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Sr-20 pilot reported some minor damage resulted when he took off with the tow bar still attached.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1424785 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201702 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | SR20 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Route In Use | Visual Approach |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200 Flight Crew Total 14000 Flight Crew Type 50 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Inflight Event / Encounter Object |
Narrative:
Accomplished pre-flight walk around inspection in hangar. Then pulled aircraft out onto ramp with a tow bar. I did not remove the towbar; as my intention was to do it after going to restroom. Upon returning to aircraft; I did not remember to remove [it]; nor did I see the towbar; as I got in the aircraft from the aft. Engine start; taxi; and takeoff appeared normal. About 20 feet AGL; I heard a loud metallic sound from under the aircraft (the towbar separating from the nose wheel). About the same time; a pilot in the FBO called on CTAF; and stated that I had taken off with the towbar attached. I entered the traffic pattern; and coordinated with the FBO to visually look at my nose gear as I did a low approach. They stated that it appeared normal. I then accomplished a full stop; taxied clear of the runway and shutdown. The only apparent damage was some cosmetic damage to the nose wheel pant. I then started again; and taxied to hangar. Upon further investigation; the tips of the propeller had struck the tow bar; and were ground down a bit. I retrieved the towbar from the FBO that had picked it up. What caused this was inattention to detail. I do thorough pre-flights; however; I should have never made the [conscious] decision to leave the towbar attached; with the idea that I would get it when I got back to the aircraft. That is just setting yourself up to forget. I should have done another walk around the entire aircraft after returning.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SR-20 pilot reported some minor damage resulted when he took off with the tow bar still attached.
Narrative: Accomplished pre-flight walk around inspection in hangar. Then pulled aircraft out onto ramp with a tow bar. I did not remove the towbar; as my intention was to do it after going to restroom. Upon returning to aircraft; I did not remember to remove [it]; nor did I see the towbar; as I got in the aircraft from the aft. Engine start; taxi; and takeoff appeared normal. About 20 feet AGL; I heard a loud metallic sound from under the aircraft (the towbar separating from the nose wheel). About the same time; a pilot in the FBO called on CTAF; and stated that I had taken off with the towbar attached. I entered the traffic pattern; and coordinated with the FBO to visually look at my nose gear as I did a low approach. They stated that it appeared normal. I then accomplished a full stop; taxied clear of the runway and shutdown. The only apparent damage was some cosmetic damage to the nose wheel pant. I then started again; and taxied to hangar. Upon further investigation; the tips of the propeller had struck the tow bar; and were ground down a bit. I retrieved the towbar from the FBO that had picked it up. What caused this was inattention to detail. I do thorough pre-flights; however; I should have never made the [conscious] decision to leave the towbar attached; with the idea that I would get it when I got back to the aircraft. That is just setting yourself up to forget. I should have done another walk around the entire aircraft after returning.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.