What happened
On October 22, 2001, a Socata MS 880B Rallye, registered F-BUZG, was involved in an incident during a local instructional flight at Bar-le-Duc aerodrome. The flight, involving an instructor and a student pilot, began with the aircraft being moved from a hangar using a tow bar. Following engine start and taxiing, the aircraft departed on runway 24.
During a subsequent touch-and-go maneuver, while the aircraft was taxiing on the unpaved runway, the instructor heard a metallic noise and felt an impact. The instructor immediately interrupted the go-around sequence initiated by the student. Upon bringing the aircraft to a halt and shutting down the engine, the crew discovered that the tip of one propeller blade had been bent by approximately ten centimeters. Investigation of the nose gear revealed that the tow bar attachment system was still connected to the nose wheel, and the propeller had struck and severed the bar at its base. The severed portion of the bar was later recovered from the runway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the failure to remove the ground equipment. It was established that the student pilot performed the pre-flight inspection inside the hangar. The instructor noted that he boarded the aircraft under the assumption that the student had already removed the tow bar, given the student's level of progress.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was an incomplete pre-flight inspection.
- There was insufficient supervision of the pre-flight inspection by the instructor.
- The tow bar remained attached to the aircraft during the takeoff roll and subsequent maneuvers.