Incident Overview
On 26 December 2005 at 1415 UTC, a Beech C23 Sundowner, registration G-BASN, was involved in an incident at Aldergrove Airport, Northern Ireland. The aircraft was on a private flight with a single pilot and no passengers. The pilot held a Private Pilot's Licence and had 315 hours of total flight experience, all on type, with no flying in the previous 90 days.
Occurrence Details
During takeoff from Runway 25, the airport's Air Traffic Control Officer observed an object dangling from the aircraft's tail. The object was later identified as a car tyre filled with concrete, which had been used as a tie-down weight for the aircraft on the ground. The pilot was informed of the situation and completed a normal circuit before landing safely. After landing, the aircraft was taxied clear of the runway. The pilot then shut down the engine and removed the tie-down weight. A runway inspection was conducted prior to further use.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported that during the pre-flight inspection, he had removed the tie-down weights attached to the wings but had failed to notice the tie-down weight attached to the tail. No injuries were sustained by the crew, and no damage occurred to the aircraft.
Probable Cause
The pilot failed to notice the tail tie-down weight during pre-flight inspection.