UNAUTH LOADING PROC PAX AT A NON TWR ARPT.

Narrative

WHILE TAXIING A MAULE M6 FOR TKOF AT REDLAND; CA; A MERLIN IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED ON THE RWY. THE PLT WAS NOT USING THE RADIO SO I DECIDED TO TAXI AROUND THE MERLIN IN THE RAMP AREA TO HIS R. AT THIS TIME A PAX DEPLANED THE MERLIN AND BEGAN WALKING TOWARD THE RAMP. THIS PUT HIS PATH IN FRONT OF MINE. I STOPPED AND LOOKED AT THE MERLIN TO SEE IF ANY ADDITIONAL PAX WERE DEPLANING. THERE WERE NO PAX BUT ANOTHER PERSON WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY CLOSING THE DOOR OF THE MERLIN. I THEN LOOKED BACK TO MY R TO LOOK FOR THE PAX. 6 OR 8 PEOPLE WERE STANDING NEAR A VEHICLE AND I ASSUMED HE WAS WITH THEM. THE MERLIN WAS STILL PARKED ON THE TXWY AND NOT USING THE RADIO. AGAIN I STARTED AROUND THE MERLIN. AS I STARTED TO MOVE I NOTICED THAT THE GROUP OF PEOPLE TO MY R WERE ALL WATCHING ME WITH STRANGE LOOKS. AT THIS TIME I GRABBED THE SUPPORT IN FRONT OF THE WINDSCREEN AND LEANED FORWARD TO LOOK IN FRONT OF ME. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED WHEN I SAW THE MERLIN PAX CROUCHING ON THE GND ABOUT 25 FT IN FRONT OF ME. HE HAD APPARENTLY TRIPPED ON A TIE-DOWN CABLE AND WAS PICKING UP PAPERS THAT HE HAD DROPPED INSTEAD OF STANDING AND SHOWING HIMSELF. WHEN I LEANED FORWARD I COULD BARELY SEE HIM OVER THE COWLING. HE IMMEDIATELY GOT OUT OF THE WAY. THE PROB AROSE WHEN AN ACFT STOPPED ON THE TXWY BUT DID NOT TELL OTHER ACFT OF HIS INTENTIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE DIFFICULTY WITH CLOSING THE DOOR; ADDITIONAL PEOPLE ON THE GND; THE PERSON THAT HAD FALLEN DID NOT STAND AND PRESENT HIMSELF; THE POOR FORWARD VISIBILITY IN FRONT OF MY ACFT; AND THE GROUP OF PEOPLE TO MY R HAD A CLR VIEW OF THE SIT AND NONE OF THEM HAD OFFERED A WARNING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER RPTR RETURNED CALL HE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT DEPLANING PAX WAS A MERLIN III AND WAS; MOST LIKELY; A CHARTER OR CORPORATE ACFT. THE PERSON DEPLANING WAS MOST DEFINITELY A PAX WHO DID NOT DISPLAY ANY KIND OF RAMP AWARENESS DURING HIS EGRESS OF THE ACFT. RPTR ATTEMPTED TO CALL THE FLC IN ACFT Y BUT THERE WAS NO REPLY ON THE UNICOM FREQ. RPTR HAD USED UNICOM DURING TAXI AND SUBSEQUENT TKOF. HE DID HEAR THE CORPORATE ACFT USE UNICOM FOR DEP. THE FLC OF THE CORPORATE ACFT DID NOT SEEM TO BE AWARE OF THE RPTR'S STOL ACFT AND THE DANGER THE PAX WAS EXPOSED TO DURING HIS EXIT OF THEIR ACFT.