FOX, COYOTE, DEER AND MANY SMALL ANIMALS, WHICH OFTEN STRAY ONTO THE TWO RWYS. WHILE WE ROUTINELY WATCH FOR THESE ANIMALS, AND WHILE WE ALSO SCAN FOR OTHER AIRBORNE ACFT, WE HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER ACFT IN A TKOF MODE ON THE XING RWY AT THE END OF THE FIELD. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY, 'OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND.' IT IS MY FEELING THAT IN USING FIELDS WITH XING RWYS, PLTS HAVE TO TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS, ESPECIALLY ON CALM DAYS WHEN ACFT ARE APT TO BE USING ANY RWY. BUT THIS CONDITION AT C73 ARPT MAKES AN ALREADY SERIOUS CONDITION A REAL POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER.

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.