Narrative:

Starting about XA20 hours; I flew for almost 3 hours. We landed; took a short break and got full fuel. Just as I was signing the fuel receipt; they called for us to take off. We departed and flew again for about 2 hours. We returned to the office. I taxied to the east side of the hangar and parked. I got out and was going to push the aircraft back out of the way of the helicopter taxi route. I attached the tow bar. The 2 detectives with me were still unloading from the aircraft. I waited for them to finish unloading. We got called to take off again. I ran into the hangar to use the bathroom. After using the bathroom; I hurried out the east door and walked around the front of the airplane. The aircraft was facing southeast; which put the front of the aircraft in the shadow of the only light on that side of the hangar. I got in the left side; and the 2 detectives got into the airplane on the right side. They did not do any walkaround. Once everyone was back in with seatbelts on; I started the aircraft. I pulled forward onto the ramp; and did a run-up. I called ground for a taxi to runway 28R. He cleared me to taxi; but offered runway 10L because winds were about 4 KTS from the south. I accepted his offer and taxied to runway 10L. I switched to tower and we were cleared for takeoff. I applied full throttle and everything felt normal. As we rotated; I heard a thump and felt the same in the rudder pedals. As we climbed out; everything felt fine. I advised the tower of what just happened. He acknowledged my traffic and offered whatever assistance I needed. I asked to do a fly-by on the tower to check my nose gear. He said he would do that. I made several passes on the tower. The tower controller used a light to try and see the nose gear. On about the third pass; he said it looked like something was hanging from the nose gear; 'like a t-bar.' I then realized I had attached the tow bar and didn't remove it before we departed. I advised I knew what the problem was; and told the tower I was inbound to land and would land long on runway 28R. I made my approach to runway 28R and landed long. I used full flaps (40 degrees) and used the soft field technique. I felt; through the pedals; the tow bar drag on the ground when the nose gear came down. When the tow bar touched the ground; it dragged behind the nose gear. I taxied to the office and parked the airplane on the east side of the hangar. We found the tow bar behind the nose gear. The bar was slightly bent. We found some small nicks in the propeller and a scrape on the belly; aft of the nose gear. This incident could have been prevented by a complete walkaround before the departure.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A C182 PILOT TOOK OFF WITH THE TOW BAR STILL ATTACHED.

Narrative: STARTING ABOUT XA20 HRS; I FLEW FOR ALMOST 3 HRS. WE LANDED; TOOK A SHORT BREAK AND GOT FULL FUEL. JUST AS I WAS SIGNING THE FUEL RECEIPT; THEY CALLED FOR US TO TAKE OFF. WE DEPARTED AND FLEW AGAIN FOR ABOUT 2 HRS. WE RETURNED TO THE OFFICE. I TAXIED TO THE E SIDE OF THE HANGAR AND PARKED. I GOT OUT AND WAS GOING TO PUSH THE ACFT BACK OUT OF THE WAY OF THE HELI TAXI RTE. I ATTACHED THE TOW BAR. THE 2 DETECTIVES WITH ME WERE STILL UNLOADING FROM THE ACFT. I WAITED FOR THEM TO FINISH UNLOADING. WE GOT CALLED TO TAKE OFF AGAIN. I RAN INTO THE HANGAR TO USE THE BATHROOM. AFTER USING THE BATHROOM; I HURRIED OUT THE E DOOR AND WALKED AROUND THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE. THE ACFT WAS FACING SE; WHICH PUT THE FRONT OF THE ACFT IN THE SHADOW OF THE ONLY LIGHT ON THAT SIDE OF THE HANGAR. I GOT IN THE L SIDE; AND THE 2 DETECTIVES GOT INTO THE AIRPLANE ON THE R SIDE. THEY DID NOT DO ANY WALKAROUND. ONCE EVERYONE WAS BACK IN WITH SEATBELTS ON; I STARTED THE ACFT. I PULLED FORWARD ONTO THE RAMP; AND DID A RUN-UP. I CALLED GND FOR A TAXI TO RWY 28R. HE CLRED ME TO TAXI; BUT OFFERED RWY 10L BECAUSE WINDS WERE ABOUT 4 KTS FROM THE S. I ACCEPTED HIS OFFER AND TAXIED TO RWY 10L. I SWITCHED TO TWR AND WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF. I APPLIED FULL THROTTLE AND EVERYTHING FELT NORMAL. AS WE ROTATED; I HEARD A THUMP AND FELT THE SAME IN THE RUDDER PEDALS. AS WE CLBED OUT; EVERYTHING FELT FINE. I ADVISED THE TWR OF WHAT JUST HAPPENED. HE ACKNOWLEDGED MY TFC AND OFFERED WHATEVER ASSISTANCE I NEEDED. I ASKED TO DO A FLY-BY ON THE TWR TO CHK MY NOSE GEAR. HE SAID HE WOULD DO THAT. I MADE SEVERAL PASSES ON THE TWR. THE TWR CTLR USED A LIGHT TO TRY AND SEE THE NOSE GEAR. ON ABOUT THE THIRD PASS; HE SAID IT LOOKED LIKE SOMETHING WAS HANGING FROM THE NOSE GEAR; 'LIKE A T-BAR.' I THEN REALIZED I HAD ATTACHED THE TOW BAR AND DIDN'T REMOVE IT BEFORE WE DEPARTED. I ADVISED I KNEW WHAT THE PROB WAS; AND TOLD THE TWR I WAS INBOUND TO LAND AND WOULD LAND LONG ON RWY 28R. I MADE MY APCH TO RWY 28R AND LANDED LONG. I USED FULL FLAPS (40 DEGS) AND USED THE SOFT FIELD TECHNIQUE. I FELT; THROUGH THE PEDALS; THE TOW BAR DRAG ON THE GND WHEN THE NOSE GEAR CAME DOWN. WHEN THE TOW BAR TOUCHED THE GND; IT DRAGGED BEHIND THE NOSE GEAR. I TAXIED TO THE OFFICE AND PARKED THE AIRPLANE ON THE E SIDE OF THE HANGAR. WE FOUND THE TOW BAR BEHIND THE NOSE GEAR. THE BAR WAS SLIGHTLY BENT. WE FOUND SOME SMALL NICKS IN THE PROP AND A SCRAPE ON THE BELLY; AFT OF THE NOSE GEAR. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY A COMPLETE WALKAROUND BEFORE THE DEP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.