A C150 PVT PLT WITH PAX TAKES OFF WITH HIS TOWBAR STILL ATTACHED AT RNT.

Narrative

I HAD ARRIVED EARLY AT THE ARPT WITH THE INTENTION TO FLY S TO OLYMPIA; WA; FROM RENTON. I HAD OBSERVED THE WX BEFORE LEAVING HOME AND IT WAS SLOWLY BECOMING CLR VFR -- THERE WAS A LOT OF MORNING FOG AROUND; TYPICAL OF THE AREA. THE PAX WITH ME WAS AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY WHO WAS A RETIRED AIRLINE PLT. I DECIDED TO DO A THOROUGH PREFLT OF THE ACFT SINCE I ANTICIPATED THAT THE WX WOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO CLR UP. I NOTICED THAT THE TIRES WERE LOW ON AIR AND I HAD LESS THEN 5 QUARTS OF OIL THAT ARE ADVISED ON LONG FLTS. I CALLED THE FBO WHO SENT OUT A CART WITH AN AIR COMPRESSOR AND THE FUEL TRUCK WITH THE FUEL AND OIL I HAD REQUESTED. THE PREFLT WAS ALREADY DONE BY THE TIME THE PEOPLE FROM THE FBO ARRIVED. SINCE THE ACFT HAD FAIRINGS; IT HAD TO BE ROLLED BACK AND FORTH FOR THE TIRE STEMS TO BE EXPOSED FOR FILLING UP THE AIR. IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THIS I INSTALLED A TOWBAR WHICH FIT AROUND THE NOSEWHEEL AND MADE IT EASY FOR ONE PERSON TO STEER AND MOVE THE ACFT. I THEN FILLED UP THE OIL TO THE DESIRED LEVEL AND SUPERVISED THE FUEL TRUCK; MAKING SURE IT WAS THE R FUEL AND THAT THE FUEL CAPS WERE SECURE. ALL THIS WHILE I WAS TALKING TO MY PAX TELLING HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON; SINCE HE WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE GA OPS IN THE UNITED STATES. I THEN DECIDED TO GO TO A NEARBY CLUB TO ASK ABOUT THE PROC TO DEPART RENTON TO THE S AND TO ASK ABOUT THE WX. ON CHKING I FOUND THE WX HAD IMPROVED AND DECIDED TO TAKE OFF. ON RETURNING WE APCHED THE ACFT FROM THE REAR AND BOARDED IT. SINCE WE HAD BEEN GONE ONLY A FEW MINS AND I HAD DONE A THOROUGH PRE-FLT I DID NOT GAR THE AIRPLANE AGAIN. I TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE; DID MY RUN-UP; GOT ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE TO TRANSITION THROUGH SEATTLE AIRSPACE AND WAS CLRED FOR TKOF UNEVENTFULLY. I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT OR ANY ODD NOISES DURING TAXI; RUN-UP OR EVEN ON THE TKOF. RENTON TWR APPROVED MY FREQ CHANGE TO SEATAC 'AS SOON AS YOU CROSS S END OF FIELD.' THE FREQ CHANGE WAS MADE AND I ESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH SEATAC TWR. SEATAC ACKNOWLEDGED; ASKED ME TO IDENT AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK SAYING 'RENTON RPTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE TAKEN OFF WITH TOWBAR ATTACHED.' MY FIRST RESPONSE WAS 'OH MY GOD!' SINCE I REALIZED THAT WAS INDEED THE CASE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED SEATAC BACK ASKING FOR PERMISSION TO SWITCH BACK TO RENTON; WHICH WAS GIVEN. I CONTACTED RENTON AND THEY IMMEDIATELY ASKED IF I NEEDED ASSISTANCE. I SAID TO THEM THAT I WANTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. THEY CLRED ALL TFC AND SAID THAT THE RWY WAS MINE. I DID AN APCH GOING DOWNWIND; AND WAS TALKING CALMLY TO THE CTLR. I COULD HEAR HIM KEEPING TFC AWAY. I SET UP A STABILIZED APCH AND WAS ALMOST TURNING A HIGH FINAL WHEN A MORE EXPERIENCED CTLR SEEMED TO TAKE OVER. HE ASKED ME TO DO A LOW PASS FIRST BY THE TWR TO SEE IF THERE WAS INDEED A TOWBAR HANGING FROM THE ACFT; IT WAS ONLY AT THIS POINT I REALIZED THAT IT COULD BE DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE ON THE GND IF THE TOWBAR FELL OFF. SO I APCHED OVER THE LAKE. THE CTLR GUIDED ME AS I FLEW PAST THE TWR AND ADVISED ME THAT THE TOWBAR WAS ATTACHED AT A 45 DEG ANGLE. IT WAS THEN THAT I REALIZED THAT IT WAS RESTING ON THE FAIRING. I MADE ANOTHER APCH; THIS TIME KEEPING A CLOSE IN DOWNWIND. I LANDED WITH A NOSE HIGH ALT AND KEPT THE NOSEWHEEL OFF THE GND; AS I ROLLED ON THE RWY; THE ROLLOUT WAS NORMAL AND I WAS SLOW ENOUGH TO GENTLY TURN ONTO A TXWY; EVEN THOUGH THE CTLR SAID I COULD STOP ON THE RWY. I STOPPED ON THE TXWY; SECURED THE ACFT. I GOT OUT AND REMOVED THE TOW AND SAW THAT THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE. I STARTED UP THE ACFT AND TAXIED TO PARKING; WHERE I DID A MORE EXTENSIVE CHK OF THE NOSEWHEEL AND SAW THAT IT WAS UNDAMAGED. WE HAD BEEN LUCKY. WE COULD HAVE LANDED WITH THE TOWBAR WITHOUT ANYONE OBSERVING AND HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE THINGS I DID WELL WERE: 1) I KEPT CALM AND KEPT FLYING THE ACFT; 2) I COMMUNICATED WITH ATC AND ADVISED THEM OF WHAT I WAS DOING; 3) I DID NICE; STABLE APCHS AND FLEW THE ACFT TO MINIMIZE ANTICIPATED DAMAGE AS PLANNED. THE THINGS I DID NOT DO WELL WERE: 1) I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE WORST. I DID NOT HAVE THE DOORS OPEN BEFORE LNDG AS SUGGESTED BY THE PLT'S MANUAL AND HADN'T PRACTICED IN MY MIND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE ACFT NOSED OVER; 2) I DID NOT BRIEF THE PAX AS WELL AS I SHOULD HAVE. FORTUNATELY; THIS PAX WAS A PLT. HE WAS ENCOURAGING AND KEPT QUIET AND CALM THROUGHOUT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE DIFFERENT WITH AN INEXPERIENCED PAX; 3) I DID NOT THINK; UNTIL ATC REMINDED ME; OF DOING A TWR FLYBY TO CONFIRM THE POS OF THE TOWBAR. THE LESSONS LEARNED ARE: 1) NO MATTER HOW THOROUGH YOUR PREFLT IS; YOU CAN EASILY MISS OBVIOUS THINGS. KEEP CHKING AND RECHKING; 2) DO NOT LEAVE ANYTIME BTWN A PREFLT AND TKOF; IT IS EASY TO DO SOMETHING AND FORGET. IF YOU HAVE TO; AT LEAST CHK VITAL ITEMS LIKE TIEDOWNS; TOWBARS AND OBSTRUCTIONS. HAVE A 'LAST DITCH' PREFLT CHKLIST THAT YOU DO EVERY TIME; 3) DO NOT TALK TO ANOTHER PERSON WHILE DOING YOUR CHKS. MAKE SURE YOUR FULL FOCUS IS ON ACTUALLY DOING THE CHKLIST.