C182 PLT DEPARTS WITH TOW BAR ATTACHED. SUBSEQUENT LNDG; AFTER AN UNSAFE GEAR INDICATION AFTER RETRACTION; WAS UNEVENTFUL EXCEPT FOR SPARKS RPTED BY THE TWR FROM THE TOW BAR DRAGGING ON THE GND. NO ACFT DAMAGE.

Narrative

FOLLOWING FSS WX BRIEFING; FILING AN IFR TRAINING FLT PLAN ESTIMATING A XA15 PDT DEP; PREFLT CHK AND ENG START; WITH PROPER CLRNCS; TAXIED AND TOOK OFF RWY 13L; BEGAN CLB ON A SID; TRIED TO RETRACT MY LNDG GEAR AND GOT A GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT (UPPER RED/LOWER GREEN); RECYCLED ONCE; STILL UNABLE TO RETRACT; EXTENDED LNDG GEAR; CONFIRMED DOWN AND LOCKED '3 IN THE GREEN' AS RPTED TO PSP ATC; CANCELED IFR FLT; AND REQUESTED RETURN TO THE ARPT. (MY FIRST REACTION TO THE GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT RELATED TO MY LNDG GEAR HYD PWR PACK WHICH I RECENTLY HAD OVERHAULED AND REINSTALLED JUN/SUN/00.) I WAS CLRED TO LAND RWY 31L. LANDED SAFELY. AFTER LNDG; THE TWR NOTED 'SPARKS FROM UNDER (YOUR) ACFT' AND REQUESTED THAT I TAXI WITH THEIR DIRECTION TO THE BASE OF THE TWR FOR REVIEW WITH BASE OPS TO 'CHK IT OUT.' AS SOON AS THE TWR RPTED 'SPARKS FROM UNDER (YOUR) ACFT;' I SUSPECTED FOR THE FIRST TIME WHAT (I THOUGHT) MIGHT BE THE PROB. ON STOPPING AT THE BASE OF THE TWR; SHUTTING DOWN AND CHKING; I HAD TAKEN OFF AND LANDED WITH MY TOW BAR ATTACHED TO MY NOSEWHEEL. THE ACFT HAD NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. EVEN THE TOW BAR WAS INTACT; WITH PAVEMENT 'BRUSH' MARKS ON THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE TOW BAR HANDLE. ON EXAMINATION; I CONCLUDED THAT THE TOW BAR HAD PREVENTED THE NOSEWHEEL FROM RETRACTING INTO THE WHEEL WELL; THUS CAUSING THE INFLT GEAR RETRACTION GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT. BECAUSE IT WAS DARK; I PREFLTED MY ACFT INSIDE THE LIGHTED HANGAR. I THEN ATTACHED THE TOW BAR (A SMALL UNIVERSAL UNIT THAT CAN BE SEPARATED INTO 2 PIECES TO CARRY ONBOARD) AND 'PULLED' THE ACFT OUT OF THE HANGAR. I PULLED THE ACFT OUT BTWN AND BEYOND 2 ROWS OF HANGARS; SO THAT THE NOSE WAS NOW ACTUALLY ONTO; AND POINTING TOWARDS; THE MAIN TAXI RAMP; SLIGHTLY DARKER AND WITH NO LIGHTS. I LAID THE TOW BAR DOWN. THE TOW BAR IS COLORED BLUE AND WASN'T THAT VISIBLE ON THE RAMP. NOTICING THIS; I ACTUALLY THOUGHT; AS I LAID IT DOWN; '...DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE AND STOW THE TOW BAR.' I USE THE TOW BAR NORMALLY TO SIMPLY PULL THE PLANE OUT AND A MOTORIZED TUG TO PUSH IT BACK INTO THE HANGAR. BEING ON A SLIGHT SLOPE; AND AFTER LAYING THE TOW BAR DOWN; I THEN MOVED INTO THE COCKPIT TO SET THE PARKING BRAKE SO THE PLANE WOULD NOT MOVE; BUT THEN STARTED ORGANIZING THE COCKPIT: MAPS/FLASHLIGHTS; ETC; IN THE DARK; AND SUBSEQUENTLY COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE TOW BAR UNTIL AFTER LNDG AND EXAMINING THE PROB. I FELT FINE; BUT ON REFLECTION; WAS PROBABLY TIRED AND PERHAPS A LITTLE DISTRACTED HAVING FINISHED JURY DUTY ABOUT 3 HRS EARLIER. THIS WAS ALSO MY FIRST 'NIGHT FLT' IN ABOUT 1 YR. IN ADDITION; THE HEAT (ON THE RAMP AND IN THE HANGAR - HOTTER) COMBINED WITH AN ENG START ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER MY SCHEDULED DEP; WERE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO A BIT OF 'HURRY UP.' THE NEXT DAY; I DID HAVE THE ACFT EXAMINED BY AN A&P MECH. I HAD THE ACFT JACKED UP AND THE GEAR CYCLED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONFIRM THAT THERE WAS NO HIDDEN DAMAGE IN ATTEMPTING TO RETRACT THE NOSE GEAR INFLT WITH A TOW BAR ATTACHED. THE GEAR CYCLED CORRECTLY; MULTIPLE TIMES. SUMMARY CAUSES: IMPROPER PREFLT PROC THAT WOULD ALLOW THE TOW BAR TO REMAIN ATTACHED FOLLOWING TOW OUT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: SLIGHTLY TIRED. SLIGHTLY STRESSED. DARK. VERY HOT. IN ADDITION TO TAKING INTO MORE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF TIREDNESS AND STRESS IN THE FUTURE; MY FLT PREPARATION PROC WILL CHANGE AS FOLLOWS: AFTER TOWING THE ACFT TO ITS START POS; DO NOT 'LET GO OF' THE TOW BAR. REMOVE AND STOW IT IMMEDIATELY UNDER ALL CONDITIONS. UPDATED MY EXTERNAL PREFLT CHKLIST TO INCLUDE AS ONE OF THE LAST ITEMS; CONFIRMING THAT THE TOW BAR HAS BEEN REMOVED AND STOWED PROPERLY. ADD A 'MENTAL' PRE-TKOF CHKLIST SIMILAR TO THE GUMP PRE-LNDG CHKLIST. MY PRE-TKOF CHKLIST IS NTSB FOR: 'N' NOSE TRIMMED FOR TKOF. 'T' TOW BAR DETACHED AND STOWED. 'S' SHOULDER AND SEAT BELTS FASTENED AND SECURE. 'B' BEACONS; STROBES AND XPONDER ON. NOTING THAT THE ABSENCE OF ANY ONE OF THESE CAN LEAD TO A RPT TO THE NTSB.