Narrative:

Following FSS WX briefing, filing an IFR training flight plan estimating a XA15 PDT departure, preflight check and engine start, with proper clrncs, taxied and took off runway 13L, began climb on a SID, tried to retract my landing gear and got a gear unsafe warning light (upper red/lower green), recycled once, still unable to retract, extended landing gear, confirmed down and locked '3 in the green' as reported to psp ATC, canceled IFR flight, and requested return to the airport. (My first reaction to the gear unsafe warning light related to my landing gear hydraulic power pack which I recently had overhauled and reinstalled jun/sun/00.) I was cleared to land runway 31L. Landed safely. After landing, the tower noted 'sparks from under (your) aircraft' and requested that I taxi with their direction to the base of the tower for review with base operations to 'check it out.' as soon as the tower reported 'sparks from under (your) aircraft,' I suspected for the first time what (I thought) might be the problem. On stopping at the base of the tower, shutting down and checking, I had taken off and landed with my tow bar attached to my nosewheel. The aircraft had no visible damage. Even the tow bar was intact, with pavement 'brush' marks on the top and bottom of the tow bar handle. On examination, I concluded that the tow bar had prevented the nosewheel from retracting into the wheel well, thus causing the in-flight gear retraction gear unsafe warning light. Because it was dark, I preflted my aircraft inside the lighted hangar. I then attached the tow bar (a small universal unit that can be separated into 2 pieces to carry onboard) and 'pulled' the aircraft out of the hangar. I pulled the aircraft out between and beyond 2 rows of hangars, so that the nose was now actually onto, and pointing towards, the main taxi ramp, slightly darker and with no lights. I laid the tow bar down. The tow bar is colored blue and wasn't that visible on the ramp. Noticing this, I actually thought, as I laid it down, '...don't forget to remove and stow the tow bar.' I use the tow bar normally to simply pull the plane out and a motorized tug to push it back into the hangar. Being on a slight slope, and after laying the tow bar down, I then moved into the cockpit to set the parking brake so the plane would not move, but then started organizing the cockpit: maps/flashlights, etc, in the dark, and subsequently completely forgot about the tow bar until after landing and examining the problem. I felt fine, but on reflection, was probably tired and perhaps a little distracted having finished jury duty about 3 hours earlier. This was also my first 'night flight' in about 1 yr. In addition, the heat (on the ramp and in the hangar - hotter) combined with an engine start about 15 mins after my scheduled departure, were factors contributing to a bit of 'hurry up.' the next day, I did have the aircraft examined by an a&P mechanic. I had the aircraft jacked up and the gear cycled several times to confirm that there was no hidden damage in attempting to retract the nose gear in-flight with a tow bar attached. The gear cycled correctly, multiple times. Summary causes: improper preflight procedure that would allow the tow bar to remain attached following tow out. Contributing factors: slightly tired. Slightly stressed. Dark. Very hot. In addition to taking into more careful consideration of tiredness and stress in the future, my flight preparation procedure will change as follows: after towing the aircraft to its start position, do not 'let go of' the tow bar. Remove and stow it immediately under all conditions. Updated my external preflight checklist to include as one of the last items, confirming that the tow bar has been removed and stowed properly. Add a 'mental' pre-takeoff checklist similar to the gump pre-landing checklist. My pre-takeoff checklist is NTSB for: 'north' nose trimmed for takeoff. 'T' tow bar detached and stowed. 'South' shoulder and seat belts fastened and secure. 'B' beacons, strobes and transponder on. Noting that the absence of any one of these can lead to a report to the NTSB.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C182 PLT DEPARTS WITH TOW BAR ATTACHED. SUBSEQUENT LNDG, AFTER AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION AFTER RETRACTION, WAS UNEVENTFUL EXCEPT FOR SPARKS RPTED BY THE TWR FROM THE TOW BAR DRAGGING ON THE GND. NO ACFT DAMAGE.

Narrative: FOLLOWING FSS WX BRIEFING, FILING AN IFR TRAINING FLT PLAN ESTIMATING A XA15 PDT DEP, PREFLT CHK AND ENG START, WITH PROPER CLRNCS, TAXIED AND TOOK OFF RWY 13L, BEGAN CLB ON A SID, TRIED TO RETRACT MY LNDG GEAR AND GOT A GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT (UPPER RED/LOWER GREEN), RECYCLED ONCE, STILL UNABLE TO RETRACT, EXTENDED LNDG GEAR, CONFIRMED DOWN AND LOCKED '3 IN THE GREEN' AS RPTED TO PSP ATC, CANCELED IFR FLT, AND REQUESTED RETURN TO THE ARPT. (MY FIRST REACTION TO THE GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT RELATED TO MY LNDG GEAR HYD PWR PACK WHICH I RECENTLY HAD OVERHAULED AND REINSTALLED JUN/SUN/00.) I WAS CLRED TO LAND RWY 31L. LANDED SAFELY. AFTER LNDG, THE TWR NOTED 'SPARKS FROM UNDER (YOUR) ACFT' AND REQUESTED THAT I TAXI WITH THEIR DIRECTION TO THE BASE OF THE TWR FOR REVIEW WITH BASE OPS TO 'CHK IT OUT.' AS SOON AS THE TWR RPTED 'SPARKS FROM UNDER (YOUR) ACFT,' I SUSPECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME WHAT (I THOUGHT) MIGHT BE THE PROB. ON STOPPING AT THE BASE OF THE TWR, SHUTTING DOWN AND CHKING, I HAD TAKEN OFF AND LANDED WITH MY TOW BAR ATTACHED TO MY NOSEWHEEL. THE ACFT HAD NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. EVEN THE TOW BAR WAS INTACT, WITH PAVEMENT 'BRUSH' MARKS ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE TOW BAR HANDLE. ON EXAMINATION, I CONCLUDED THAT THE TOW BAR HAD PREVENTED THE NOSEWHEEL FROM RETRACTING INTO THE WHEEL WELL, THUS CAUSING THE INFLT GEAR RETRACTION GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT. BECAUSE IT WAS DARK, I PREFLTED MY ACFT INSIDE THE LIGHTED HANGAR. I THEN ATTACHED THE TOW BAR (A SMALL UNIVERSAL UNIT THAT CAN BE SEPARATED INTO 2 PIECES TO CARRY ONBOARD) AND 'PULLED' THE ACFT OUT OF THE HANGAR. I PULLED THE ACFT OUT BTWN AND BEYOND 2 ROWS OF HANGARS, SO THAT THE NOSE WAS NOW ACTUALLY ONTO, AND POINTING TOWARDS, THE MAIN TAXI RAMP, SLIGHTLY DARKER AND WITH NO LIGHTS. I LAID THE TOW BAR DOWN. THE TOW BAR IS COLORED BLUE AND WASN'T THAT VISIBLE ON THE RAMP. NOTICING THIS, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT, AS I LAID IT DOWN, '...DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE AND STOW THE TOW BAR.' I USE THE TOW BAR NORMALLY TO SIMPLY PULL THE PLANE OUT AND A MOTORIZED TUG TO PUSH IT BACK INTO THE HANGAR. BEING ON A SLIGHT SLOPE, AND AFTER LAYING THE TOW BAR DOWN, I THEN MOVED INTO THE COCKPIT TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE SO THE PLANE WOULD NOT MOVE, BUT THEN STARTED ORGANIZING THE COCKPIT: MAPS/FLASHLIGHTS, ETC, IN THE DARK, AND SUBSEQUENTLY COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE TOW BAR UNTIL AFTER LNDG AND EXAMINING THE PROB. I FELT FINE, BUT ON REFLECTION, WAS PROBABLY TIRED AND PERHAPS A LITTLE DISTRACTED HAVING FINISHED JURY DUTY ABOUT 3 HRS EARLIER. THIS WAS ALSO MY FIRST 'NIGHT FLT' IN ABOUT 1 YR. IN ADDITION, THE HEAT (ON THE RAMP AND IN THE HANGAR - HOTTER) COMBINED WITH AN ENG START ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER MY SCHEDULED DEP, WERE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO A BIT OF 'HURRY UP.' THE NEXT DAY, I DID HAVE THE ACFT EXAMINED BY AN A&P MECH. I HAD THE ACFT JACKED UP AND THE GEAR CYCLED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONFIRM THAT THERE WAS NO HIDDEN DAMAGE IN ATTEMPTING TO RETRACT THE NOSE GEAR INFLT WITH A TOW BAR ATTACHED. THE GEAR CYCLED CORRECTLY, MULTIPLE TIMES. SUMMARY CAUSES: IMPROPER PREFLT PROC THAT WOULD ALLOW THE TOW BAR TO REMAIN ATTACHED FOLLOWING TOW OUT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SLIGHTLY TIRED. SLIGHTLY STRESSED. DARK. VERY HOT. IN ADDITION TO TAKING INTO MORE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF TIREDNESS AND STRESS IN THE FUTURE, MY FLT PREPARATION PROC WILL CHANGE AS FOLLOWS: AFTER TOWING THE ACFT TO ITS START POS, DO NOT 'LET GO OF' THE TOW BAR. REMOVE AND STOW IT IMMEDIATELY UNDER ALL CONDITIONS. UPDATED MY EXTERNAL PREFLT CHKLIST TO INCLUDE AS ONE OF THE LAST ITEMS, CONFIRMING THAT THE TOW BAR HAS BEEN REMOVED AND STOWED PROPERLY. ADD A 'MENTAL' PRE-TKOF CHKLIST SIMILAR TO THE GUMP PRE-LNDG CHKLIST. MY PRE-TKOF CHKLIST IS NTSB FOR: 'N' NOSE TRIMMED FOR TKOF. 'T' TOW BAR DETACHED AND STOWED. 'S' SHOULDER AND SEAT BELTS FASTENED AND SECURE. 'B' BEACONS, STROBES AND XPONDER ON. NOTING THAT THE ABSENCE OF ANY ONE OF THESE CAN LEAD TO A RPT TO THE NTSB.

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.