Plane takes off with concrete tie down attached in Kelowna.

[Brock_Landers]

https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kelowna-fli ... gcrsXDZQYM

A Southern Interior Flight Centre Beech 76 had just departed Kelowna airport’s runway 16 on Monday, Oct. 5, and was airborne when the tower noticed the aircraft still had a tie down rope and cement block attached to its tail.

[northernpilot2]

Must be a rental flight. Save the money hurry hurry lets go. Happens all the time.

[PilotDAR]

Oh, where to begin...

Did the pilot make a W&B calculation for the flight which included the concrete block? Did the plane have an approval for external loads? Did the previous pilot get a merit badge for good knot tying?

Seriously, the concrete block is obviously useless as a tiedown! Just for reference, in the older Cessna POH's the tiedown requirement is stated as being at least 700 pounds. So tying to a concrete block you can taxi and get airborne with it 99% hazard, and 1% useful as a tiedown. Some very small portion of blame rests with the person who thought such a tiedown was a good idea. I remember landing in Yorkton Saskatchewan decades back while ferrying a 150 home. Obviously, a bad windstorm have gone through recently, as the three planes there on their backs had either concrete blocks or those doggy screw ins still tied to the plane, while those actually tied to a robust anchor were still on their wheels. If it's worth tying down, it's worth doing it effectively!

[photofly]

Pilot needs another checklist.

[rookiepilot]

Pilot needs another checklist.

Fixed.

Engine -- START
Taxi --- SLOWLY
"Plane starts dragging concrete"
Door ------- OPEN
Concrete Tie Down -- UNTIE

[freakonature]

So did anyone know this was doable?
Like during aircraft certification? Test flights?
I assumed this would be an automatic fail?

[trey kule]

Don’t you just hate it when this happens


I think that is maybe one of those things the pilot will not repeat, though nowadays, some might consider it a challenge to repeat it.

I am surmising from the aircraft type, it was a licensed pilot.

[GyvAir]

I've heard stories of this sort of thing forever. Documented stories? Not so many.

Just a story:

https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/tiedown-tales/

Couple college tries:

https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/ ... d2017O1599

https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/ ... d2018Q0920

[tractor driver]

Know of a few such incidents over the years. The Cherokee in YQT was a rushed departure by a friend. Thankfully ATC noticed during taxi. Amazingly, according to the pilot,it was not noticeable.
Another friend was in YPL with a Turbo Otter on skis. Got airborne with a cement filled tire attached to the tail. Apparently flew “ poorly “, so they came back and landed. The rope snapped during touchdown and no damage was found. While these were fortunate events with good outcomes, I’d imagine disaster is far more likely.

[lownslow]

I’d imagine disaster is far more likely.

So far the evidence shows otherwise.

[Its What I do]

would love to see photo ???? is there one ????

[cncpc]

I think I've told this on here before, but I once taxied out in an Aztec from the South Side at YVR with a five gallon pail of concrete tied to the tail ring. Another aircraft coming behind advised ground.

Not sure how I missed it. I must have stepped over it in the walkaround.

I added one last item to my walkarounds ever since. The last thing I do is stand back about ten feet from the nosewheel and look at the aircraft straight on to make sure nothing is attached that shouldn't be.

I agree that concrete blocks are useless as tiedowns.

[doiwannabeapilot]

Hey, its just like the old saying about landing gear up....
(which always made me gag)

but in this case its

There are those who have taken off with a concrete tiedown still attached and those who will !!!

haha

[Inverted2]

I had a friend who used to always hide behind my plane and grab my tail wheel when I was starting up as a joke. I always said I was going to buy a big warbird just so I could pull you down the runway because 85 hp doesn’t cut it.

[Elliot Moose]

Another friend was in YPL with a Turbo Otter on skis. Got airborne with a cement filled tire attached to the tail. Apparently flew “ poorly “, so they came back and landed.

I watched that one happen! The tire towed along nice and smooth..

[Kejidog]

Whatever the cause i bet his/her nickname from now on will be. BLOCKHEAD.

[propfeather]

Sad thing is... this flight was very likely a dual training flight..

[Meatservo]

Another friend was in YPL with a Turbo Otter on skis. Got airborne with a cement filled tire attached to the tail. Apparently flew “ poorly “, so they came back and landed.

I watched that one happen! The tire towed along nice and smooth..

I was there, too. For some reason the pilot thought landing on the lake was a better idea than going back to the airport, and the tyre snagged in deep snow and that's why the rope snapped.

In fact the whole incident was a vignette, or "sad little Kabuki" might be a better way of describing it, of Canadian aviation in general: the chief pilot was out of town, and during his absence the owner asked one of the other Otter pilots, let's call him "Bart", to check out one of the Beaver pilots on the Otter. The Beaver pilot did some training flights with Bart, but when the chief pilot returned from days off, he stamped off to the plane and ordered the Beaver pilot to get in, so he could try to "erase some of Bart's bad habits". That was the time he took off with the tyre attached. The end.

[pelmet]

I've heard stories of this sort of thing forever. Documented stories? Not so many.

Just a story:

https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/tiedown-tales/

Couple college tries:

https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/ ... d2017O1599

https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/ ... d2018Q0920

Hmmmm....four examples of aircraft taking off with concrete blocks. Some might remember the thread posted below where I made a suggestion about doing a final check(which takes about 30 seconds to do) before getting into the aircraft to depart. It was amazing how vehemently some were opposed to doing something like this as can be seen in the rest of that thread which had to be locked due to the ridiculousness of it all. Just do a final check right before getting in the aircraft. You will likely find something significant one day.

Appropriate starting post and disagreements to the idea(including checking no tiedowns still attached) in this link......

viewtopic.php?p=1102746#p1102746

[challenger_nami]

Yup, I totally agree that there are some in this forum, and in the society as a whole, who are always vehemently opposed to any positively constructive suggestion and effort you make.

You should ignore them all nay sayers, and continue on.


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