GND VEHICLE ON RWY AT NON TWR ARPT UNICOM AS SMA IN TKOF PROC.

Narrative

AS WE APCHED THE DEP END OF RWY 02; WE VISUALLY CHKED FOR OTHER ACFT TFC IN THE AREA AND SEEING NONE WE COMMUNICATED: 'SMA XY IS TAKING THE ACTIVE RWY 02 AT DANVILLE FOR TKOF.' WE THEN RECEIVED THE RESPONSE ON ARPT ADVISORY FREQ: 'ROGER SMA XY THERE'S NO OTHER RPTED TFC.' AS WE BECAME ALIGNED WITH THE RWY AND IN THE TKOF POS; WE NOTICED THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE RWY'S FULL LENGTH IN VIEW. THIS WAS DUE TO THE UPHILL RISE FOR THE FIRST HALF AND THE DOWNWARD SLOPE OF THE LAST HALF OF RWY 02. THE FACT THAT WE COULD NOT SEE THE OPPOSITE END OF THE RWY DID NOT CAUSE US TOO MUCH CONCERN SINCE THE ARPT ADVISORY HAD JUST TOLD US THAT '..THERE'S NO OTHER RPTED TFC.' I THEN TURNED THE CTLS OVER TO THE R SEAT PLT WHO WOULD BE MAKING THE TKOF AND I XMITTED ON THE ARPT ADVISORY FREQ: 'SMA XY IS TAKING OFF ON RWY 02 AT DANVILLE.' WE DID NOT HEAR NOR DID WE EXPECT TO HEAR A RESPONSE TO THIS XMISSION. DURING OUR TKOF ROLL AND UPON REACHING THE TOP OF THE CREST AT THE APPROX MIDPOINT DOWN THE RWY; I NOTICED A BLUE VAN MOVING ONTO THE RWY FROM THE L. I INITIALLY THOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WAS AT THE FAR END OF THE RWY AND WOULD BE NO FACTOR; BUT I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT 1000 FT BEFORE THE END. IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING OR HOW THIS COULD BE HAPPENING. AS THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS THE RWY; I FELT THAT IT WOULD CLR THE RWY IN SUFFICIENT TIME. BUT THEN; THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENED. IT ACTUALLY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RWY. BY THIS TIME THE ACFT WAS WELL INTO ITS TKOF ROLL AND NEAR ROTATION SPD. I FELT THAT A REJECTED TKOF AT THIS POINT WOULD BE UNSUCCESSFUL IN STOPPING SHORT OF A COLLISION OR EVEN WITHIN THE REMAINING RWY DISTANCE. AT THIS TIME I GAVE THE COMMAND 'ROTATE.' THE R SEAT PLT YANKED BACK ON THE CTL YOKE AND THE ACFT LIFTED OFF THE RWY AND FLEW OVER THE TOP OF THE PARKED VEHICLE. THIS QUICK AND RESPONSIVE ACTION SAVED THE DAY AND NO DOUBT AVOIDED A MAJOR CATASTROPHE. DURING THE CLB; I CALLED BACK ON THE ADVISORY FREQ TO TELL WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND TO FIND OUT WHY THE VEHICLE WAS THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE. I WAS GIVEN AN APOLOGY AND INFORMED THAT THE MAINT TECHNICIAN IN THE VEHICLE '... MUST NOT HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE RADIO.'