Narrative:

I had arrived early at the airport with the intention to fly south to olympia, wa, from renton. I had observed the WX before leaving home and it was slowly becoming clear VFR -- there was a lot of morning fog around, typical of the area. The passenger with me was an old friend of the family who was a retired airline pilot. I decided to do a thorough preflight of the aircraft since I anticipated that the WX would take some time to clear up. I noticed that the tires were low on air and I had less then 5 quarts of oil that are advised on long flts. I called the FBO who sent out a cart with an air compressor and the fuel truck with the fuel and oil I had requested. The preflight was already done by the time the people from the FBO arrived. Since the aircraft had fairings, it had to be rolled back and forth for the tire stems to be exposed for filling up the air. In order to facilitate this I installed a towbar which fit around the nosewheel and made it easy for one person to steer and move the aircraft. I then filled up the oil to the desired level and supervised the fuel truck, making sure it was the right fuel and that the fuel caps were secure. All this while I was talking to my passenger telling him what was going on, since he was not familiar with the GA operations in the united states. I then decided to go to a nearby club to ask about the procedure to depart renton to the south and to ask about the WX. On checking I found the WX had improved and decided to take off. On returning we approached the aircraft from the rear and boarded it. Since we had been gone only a few mins and I had done a thorough pre-flight I did not go around the airplane again. I taxied to the active, did my run-up, got assigned a squawk code to transition through seattle airspace and was cleared for takeoff uneventfully. I did not notice anything different or any odd noises during taxi, run-up or even on the takeoff. Renton tower approved my frequency change to seatac 'as soon as you cross south end of field.' the frequency change was made and I established contact with seatac tower. Seatac acknowledged, asked me to identify and almost immediately came back saying 'renton reports that you may have taken off with towbar attached.' my first response was 'oh my god!' since I realized that was indeed the case. I immediately called seatac back asking for permission to switch back to renton, which was given. I contacted renton and they immediately asked if I needed assistance. I said to them that I wanted to make a precautionary landing. They cleared all traffic and said that the runway was mine. I did an approach going downwind, and was talking calmly to the controller. I could hear him keeping traffic away. I set up a stabilized approach and was almost turning a high final when a more experienced controller seemed to take over. He asked me to do a low pass first by the tower to see if there was indeed a towbar hanging from the aircraft, it was only at this point I realized that it could be dangerous to people on the ground if the towbar fell off. So I approached over the lake. The controller guided me as I flew past the tower and advised me that the towbar was attached at a 45 degree angle. It was then that I realized that it was resting on the fairing. I made another approach, this time keeping a close in downwind. I landed with a nose high altitude and kept the nosewheel off the ground, as I rolled on the runway, the rollout was normal and I was slow enough to gently turn onto a taxiway, even though the controller said I could stop on the runway. I stopped on the taxiway, secured the aircraft. I got out and removed the tow and saw that there was no obvious damage. I started up the aircraft and taxied to parking, where I did a more extensive check of the nosewheel and saw that it was undamaged. We had been lucky. We could have landed with the towbar without anyone observing and had a serious accident. The things I did well were: 1) I kept calm and kept flying the aircraft, 2) I communicated with ATC and advised them of what I was doing, 3) I did nice, stable approachs and flew the aircraft to minimize anticipated damage as planned. The things I did not do well were: 1) I did not anticipate the worst. I did not have the doors open before landing as suggested by the pilot's manual and hadn't practiced in my mind what would happen if the aircraft nosed over, 2) I did not brief the passenger as well as I should have. Fortunately, this passenger was a pilot. He was encouraging and kept quiet and calm throughout. It would have been quite different with an inexperienced passenger, 3) I did not think, until ATC reminded me, of doing a tower flyby to confirm the position of the towbar. The lessons learned are: 1) no matter how thorough your preflight is, you can easily miss obvious things. Keep checking and rechking, 2) do not leave anytime between a preflight and takeoff, it is easy to do something and forget. If you have to, at least check vital items like tiedowns, towbars and obstructions. Have a 'last ditch' preflight checklist that you do every time, 3) do not talk to another person while doing your checks. Make sure your full focus is on actually doing the checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C150 PVT PLT WITH PAX TAKES OFF WITH HIS TOWBAR STILL ATTACHED AT RNT.

Narrative: I HAD ARRIVED EARLY AT THE ARPT WITH THE INTENTION TO FLY S TO OLYMPIA, WA, FROM RENTON. I HAD OBSERVED THE WX BEFORE LEAVING HOME AND IT WAS SLOWLY BECOMING CLR VFR -- THERE WAS A LOT OF MORNING FOG AROUND, TYPICAL OF THE AREA. THE PAX WITH ME WAS AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY WHO WAS A RETIRED AIRLINE PLT. I DECIDED TO DO A THOROUGH PREFLT OF THE ACFT SINCE I ANTICIPATED THAT THE WX WOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO CLR UP. I NOTICED THAT THE TIRES WERE LOW ON AIR AND I HAD LESS THEN 5 QUARTS OF OIL THAT ARE ADVISED ON LONG FLTS. I CALLED THE FBO WHO SENT OUT A CART WITH AN AIR COMPRESSOR AND THE FUEL TRUCK WITH THE FUEL AND OIL I HAD REQUESTED. THE PREFLT WAS ALREADY DONE BY THE TIME THE PEOPLE FROM THE FBO ARRIVED. SINCE THE ACFT HAD FAIRINGS, IT HAD TO BE ROLLED BACK AND FORTH FOR THE TIRE STEMS TO BE EXPOSED FOR FILLING UP THE AIR. IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THIS I INSTALLED A TOWBAR WHICH FIT AROUND THE NOSEWHEEL AND MADE IT EASY FOR ONE PERSON TO STEER AND MOVE THE ACFT. I THEN FILLED UP THE OIL TO THE DESIRED LEVEL AND SUPERVISED THE FUEL TRUCK, MAKING SURE IT WAS THE R FUEL AND THAT THE FUEL CAPS WERE SECURE. ALL THIS WHILE I WAS TALKING TO MY PAX TELLING HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON, SINCE HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE GA OPS IN THE UNITED STATES. I THEN DECIDED TO GO TO A NEARBY CLUB TO ASK ABOUT THE PROC TO DEPART RENTON TO THE S AND TO ASK ABOUT THE WX. ON CHKING I FOUND THE WX HAD IMPROVED AND DECIDED TO TAKE OFF. ON RETURNING WE APCHED THE ACFT FROM THE REAR AND BOARDED IT. SINCE WE HAD BEEN GONE ONLY A FEW MINS AND I HAD DONE A THOROUGH PRE-FLT I DID NOT GAR THE AIRPLANE AGAIN. I TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE, DID MY RUN-UP, GOT ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE TO TRANSITION THROUGH SEATTLE AIRSPACE AND WAS CLRED FOR TKOF UNEVENTFULLY. I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT OR ANY ODD NOISES DURING TAXI, RUN-UP OR EVEN ON THE TKOF. RENTON TWR APPROVED MY FREQ CHANGE TO SEATAC 'AS SOON AS YOU CROSS S END OF FIELD.' THE FREQ CHANGE WAS MADE AND I ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH SEATAC TWR. SEATAC ACKNOWLEDGED, ASKED ME TO IDENT AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK SAYING 'RENTON RPTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE TAKEN OFF WITH TOWBAR ATTACHED.' MY FIRST RESPONSE WAS 'OH MY GOD!' SINCE I REALIZED THAT WAS INDEED THE CASE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED SEATAC BACK ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO SWITCH BACK TO RENTON, WHICH WAS GIVEN. I CONTACTED RENTON AND THEY IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF I NEEDED ASSISTANCE. I SAID TO THEM THAT I WANTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. THEY CLRED ALL TFC AND SAID THAT THE RWY WAS MINE. I DID AN APCH GOING DOWNWIND, AND WAS TALKING CALMLY TO THE CTLR. I COULD HEAR HIM KEEPING TFC AWAY. I SET UP A STABILIZED APCH AND WAS ALMOST TURNING A HIGH FINAL WHEN A MORE EXPERIENCED CTLR SEEMED TO TAKE OVER. HE ASKED ME TO DO A LOW PASS FIRST BY THE TWR TO SEE IF THERE WAS INDEED A TOWBAR HANGING FROM THE ACFT, IT WAS ONLY AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THAT IT COULD BE DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE ON THE GND IF THE TOWBAR FELL OFF. SO I APCHED OVER THE LAKE. THE CTLR GUIDED ME AS I FLEW PAST THE TWR AND ADVISED ME THAT THE TOWBAR WAS ATTACHED AT A 45 DEG ANGLE. IT WAS THEN THAT I REALIZED THAT IT WAS RESTING ON THE FAIRING. I MADE ANOTHER APCH, THIS TIME KEEPING A CLOSE IN DOWNWIND. I LANDED WITH A NOSE HIGH ALT AND KEPT THE NOSEWHEEL OFF THE GND, AS I ROLLED ON THE RWY, THE ROLLOUT WAS NORMAL AND I WAS SLOW ENOUGH TO GENTLY TURN ONTO A TXWY, EVEN THOUGH THE CTLR SAID I COULD STOP ON THE RWY. I STOPPED ON THE TXWY, SECURED THE ACFT. I GOT OUT AND REMOVED THE TOW AND SAW THAT THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE. I STARTED UP THE ACFT AND TAXIED TO PARKING, WHERE I DID A MORE EXTENSIVE CHK OF THE NOSEWHEEL AND SAW THAT IT WAS UNDAMAGED. WE HAD BEEN LUCKY. WE COULD HAVE LANDED WITH THE TOWBAR WITHOUT ANYONE OBSERVING AND HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE THINGS I DID WELL WERE: 1) I KEPT CALM AND KEPT FLYING THE ACFT, 2) I COMMUNICATED WITH ATC AND ADVISED THEM OF WHAT I WAS DOING, 3) I DID NICE, STABLE APCHS AND FLEW THE ACFT TO MINIMIZE ANTICIPATED DAMAGE AS PLANNED. THE THINGS I DID NOT DO WELL WERE: 1) I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE WORST. I DID NOT HAVE THE DOORS OPEN BEFORE LNDG AS SUGGESTED BY THE PLT'S MANUAL AND HADN'T PRACTICED IN MY MIND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE ACFT NOSED OVER, 2) I DID NOT BRIEF THE PAX AS WELL AS I SHOULD HAVE. FORTUNATELY, THIS PAX WAS A PLT. HE WAS ENCOURAGING AND KEPT QUIET AND CALM THROUGHOUT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE DIFFERENT WITH AN INEXPERIENCED PAX, 3) I DID NOT THINK, UNTIL ATC REMINDED ME, OF DOING A TWR FLYBY TO CONFIRM THE POS OF THE TOWBAR. THE LESSONS LEARNED ARE: 1) NO MATTER HOW THOROUGH YOUR PREFLT IS, YOU CAN EASILY MISS OBVIOUS THINGS. KEEP CHKING AND RECHKING, 2) DO NOT LEAVE ANYTIME BTWN A PREFLT AND TKOF, IT IS EASY TO DO SOMETHING AND FORGET. IF YOU HAVE TO, AT LEAST CHK VITAL ITEMS LIKE TIEDOWNS, TOWBARS AND OBSTRUCTIONS. HAVE A 'LAST DITCH' PREFLT CHKLIST THAT YOU DO EVERY TIME, 3) DO NOT TALK TO ANOTHER PERSON WHILE DOING YOUR CHKS. MAKE SURE YOUR FULL FOCUS IS ON ACTUALLY DOING THE CHKLIST.

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.