Narrative:

In sum: a cpr pilot pulled his aircraft out of a hangar and disconnected the tow bar from the tow vehicle. The ramp was sloped and the tow vehicle was rolling towards the aircraft. The reporter was able to hold the vehicle back while climbing in and setting the brake. He then drove away, leaving the tow bar attached to the aircraft and the aircraft unchocked. The aircraft had been preflted in the hangar, so the reporter taxied for takeoff. After takeoff, he had a strange rudder input. He thought this over and realized that the tow bar might still be attached. He flew from mfd for day where scheduled maintenance was to take place. Day tower verified that the tow bar was pointing forward. The landing gear came down and locked properly. Touchdown was on the end of the towbar first, 'with a shower of sparks,' and the rollout uneventful. The only aircraft damage was to the nose gear doors. This was an early morning dawn operation. The reporter's father had passed away 1 week prior to this event and the reporter acknowledges that his thoughts were on this event, not fully on his aircraft. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the pilot was flying a beech king air 350 in a single pilot operation. The company uses a sport utility vehicle as a push back tug. Once the push back is complete, the vehicle's transmission is placed in neutral to allow the pilot to adjust the tension on the bar by pushing or pulling on the vehicle's bumper during disconnection. The aircraft was pushed back to a position on the ramp where it would not roll. At the company's previous location the ramp was level so rolling movements for the aircraft or the tow vehicle were not a factor. The pilot overlooked the problem for the vehicle at this new location. The pilot had to push fairly hard on the vehicle to effect a disconnect, but since his attention and concern was on the aircraft he was taken by surprise when the vehicle started rolling toward him and the aircraft as he was attempting to disconnect the tow bar from the nose gear. After he got the vehicle under control and in the hangar, he forgot about the tow bar. The FAA has received his report on the incident, but he has not heard from them and the company was quite understanding and accommodating toward him. The company has changed their procedures and they now chock the aircraft before disconnecting the tow bar and the vehicle is put in park.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB -- PLT TAKES OFF WITH TOW BAR STILL ATTACHED. COMPANY ADOPTS NEW PROC FOR SINGLE PLT OP.

Narrative: IN SUM: A CPR PLT PULLED HIS ACFT OUT OF A HANGAR AND DISCONNECTED THE TOW BAR FROM THE TOW VEHICLE. THE RAMP WAS SLOPED AND THE TOW VEHICLE WAS ROLLING TOWARDS THE ACFT. THE RPTR WAS ABLE TO HOLD THE VEHICLE BACK WHILE CLBING IN AND SETTING THE BRAKE. HE THEN DROVE AWAY, LEAVING THE TOW BAR ATTACHED TO THE ACFT AND THE ACFT UNCHOCKED. THE ACFT HAD BEEN PREFLTED IN THE HANGAR, SO THE RPTR TAXIED FOR TKOF. AFTER TKOF, HE HAD A STRANGE RUDDER INPUT. HE THOUGHT THIS OVER AND REALIZED THAT THE TOW BAR MIGHT STILL BE ATTACHED. HE FLEW FROM MFD FOR DAY WHERE SCHEDULED MAINT WAS TO TAKE PLACE. DAY TWR VERIFIED THAT THE TOW BAR WAS POINTING FORWARD. THE LNDG GEAR CAME DOWN AND LOCKED PROPERLY. TOUCHDOWN WAS ON THE END OF THE TOWBAR FIRST, 'WITH A SHOWER OF SPARKS,' AND THE ROLLOUT UNEVENTFUL. THE ONLY ACFT DAMAGE WAS TO THE NOSE GEAR DOORS. THIS WAS AN EARLY MORNING DAWN OP. THE RPTR'S FATHER HAD PASSED AWAY 1 WK PRIOR TO THIS EVENT AND THE RPTR ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HIS THOUGHTS WERE ON THIS EVENT, NOT FULLY ON HIS ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT WAS FLYING A BEECH KING AIR 350 IN A SINGLE PLT OP. THE COMPANY USES A SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE AS A PUSH BACK TUG. ONCE THE PUSH BACK IS COMPLETE, THE VEHICLE'S XMISSION IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL TO ALLOW THE PLT TO ADJUST THE TENSION ON THE BAR BY PUSHING OR PULLING ON THE VEHICLE'S BUMPER DURING DISCONNECTION. THE ACFT WAS PUSHED BACK TO A POS ON THE RAMP WHERE IT WOULD NOT ROLL. AT THE COMPANY'S PREVIOUS LOCATION THE RAMP WAS LEVEL SO ROLLING MOVEMENTS FOR THE ACFT OR THE TOW VEHICLE WERE NOT A FACTOR. THE PLT OVERLOOKED THE PROB FOR THE VEHICLE AT THIS NEW LOCATION. THE PLT HAD TO PUSH FAIRLY HARD ON THE VEHICLE TO EFFECT A DISCONNECT, BUT SINCE HIS ATTN AND CONCERN WAS ON THE ACFT HE WAS TAKEN BY SURPRISE WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING TOWARD HIM AND THE ACFT AS HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO DISCONNECT THE TOW BAR FROM THE NOSE GEAR. AFTER HE GOT THE VEHICLE UNDER CTL AND IN THE HANGAR, HE FORGOT ABOUT THE TOW BAR. THE FAA HAS RECEIVED HIS RPT ON THE INCIDENT, BUT HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THEM AND THE COMPANY WAS QUITE UNDERSTANDING AND ACCOMMODATING TOWARD HIM. THE COMPANY HAS CHANGED THEIR PROCS AND THEY NOW CHOCK THE ACFT BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR AND THE VEHICLE IS PUT IN PARK.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.