Narrative:

I was dispatched on a flight routed to multiple airports. After landing at ZZZ2, I was turning around to taxi back to the ramp. I did not turn sharply enough and sunk my left main gear into the mud on the shoulder of the runway. Even with the help of a half dozen guys, I could not get the plane unstuck. I decided to use the runway maintenance tractor to pull it out. Before doing so, I went into town and called maintenance to get some guidance as to how to proceed. When I returned to the plane, I found that the people who had been helping me had taken it upon themselves to go ahead with using the tractor to pull out the aircraft. While I was not present and without my knowledge, they had attached the tractor to the tail tie-down and had pulled it off the aircraft. We then proceeded in the manner in which I had been advised by maintenance and were able to pull the aircraft back onto the center of the runway without further incident. Upon examination of the aircraft, I made the judgement that it was safe to fly. I reasoned that the tail tie-down was not an integral part of the airframe load-bearing structure. I then flew the airplane back to ZZZ without any freight or passenger. When I returned, I was informed by one of our mechanics that the tail tie-down was, in fact, connected directly to the load-bearing structure of the airframe and that I should have contacted maintenance before I flew it. Lessons learned: 1) this incident occurred at the end of a 30-day rotation period. I believe that pilot fatigue clouded my judgement. 2) as a pilot without an a&P certificate, I should not have assumed that I knew enough about the structure of the aircraft to make such a judgement.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C208 WAS FLOWN WITH A MISSING TAIL TIEDOWN FIXTURE PULLED OFF BY A TOW TUG. ACFT MAY HAVE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

Narrative: I WAS DISPATCHED ON A FLT ROUTED TO MULTIPLE ARPTS. AFTER LNDG AT ZZZ2, I WAS TURNING AROUND TO TAXI BACK TO THE RAMP. I DID NOT TURN SHARPLY ENOUGH AND SUNK MY L MAIN GEAR INTO THE MUD ON THE SHOULDER OF THE RWY. EVEN WITH THE HELP OF A HALF DOZEN GUYS, I COULD NOT GET THE PLANE UNSTUCK. I DECIDED TO USE THE RWY MAINT TRACTOR TO PULL IT OUT. BEFORE DOING SO, I WENT INTO TOWN AND CALLED MAINT TO GET SOME GUIDANCE AS TO HOW TO PROCEED. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE PLANE, I FOUND THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN HELPING ME HAD TAKEN IT UPON THEMSELVES TO GO AHEAD WITH USING THE TRACTOR TO PULL OUT THE ACFT. WHILE I WAS NOT PRESENT AND WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE, THEY HAD ATTACHED THE TRACTOR TO THE TAIL TIE-DOWN AND HAD PULLED IT OFF THE ACFT. WE THEN PROCEEDED IN THE MANNER IN WHICH I HAD BEEN ADVISED BY MAINT AND WERE ABLE TO PULL THE ACFT BACK ONTO THE CTR OF THE RWY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT, I MADE THE JUDGEMENT THAT IT WAS SAFE TO FLY. I REASONED THAT THE TAIL TIE-DOWN WAS NOT AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE AIRFRAME LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURE. I THEN FLEW THE AIRPLANE BACK TO ZZZ WITHOUT ANY FREIGHT OR PAX. WHEN I RETURNED, I WAS INFORMED BY ONE OF OUR MECHS THAT THE TAIL TIE-DOWN WAS, IN FACT, CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO THE LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURE OF THE AIRFRAME AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED MAINT BEFORE I FLEW IT. LESSONS LEARNED: 1) THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF A 30-DAY ROTATION PERIOD. I BELIEVE THAT PLT FATIGUE CLOUDED MY JUDGEMENT. 2) AS A PLT WITHOUT AN A&P CERTIFICATE, I SHOULD NOT HAVE ASSUMED THAT I KNEW ENOUGH ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE ACFT TO MAKE SUCH A JUDGEMENT.

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.