This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
After landing at Devils Lake Regional Airport (KDVL) in North Dakota, we taxied off at A4 and took A back to Runway 13. We checked that final and approach path were clear, made a radio call to CTAF we were entering the runway, and started to roll onto the runway practicing a soft-field takeoff.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a crop duster enter the middle of the runway and start to takeoff in the opposite direction on Runway 31 without making any radio calls.
In an effort to quickly get off the runway I took controls from the student and tried to flip the airplane back around and exit at A5. The radius of turn was too large and we cut the corner of the grass to get off.
The crop duster apologized that he had not seen us and asked us if we were on CTAF. I said yes and we announced entering and taking off Runway 13.
I had to turn around on the runway very quickly and get off as quick as I could to avoid a mid-air accident with a crop duster who took off from the middle of the field, without making radio calls, on a runway that the prevailing winds did not align with.
Thankfully, this resulted in an outcome where nobody was seriously injured and only a little shaken up.
Cause: I think the crop duster having a lack of situational awareness and a lack of respect for other aircraft in the vicinity operating is what truly caused this event.
On my end I could have scanned for traffic a bit better earlier because I would not have entered the runway knowing his intentions.
Suggestions: If the crop duster and I both had better situational awareness of surroundings.
Also, if crop duster followed runway with prevailing winds.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2165592
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