The pilot moved the Piper PA32R out of the hangar at the airport in Kimberling City, Missouri, using a tow bar and his personal vehicle.
He told investigators he did not remove the tow bar from the airplane.
The pilot and passenger then departed on a cross-country flight. Witnesses at the airport notified the pilot by radio that the tow bar was still attached.
The pilot then entered the traffic pattern to land at the airport.
During the approach, the tow bar, which was hanging from the airplane’s nose wheel, hit and got entangled in trees. The airplane then hit the ground.
A post-crash fire ensued and destroyed the airplane. Both the pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries.
The pilot added that he did not know why he got so low on the approach to the airport.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in his inadvertent departure with the tow bar connected to the nose wheel, and the low approach while returning to the airport, which allowed the tow bar to contact trees.
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This October 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Amazing how easy to not use a checklist!! I watched a twin commuter get a stick shaker on approach the first officer was flying. The captain took over and promptly pulled back in the yoke! Then the first officer took OFF the flaps a stall commenced and the last words from the captain were, “we’re going down “….very BASIC early on training ignored, all 49 on board killed….tragic and so unnecessary! Remember stalls and so easy to avoid by nose down and full power!! Use your checklist too!!
Just think that these people will be flying in cars shortly.
The original poster’s thoughts about pilots and their origins is off-base. It sounds like he/she has some personal issues to deal with. With regard to tow bars we are usually taught some methods to avoid the forgotten towbar problem. My own is to never let go of the towbar when attached to the airplane.
The amount of people we let fly is amazing. The idea that anyone would be dumb enough to taxi/take off without noticing the aerodynamic/sound effects of a 4 ft long metal pole bouncing against the aircraft is unbelievable; but so many pilots are only pilots because they love aviation and spent a lot of time in a simulator at a young age. Combine that with a little of daddy/mommy money and you have a generation of idiots that think they are fly boys, when in reality they couldn’t fly a paper airplane to the trash bin. The real kicker of it all, the part that really drives the point into the ground (in this case flies the point into the ground), is the fact that this IDIOT knew a tow bar was hanging from the aircraft yet still flew a low approach. Where do we submit recommendations for the Darwin Award?? I hope once he recovers he reads this, he probably will. Don’t ever get in or anywhere near an aircraft again!
Yes all of the above and as an A&P the weight and balance had to be effected with a variable nose down attitude. This had to be one of the all time most preventable mishaps ever!
The pilot was 73 years old… I doubt he learned on a simulator.
Get off my lawn!
While in school at UVa I worked Saturdays as a line guy at CHO. The Flight School had a satellite operation where they kept a couple of aircraft. One nice day when there was a considerable crowd at the fence watching the planes takeoff and land, an instructor from the satellite field flew in to take care of some business in the office. He stepped out in front of all the onlookers in his white shirt and tie, his RayBan Aviator sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight, and strode proudly into the office. While he was inside, one of the other instructors tied down the tail of the Cherokee. I’m sure you can imagine the scene when he strutted back out to the plane, hopped in, started the engine, and attempted to taxi! 50 years later I still chuckle when I think about it. Funny as it was at the time, it does drive home the point that if you don’t do anything else before attempting a flight, at least walk around the plane from a distance looking for obvious things like tie downs, chocks, missing fuel caps, pitot covers, etc. Could save you an embarrassment , or even your life.
Back in the 70s when I was a fledgling instructor, one of my fellow instructors acquired the moniker “Tow Bar Brown” when he and a student departed in a 172 with a standard Cessna tow bar attached. There was some minor damage to the airplane when they landed, and lasting damage to his ego—for weeks afterwards, every time he taxied out, someone would call him on the radio and ask if he’d removed the tow bar.
I worked at an FBO where a ” pilot” landed a high Tim e PA 28 R . To save time.for the next morning departure the line guy tied the plane down and left the bright red rowboat attached
The pilot took off and retracted the gear. The nosewheel jammed in the wheelwell.
The FBO bought and paid for a new firewall forward repair. Engine, prop, paint and labor.
The pilot’s CFI was now an FAA INSPECTOR who justappened to be assigned to the WICHITA FAA Office.. He was the investigator..
No preflight obviously. The. ” pilot’s” walk around and oil check had to involve falling down on the bright red 10 foot long steel tow bar. The FBO. paid at least $40000 for engine, prop, everything including the firewall.