Incident Overview
On 28 August 2021, at 1120 UTC, a Reims Cessna F172N (registration G-BGIY) operated a private flight from Glasgow Airport with one pilot and two passengers. The aircraft departed with a towbar attached to its nosewheel, a condition that went unnoticed until after takeoff.
Flight History
The pilot arrived at the aircraft and noted that a towbar used for maneuvering on the apron remained attached. He intended to remove it as the last step of his walk-around inspection, but while performing the check, he became engaged in answering a question from one of the passengers and did not carry out the removal. The aircraft departed Runway 23 for a local flight. The pilot reported no abnormal sensations during the flight. While returning to Runway 23, air traffic control relayed a message from an airport operations vehicle indicating that something was attached to the nosewheel. The pilot immediately realized it was the towbar, landed slowly, vacated the runway, and stopped to remove it. Neither the aircraft nor the towbar sustained damage.
Pilot Experience and Aircraft Details
The aircraft was a 1979 Reims Cessna F172N with a single Lycoming O-320-H2AD piston engine. The pilot, aged 53, held a Private Pilot’s Licence and had 564 total flying hours, with 451 hours on the type. His recent experience included 26 hours in the last 90 days and 8 hours in the last 28 days. The flight was an introductory tour for passengers.
Previous Similar Event
The AAIB referenced a previous incident on 7 August 2019, when a Cessna P210N departed Southend Airport with a towbar attached. That investigation found the pilot had been distracted by a stressful event earlier in the day. In response, the CAA promoted increased visibility of ground equipment in general aviation.
Operator Actions and Safety Recommendations
Following this event, the operator implemented several measures. It required that anyone using a towbar must keep their hand placed on it continuously while attached, only releasing it once the towbar is completely removed. Towbars, already painted bright red, received reflective tape for enhanced conspicuity. Members were also required to attend an in-house safety seminar to learn from the incident.
Relevant Guidance and Procedures
The CAA’s Safety Sense Leaflet 02 recommends leaving passengers in a safe place, such as an aerodrome clubhouse, while performing pre-flight inspections or refueling. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) describes sterile flight deck procedures as periods when flight crew shall not be disturbed except for critical matters. The ‘Notice, Understand and Think Ahead’ (NUTA) tool categorizes levels of situation awareness. The pilot demonstrated noticing and understanding the threat of the towbar and passenger distraction, but did not achieve the ‘thinking ahead’ level that could have prevented the error.
Conclusion
The pilot did not remove the towbar before departure after becoming engaged in helping a passenger during the aircraft walk-around. The incident highlights the value of threat and error management techniques related to ground procedures and passenger management, as stated in the official report.