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.
I flew my Cessna 182 from ZZZ1 to ZZZ, a private grass strip. The purpose of the trip was to spend time with my son.
Upon landing I put the airplane in the hangar, where it stayed until departure for a return to ZZZ1 to have dinner with my daughter.
Although the weather was severe clear it was very hot, so prior to departure I checked weather for any pop-up thunderstorms. There were none.
Since it was 95° outside, I did a complete preflight in the air-conditioned hangar, checking oil, tires, surfaces, etc. My son was with me.
Upon completion of my preflight, I went to retrieve my bag and briefcase while my son opened the hangar door and moved the airplane to the end of our taxiway. I walked out to the airplane and put the gear in the backseat.
I gave my son a hug while standing under the shade of the wing and got into the airplane. I did not do another walk around.
Start up and the short taxi were normal. At the end of the runway, I did a run-up and completed the pre-takeoff checklist. Everything completed, I started my takeoff roll aware of the high-density altitude because of the heat.
Everything was normal as I passed V1 and began to lift the nose. At that point I heard a loud bang and vibration. I assumed I had hit an obstruction.
The controls were functioning, and the airplane was stable, so I continued my climb to clear trees at the end of the runway. At 1,000 feet I reduced power and began circling to troubleshoot.
I was able to get my son on the telephone who told me the nosewheel had been severed from the airplane. Apparently, he had not removed the tow bar when he moved the airplane from the hangar and when I rotated it jammed into the turf, resulting in the failure.
After one more orbit I rejected going to ZZZ2 because of a concern for lack of emergency facilities. I also wanted to try and contact a pilot and mechanic who also is an expert on my airplane. The airplane was stable, oil pressure solid and controls functioning normal. After talking to him, I decided to continue on to ZZZ1.
I contacted ZZZ approach, requested priority handling, and told them my situation.
I was cleared into the Class B direct ZZZ1. I transferred to ZZZ1 Tower and told them my intentions and asked for equipment to be standing by.
Once I had the runway made, I pulled the mixture, turned the fuel selector to off, turned the master off, and turned the mags off. I used soft field technique, touching down on the mains at about 45 knots and holding the nose off until I couldn’t anymore. The airplane settled and skidded less than 50 feet.
I double checked that the airplane was secure and exited, greeted by the local fire men. There was no fuel or oil spill nor any debris on the runway.
The airplane suffered a prop strike and lower cowling damage, but was removed from the runway in about 30 minutes.
The incident could have been avoided with a simple, final walk around the aircraft after having “ground personnel” (my son) move the airplane out of the hangar.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1910398
I used to refuel commercial aircraft at old Stapleton Airport in Denver. After refuel a Centennial Airlines 737 I put fuel slip into the long pole we used to lift it up to co-pilot to take. After couple minutes of no response from co-pilot I took feel slip out and ducked under aircraft to go up the stairs on Captain side. When I went under aircraft I noticed about 4ft by2ft piece of outer panel missing from plane. I immediately informed the captain who couldn’t believe both he and co-pilot hadn’t noticed it on walk-around. An hour later I saw it being towed to hanger. Never even got a thank you from either pilot.
But sure glad I noticed it.
Always wondered where it fell off.
In September as I drove by the ramp as a student & CFI were preparing to start their C150 I noticed the tow bar attached to the
nose strut. I got their attention by beeping
my horn and drove over to them.
Approaching the airplane I kept waving and yelling don’t start as I handed them the tow bar. The CFI couldn’t have been 25 and the student even younger.
Were they too young to be complacent?
After 40 years as an airplane owner I’m adding ‘Tow bar stowed’ to my prestart checklist. Easy to edit and regularly update/improve your ForeFlight checklist.
You are the sole responsibility of your flight and the sole preflighter period.
Back in 1967 I flew to Wiley Post to get my CFI for the FAA. When we walked out the door one of the aircraft parked there had a part of the tow bar hanging from the Cessna nose gear. The Inspector told me to go ahead. He returned to the office. I’m sure the the CFI applicant had to do some explaining, but I was lucky as I passed that day.
I had a similar experience.
I was on a flight line at KVNY — in a taxi row, prepped and walked around, and I had primed the engines for start when a Cherokee Six or Lance taxied in and the man’s wing overlapped the taxi row which prevented my departure.
The pilot climbed out of his plane and recognized his error, slapped himself on the forehead, and reached for his tow bar. He came to my plane and pulled me around his wing overhang and he stepped back. I started my engines and taxied to the run up area, and was #7 after six other aircraft. Nobody cautioned me.
I took off and my gear up light did not light up. I was heading for nearby KSMO so I asked the tower for a fly by and was told that I appeared to have something protruding from my nose gear. That was impossible, I replied.
I flew out over the Pacific Ocean and lowered the gear and got a green, and returned to KSMO and requested another fly by and was told that I had a tow bar extending from my nose gear. I was aghast. That was impossible. My tow bar was stowed in my aircraft.
I landed ever so gently, and a white car with a rotating beacon followed me down the taxi way. When I got to a non-operations area I shut down and alighted, and saw the two bar. As I leaned over to remove it the occupants of the white car were taking polaroids. Gulp!
I received an infringement letter, asking for a voluntary written response. I indicated my total cooperation and explained in detail the occurrence at Van Nuys.
The FAA gave me a warning with the warning letter to be deleted from my file after one year (I have checked and it was deleted).
My sense of this is that if I had been obstructive or unresponsive that the outcome would have been harsh. Extending total cooperation was a good choice. Besides, I ended up with a spare tow bar.
This reminds me of a webinar by either an insurance company or AOPA don’t get rusty session where in the pose the question: how much does a tow bar cost? These are very valuable webinars which cover the little details that might get us into the big problems. I’m not certain why the bar didn’t hit the prop or by it didn’t make noise on taxi.
Adding “Towbar: Stowed” to the Before Start Checklist could save a lot of grief.
Yup, a walk around would have prevented the problem.
Apparently he thought with the obvious son’s familiarity and having pulled the plane out he would have enough sense to remove the tow-bar or at least inquire about removing it…or said something as dad got in the plane, or signaled dad when the plane started, or started taxiing.
Never over estimate your own family..lol
Basic training for pilots and anyone else who may assist in any way, never leave a towbar attached, any cargo door not secured, or any keys hanging in any lock. And a true but somewhat funny story, someone I knew was taking a couple of ladies on a flight – he left a bag with personal items where the airplane was parked – different kind of distraction. Something else a careful walk-around would have prevented.
If the prop was two bladed, it’s ashame the pilot didn’t “bump” the starter to level the prop!
According to the report on the ASRS database, this pilot has over 3,600 flight hours. It is remarkable how easily we become complacent in our tasks.
Preventable, moment of stupidity type of mistake.
The son had no role in this, he was not PIC.
Quit throwing your son under the bus! It was your fault and no one else’s!
He won’t do that again when he gets the sudden stoppage inspection bill!! Best thing he could do is laminate the bill to the glare shield to remind him!
But he had already stopped the engine prior to touching down…
Yes. It’s written in the report.