Incident Details
A Beech V35A aircraft, registration ZS-FZB, operated by an unknown operator (private flight), was involved in an incident on 20 January 2002 at 15:30Z. The event occurred on the runway at Babsfontein Aerodrome during the taxi phase. Weather conditions were fine. There were two persons on board (pilot and passenger). No injuries or fatalities were reported, and the aircraft damage was not stated.
Sequence of Events
The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, was taxiing the aircraft on the runway in preparation for take-off. During taxi, the aircraft's propeller struck and severed the tow-bar, which was still attached to the nose wheel of the aircraft. A portion of the tow-bar was propelled through the air and landed on the roof of a motor vehicle parked at a neighboring smallholding. The impact dented the vehicle's roof and slightly damaged the right-hand rear door.
Probable Cause
According to the official report, the probable cause of the incident was the pilot's failure to carry out a proper pre-flight inspection, which resulted in the failure to observe that the tow-bar was still attached to the nose wheel.