Narrative:

Sometime on aug/sun/92 a television antenna sitting on top of a telephone pole structure in the yard of a house owned by mr. X of belgrade, mt, was hit by an unknown object and thrown at the airport boundary fence approximately 100 ft away. I know of no witnesses to the event, nor does mr. X with whom I subsequently discussed the event -- but it is his assumption that the antenna must have been hit by a glider tow rope. The only apparent damage to anything was to the antenna. Mr. X contacted the gallatin field (bzn) airport manager and was instructed to contact the sheriff's department and fill out a report, which he did. The incident was subsequently reported in the local newspaper. I work as a sometimes glider tow pilot at gallatin and other airports in the vicinity of bozeman. On sun, I was towing gliders from gallatin field. The routine was to takeoff using runway 3, circle the field once to gain altitude, then depart to the bridger mountains approximately 10 mi to the northeast and, after release of the glider, to return to the field for landing on runway 21 (traffic permitting), and to taxi to the beginning of runway 3 and prepare to tow another glider. I was the pilot and only occupant of small aircraft used by me on sun to tow gliders. There are other tow planes operating from gallatin field, using a similar protocol. During my glider towing operations on sun, I followed the above general plan and since the majority of traffic was using runway 30 for their non-glider activities, I would enter a left base pattern for runway 21, announcing my position to bzn radio and turn onto a short final for runway 21 and land. During 1 of the 4 approachs to landing on sun, I do recall the very slight sensation of a tug on the tow rope, but thought only that the rope had touched the airport fence or runway 21 during the approach, and made nothing further of the matter. I routinely personally check my tow rope after each tow for the integrity of the weak links on each end, and for any possible rope damage sustained during the preceding tow, and at no time on sun did I ever find any sign of rope or weak link damage. I returned to gallatin field on aug/tue/92 and was eventually informed of the television antenna event and of the newspaper article and that the FAA was on the field for an unrelated matter (not explained to me), but that they were also looking into this event with airport personnel. It was then and only then that I became aware that the slight tug that I appreciated during one of my lndgs on runway 21 might have been associated with the antenna damage. I discussed the situation with other pilots whom I respect, and came to the conclusion that I would go see mr. X, explain the above situation, and try to make things right with him. Accordingly at about XY00 pm on tue, I drove my car to mr X's residence, met with him and his wife. He demonstrated the damage to me, explained his theory as to what had happened. I indicated that I was one of the working tow pilots on sun and that I had been landing on runway 21, and that although I did not know for certain that I was involved in his antenna damage, that I was willing to apologize on behalf of the tow pilots and I personally offered him money for his damages. We agreed on an amount of $100.00, shook hands, and he expressed joy at meeting an honest man, and that his son had always wanted to learn to fly a glider, and that he loved living so close to the airport with all its various kinds of aviation activity -- which includes: radio-controled model airplanes, skydivers, pwred hang gliders, hot air balloons, antique airplanes, agricultural operations, student activity, commercial operations, glider operations, and scheduled jet carriers.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TELEVISION ANTENNA KNOCKED OFF POLE DURING APCH LNDG PROC OF GLIDER TOW ACFT.

Narrative: SOMETIME ON AUG/SUN/92 A TELEVISION ANTENNA SITTING ON TOP OF A TELEPHONE POLE STRUCTURE IN THE YARD OF A HOUSE OWNED BY MR. X OF BELGRADE, MT, WAS HIT BY AN UNKNOWN OBJECT AND THROWN AT THE ARPT BOUNDARY FENCE APPROX 100 FT AWAY. I KNOW OF NO WITNESSES TO THE EVENT, NOR DOES MR. X WITH WHOM I SUBSEQUENTLY DISCUSSED THE EVENT -- BUT IT IS HIS ASSUMPTION THAT THE ANTENNA MUST HAVE BEEN HIT BY A GLIDER TOW ROPE. THE ONLY APPARENT DAMAGE TO ANYTHING WAS TO THE ANTENNA. MR. X CONTACTED THE GALLATIN FIELD (BZN) ARPT MGR AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE SHERIFF'S DEPT AND FILL OUT A RPT, WHICH HE DID. THE INCIDENT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RPTED IN THE LCL NEWSPAPER. I WORK AS A SOMETIMES GLIDER TOW PLT AT GALLATIN AND OTHER ARPTS IN THE VICINITY OF BOZEMAN. ON SUN, I WAS TOWING GLIDERS FROM GALLATIN FIELD. THE ROUTINE WAS TO TKOF USING RWY 3, CIRCLE THE FIELD ONCE TO GAIN ALT, THEN DEPART TO THE BRIDGER MOUNTAINS APPROX 10 MI TO THE NE AND, AFTER RELEASE OF THE GLIDER, TO RETURN TO THE FIELD FOR LNDG ON RWY 21 (TFC PERMITTING), AND TO TAXI TO THE BEGINNING OF RWY 3 AND PREPARE TO TOW ANOTHER GLIDER. I WAS THE PLT AND ONLY OCCUPANT OF SMA USED BY ME ON SUN TO TOW GLIDERS. THERE ARE OTHER TOW PLANES OPERATING FROM GALLATIN FIELD, USING A SIMILAR PROTOCOL. DURING MY GLIDER TOWING OPS ON SUN, I FOLLOWED THE ABOVE GENERAL PLAN AND SINCE THE MAJORITY OF TFC WAS USING RWY 30 FOR THEIR NON-GLIDER ACTIVITIES, I WOULD ENTER A L BASE PATTERN FOR RWY 21, ANNOUNCING MY POS TO BZN RADIO AND TURN ONTO A SHORT FINAL FOR RWY 21 AND LAND. DURING 1 OF THE 4 APCHS TO LNDG ON SUN, I DO RECALL THE VERY SLIGHT SENSATION OF A TUG ON THE TOW ROPE, BUT THOUGHT ONLY THAT THE ROPE HAD TOUCHED THE ARPT FENCE OR RWY 21 DURING THE APCH, AND MADE NOTHING FURTHER OF THE MATTER. I ROUTINELY PERSONALLY CHK MY TOW ROPE AFTER EACH TOW FOR THE INTEGRITY OF THE WEAK LINKS ON EACH END, AND FOR ANY POSSIBLE ROPE DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE PRECEDING TOW, AND AT NO TIME ON SUN DID I EVER FIND ANY SIGN OF ROPE OR WEAK LINK DAMAGE. I RETURNED TO GALLATIN FIELD ON AUG/TUE/92 AND WAS EVENTUALLY INFORMED OF THE TELEVISION ANTENNA EVENT AND OF THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE AND THAT THE FAA WAS ON THE FIELD FOR AN UNRELATED MATTER (NOT EXPLAINED TO ME), BUT THAT THEY WERE ALSO LOOKING INTO THIS EVENT WITH ARPT PERSONNEL. IT WAS THEN AND ONLY THEN THAT I BECAME AWARE THAT THE SLIGHT TUG THAT I APPRECIATED DURING ONE OF MY LNDGS ON RWY 21 MIGHT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE ANTENNA DAMAGE. I DISCUSSED THE SITUATION WITH OTHER PLTS WHOM I RESPECT, AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I WOULD GO SEE MR. X, EXPLAIN THE ABOVE SITUATION, AND TRY TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH HIM. ACCORDINGLY AT ABOUT XY00 PM ON TUE, I DROVE MY CAR TO MR X'S RESIDENCE, MET WITH HIM AND HIS WIFE. HE DEMONSTRATED THE DAMAGE TO ME, EXPLAINED HIS THEORY AS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I INDICATED THAT I WAS ONE OF THE WORKING TOW PLTS ON SUN AND THAT I HAD BEEN LNDG ON RWY 21, AND THAT ALTHOUGH I DID NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN HIS ANTENNA DAMAGE, THAT I WAS WILLING TO APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF THE TOW PLTS AND I PERSONALLY OFFERED HIM MONEY FOR HIS DAMAGES. WE AGREED ON AN AMOUNT OF $100.00, SHOOK HANDS, AND HE EXPRESSED JOY AT MEETING AN HONEST MAN, AND THAT HIS SON HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN TO FLY A GLIDER, AND THAT HE LOVED LIVING SO CLOSE TO THE ARPT WITH ALL ITS VARIOUS KINDS OF AVIATION ACTIVITY -- WHICH INCLUDES: RADIO-CTLED MODEL AIRPLANES, SKYDIVERS, PWRED HANG GLIDERS, HOT AIR BALLOONS, ANTIQUE AIRPLANES, AGRICULTURAL OPS, STUDENT ACTIVITY, COMMERCIAL OPS, GLIDER OPS, AND SCHEDULED JET CARRIERS.

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.