What happened
On 18 December 2001, a Cessna 310R, registration G-RODD, was involved in an accident during a private flight at Marshland Airfield. Earlier that day, the aircraft had been moved from its hangar to a concrete apron by airfield personnel. During this process, the towbar was left connected to the aircraft, and the nose wheel was positioned on the grass.
While performing pre-flight checks, the pilot paused to answer a mobile phone call inside the cockpit. Following this interruption, the pilot decided to proceed with a visual circuit despite the original flight plan being cancelled. During the takeoff roll on Runway 03, the aircraft reached a speed of approximately 30 mph when it began swinging toward the left. Despite applying full power, the pilot could not maintain directional control with the rudder. In an attempt to stop the deviation, the pilot reduced throttle and applied the right brake. This caused the aircraft to veer off the runway, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear and bringing the aircraft to a stop in a nearby ploughed field.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the loss of control. It was established that the pilot had not completed the full external inspection of the aircraft because he had entered the cockpit to attend to a telephone call. Consequently, the pilot was unaware that the towbar remained attached to the nose gear. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was being operated using engine power for directional control during the short taxi from the apron to the runway.