Towbar Prop Strike

H

HumbleGuest

Guest
I am a 100 hour private pilot who just experienced his first incident today. I've flown this rental Piper Archer 6 times and has taken it for many XCs, but today, I let my extreme excitement to demonstrate a class B transition to my newly-minted private pilot friend (and his friend) distract me as I was preflighting and, in act of complacency, I foolishly spun up the plane with the tow bar still attached to the nose-wheel.

Once I heard an abnormal, metallic-sounding noise, I immediately pulled back the mixture and shut everything down in the plane; I instantly knew what I screwed up on. When I got out, I noticed that only the tips of the two-blade propeller were damaged with one of them slightly shaven off and the other one bent, though they are still quite noticeable. The owner came out and didn't seem too bent up about the situation and even offered me one of his other plane for me to fly, but I felt extremely incompetent, so I decided to simply call it a day.

LESSON TO EVERYONE: Do another quick full walk-around of the aircraft after you complete everything on the preflight checklist!

My biggest question to the community is, what is the average of a complete replacement of a fixed-pitch propeller? I already gave the owner a hefty deposit. And is it required to be disclosed to the NTSB (already read NTSB 830 and believe it is not a disclosable incident)?

I believe the propeller that I damaged is a Sensenich 76EM8S5. I believe the engine may have to be inspected too since sudden stoppages caused by a prop strike could have potentially damaged it, but I didn't notice any drop in RPMs, although it may have been too quick for me to notice. The prop appeared to spin fine right after it hit the tow-bar.
 
Doesn't sound like a sudden stoppage from your description. Not that it won't still result on a tear down, but it has that going for it.

Surprised he handed you the keys to another plane.

Good on you for fessing up though. I've done preflight inspections on planes missing a bit on each prop tip, bent flap tracks, etc.
 
There is lots of good advice here. We had a guy leave the tow bar on our plane and had a prop strike on startup. He pulled the plane out of the hanger, got distracted and realized he left something in the hangar and went back for it. He walked back out and got right in the plane and forgot the tow bar.
Never taking your hand off the tow bar when it is attached is a good practice. So is walking the long way around the plane so you get once last look the plane.
 
If it damaged the prop enough to require replacement or major repair, Lycoming engine AD 2004-10-14 applies.
 
At least no one was injured. Was it one of the dinky ones you leave in the baggage area? I doubt the owner will have to have it torn down.
 
Something you can do to prevent this (in addition to never taking your hand off the tow bar) - I put a caribiner on my tow bar and I hang my ignition key on it.

A couple times I’ve had to exit the plane and go back into the hangar to retrieve the key off the tow bar.

I’ve not yet had to get the key off the tow bar while it’s been hanging off the nose gear. Yet. If I do it’ll be a near miss and not a prop strike. Until I forget to hang the key on the caribiner. And take my hand off the tow bar.
 
Every single time I reach for the keys/starter switch/starter button I take one last moment to verify the towbar is not attached. If I can't see it or remember where I put it, I have to check again.
 
Stewartb said:
Prop tip gone? That requires an engine tear-down, right?

https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/SB533C Recommended Action for sudden Engine Stoppage, Propeller_Rotor Strike or Loss of Propeller_Rotor Blade or Ti (1).pdf
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Yup.

On some lycomings there is an accessory sprocket that requires inspection via AD. So evven if you ignore the service letter and skip the rest of the teardown, you got to get that part done:

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...y-textron-lycoming-direct-drive-reciprocating
 
That sucks. Could have been worse and have it to hit prop until u were in the air.
So I wondering about the financial responsibility here. If you had renters insurance I owe a deductible right?? If not, curious about what your responsible for?? The deductible for the plane’s insurance. Wondering what rental contract says??? Don’t take my questions judgy just more curious how it works??
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Something you can do to prevent this (in addition to never taking your hand off the tow bar) - I put a caribiner on my tow bar and I hang my ignition key on it.

A couple times I’ve had to exit the plane and go back into the hangar to retrieve the key off the tow bar.

I’ve not yet had to get the key off the tow bar while it’s been hanging off the nose gear. Yet. If I do it’ll be a near miss and not a prop strike. Until I forget to hang the key on the caribiner. And take my hand off the tow bar.
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Better yet. Just NEVER leave the towbar attached.

I’ve got some always/never rules that work like this. For instance, ALWAYS open the hangar doors all the way.
 
Accidents like this are always a bummer.

I have a longstanding habit of doing one final, complete circuit of the airplane just before I get in. I check for:
  • both oil filler doors are latched;
  • both fuel drain doors are latched;
  • all four fuel caps are secure and locked down;
  • both baggage doors are properly latched and the keys out of the locks;
  • nothing has been left sitting on any of the horizontal surfaces;
  • no wheel chocks left to remove.
All are redundant with pre-flight steps, but you just never know when you might be distracted/interrupted and leave some step like checking the oil or sumping the fuel tanks not quite complete with the lid unsecured.
 
Towbar doesnt go in baggage area. Sits right behind front seats. Last thing I do is reach and check for tow bar before starting. Also if I walk away from plane towbar comes off. Unless its the one that attaches to the tug. In which case i can see the tug.
 
rk911 said:
taking a final walk around the plane after the pre-flight as well as after the post-landing is a habit i picked up from my instructor. do you have renter's insurance?
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Thanks for all the genuine advice and guidance, ladies and/or gentlemen! I would like to also add that the vast majority of my flying has been in training at my university where we fly all Pipers and us students don't ever use tow-bars. The CFIs at the school pull out the plane for us every morning using powered tow caddies. I believe my lack of good habits for tow bars is directly attributed to my lack of tow bar use during primary training. Eventually, this led to my complacency of treating the preflight check of the rental Piper in the same exact manner as my preflight check for the Pipers at my school. (Not sure if this is called expectation bias)

I do have renter's insurance which I literally just bought two month ago, but I bought the lowest coverage which only covers $1000 of the owner's deductible. I never told the owner that I recently bought my own insurance. I was planning to pay out of pocket anyways since I don't want my rates to go up, but if it is in fact $5k for a prop replacement and $20k for an engine teardown as someone said, I may have to discontinue my goal of becoming a professional pilot. The rental contract that I signed with the owner said that the renter (me) is responsible for all damages that occur in his/her (my) possession and that the owner's insurance deductible is the renter's (my) responsibility.

The tow-bar actually seemed okay! It only had a dent in it and is still functional which I found strange since it just suffered a high-speed impact from basically a long "metallic bar." And yes, it is one of those "dinky" baggage tow bars.
 
I always do “the Big Picture” before getting in the plane - looking for things just like tow bars, chocks, big dents you didn’t notice while looking up close, etc. Bummer, but that’s what insurance is for.
 
Rgbeard said:
My guesses:

Fixed-pitch prop. $5k
Teardown. $20k

Let us know how it goes.
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I'm okay with throwing tomatoes at OP but 20k gets an overhaul for a baby Lycosaur. You might give him heart failure. :D IME a teardown is closer to 6-7k.

I know of two towbar incidents like this. One was suspiciously close to engine TBO and the insurance proceeds spent on a reman, the other punched a hole in the nearby hangar door. So, uh, I guess it can always be worse.


A used fixed-pitch prop might be in the 1-3K range. I'd start hunting if I were OP and hoping to just take one for the team here.
 
AKBill said:
Will insurance pick up the tab?
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Typically yes.

On a rental it can get complicated between owners insurance and renters insurance. Often the FBO wants to be compensated for 'loss of use' while the plane is in the shop and there is disagreement about the value of that lost revenue in a seasonal rental operation.
 
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I’ve been shopping for props for my (similar) warrior: $4000+ new, $2500+- decent used, $1500 for crap. I’d be more worried about a tear down (if necessary).
 
My CFI taught me early on that the tow bar never gets left attached to the airplane unattended. If you walk away, the tow bar goes too.

The engine will certainly need a tear down and new prop as it doesn’t sound like the damaged one will be salvageable. The tear down and rebuild are typically in the ballpark of ~15k, at least that’s about what it ran for the O-235. Insurance will cover it.

Also, the ‘loss of use’ philosophy could also come to light during this, depending how money hungry the rental outfit is, so be aware of that.

As stated above, one final walk around the airplane prior to flight is crucial. Never know what you might find laying around.
 
HumbleGuest said:
I am a 100 hour private pilot who just experienced his first incident today. I've flown this rental Piper Archer 6 times and has taken it for many XCs, but today, I let my extreme excitement to demonstrate a class B transition to my newly-minted private pilot friend (and his friend) distract me as I was preflighting and, in act of complacency, I foolishly spun up the plane with the tow bar still attached to the nose-wheel.

Once I heard an abnormal, metallic-sounding noise, I immediately pulled back the mixture and shut everything down in the plane; I instantly knew what I screwed up on. When I got out, I noticed that only the tips of the two-blade propeller were damaged with one of them slightly shaven off and the other one bent, though they are still quite noticeable. The owner came out and didn't seem too bent up about the situation and even offered me one of his other plane for me to fly, but I felt extremely incompetent, so I decided to simply call it a day.

LESSON TO EVERYONE: Do another quick full walk-around of the aircraft after you complete everything on the preflight checklist!

My biggest question to the community is, what is the average of a complete replacement of a fixed-pitch propeller? I already gave the owner a hefty deposit. And is it required to be disclosed to the NTSB (already read NTSB 830 and believe it is not a disclosable incident)?

I believe the propeller that I damaged is a Sensenich 76EM8S5. I believe the engine may have to be inspected too since sudden stoppages caused by a prop strike could have potentially damaged it, but I didn't notice any drop in RPMs, although it may have been too quick for me to notice. The prop appeared to spin fine right after it hit the tow-bar.
Click to expand...

This has been one of my fears as well. As a result, even if I had just done a complete preflight, I do one casual walk around the airplane before getting in. I have found many things, such as fuel cup or flash light sitting on the cowling, or oil filler door left open. Sorry to hear this happened. Hopefully you will be a better pilot as a result.
 
I realize this is late for the OP, but maybe not too late for someone reading this. All this stuff about the 'final walk around the airplane', and other good advice that you read here, has a tendency to go out-the-window when something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.

I.E.

You show up a little late for your flight, and want to hasten your preflight to get out on time.
You're taking your (______) up for his/her first flight.
You get a phone call, and take it, during preflight.
Your passenger asks you a question and it interrupts your preflight flow.

If you sense any of these things happening, don't speed-up. SLOW DOWN.

Preflight your airplane as if someone loves you and wants you home at the end of the day.
 
Rgbeard said:
I realize this is late for the OP, but maybe not too late for someone reading this. All this stuff about the 'final walk around the airplane', and other good advice that you read here, has a tendency to go out-the-window when something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.

I.E.

You show up a little late for your flight, and want to hasten your preflight to get out on time.
You're taking your (______) up for his/her first flight.
You get a phone call, and take it, during preflight.
Your passenger asks you a question and it interrupts your preflight flow.

If you sense any of these things happening, don't speed-up. SLOW DOWN.

Preflight your airplane as if someone loves you and wants you home at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
That’s a great point. I treat my preflight like a surgical “time out”. My family knows silence and are standing by the car. Kids stop running around. Nobody walks around with me.
 
Rgbeard said:
I realize this is late for the OP, but maybe not too late for someone reading this. All this stuff about the 'final walk around the airplane', and other good advice that you read here, has a tendency to go out-the-window when something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.

I.E.

You show up a little late for your flight, and want to hasten your preflight to get out on time.
You're taking your (______) up for his/her first flight.
You get a phone call, and take it, during preflight.
Your passenger asks you a question and it interrupts your preflight flow.

If you sense any of these things happening, don't speed-up. SLOW DOWN.

Preflight your airplane as if someone loves you and wants you home at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Excellent points. I don't like to ignore my wife when we go up together, and she's a talker... a professional talker... I mean, like, Robin Williams would tell her, "Hey. hey.... sloooowww downnn!!!" if he was still with us. When she asks me questions or talks to me during the preflight, I just stop preflighting, listen, answer her questions, and wait. When she's done, I continue by repeating the task I was just on, then moving on until she talks some more. It's all friendly. Eventually she realizes we'll never got off the ground... ;) I always do a last walk around, too, followed by one last trip through the written checklist once aboard to make sure I didn't forget anything. Lately, and this is even better, I hand her the check list at the beginning of the preflight and have her read it to me as I do the tasks. Having passengers read checklists, even if the checklists are already ingrained in you as much as breathing is, is a great thing. It involves, educates, and calms anxious passengers, and just in general makes for a better experience all around.
 
Sinistar said:
Try form a new habit...never have the tow bar attached when it isn't in your hand...no matter how tempting...if you need to walk away take it with you.
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Very good advice. My plane’s former owner pulled the plane out one night with his power tow.

98f4a7f18b19593cdef36c3fed1cfd35.jpg


Right after he got it out of the hangar, he got a call on his cell phone. After the 30 minute call, he got in the plane and fired it up. Evidently the tug was launched over the hangar. A complete engine overhaul and propeller replacement was required. Unfortunately for me, the crankcase wasn’t replaced and had no obvious damage.

At my annual this year, my mechanic sent me the picture below showing a non-repairable crack in the crankcase. We believe that the crankcase was probably weakend by the prop strike, alhough there’s no way to be sure. Nothing ever showed up on the previous 7 annuals. Gonna cost me 40+ K$ for a new engine.

Yeah, NEVER walk away with a tug or towbar attached to the plane. It can get expensive quickly.

3206a8a9a85bde036b0e0fca7508f0ed.jpg
 
jimhorner said:
Very good advice. My plane’s former owner pulled the plane out one night with his power tow.

98f4a7f18b19593cdef36c3fed1cfd35.jpg


Right after he got it out of the hangar, he got a call on his cell phone. After the 30 minute call, he got in the plane and fired it up. Evidently the tug was launched over the hangar. A complete engine overhaul and propeller replacement was required. Unfortunately for me, the crankcase wasn’t replaced and had no obvious damage.

At my annual this year, my mechanic sent me the picture below showing a non-repairable crack in the crankcase. We believe that the crankcase was probably weakend by the prop strike, alhough there’s no way to be sure. Nothing ever showed up on the previous 7 annuals. Gonna cost me 40+ K$ for a new engine.

Yeah, NEVER walk away with a tug or towbar attached to the plane. It can get expensive quickly.

3206a8a9a85bde036b0e0fca7508f0ed.jpg
Click to expand...
Man that blows. Sorry to hear about that.
 
Rgbeard said:
I realize this is late for the OP, but maybe not too late for someone reading this. All this stuff about the 'final walk around the airplane', and other good advice that you read here, has a tendency to go out-the-window when something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.

I.E.
Click to expand...

...the wind blows away your ball-cap.
 
benyflyguy said:
Man that blows. Sorry to hear about that.
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Well, at least I get a 0 time engine outta the whole thing...

We had the option of repairing for ~15K, but that wouldn’t have changed the engine time. I was leaning towards that option, but my wife liked the factory re-man option better. I tend to agree, but, boy it’s a lot of money... I even gave her the option of just selling as is and going back to renting. Would save the hangar rent, taxes, insurance, etc. She wouldn’t even consider that.

Been without the plane the whole summer while we arranged the funding. The new engine has been ordered, but there’s still quite a long lead time. We probably won’t be back in the air till end of October. We’ve got a bug backlog of trips we want to take.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Sorry it happened, things could be worse.

As posted, NEVER leave a towbar on, attached, or near the nosewheel. Put it on to move the plane then secure the bar somewhere else.
 
sourdough44 said:
Sorry it happened, things could be worse.

As posted, NEVER leave a towbar on, attached, or near the nosewheel. Put it on to move the plane then secure the bar somewhere else.
Click to expand...

'Towbar is only attached to the plane while it is attached to my hand'.
 
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