Pilot took-off with concrete anchor block -> fell near playing kids

[Frank N. O.]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7140972.stm
Is this a joke? Is it just me or doesn't that sound too dumb? I mean, this would Chuck look like a rank amateur.

Frank

[Rooster Cruiser]

No Joke, I have heard of this happening quite a few times, Frank.  The Piper Cherokee sits pretty low to the ground, and if the airplane is tied down on an asphault ramp with its tail hanging over some grass the pilots will often skip checking the tail if its muddy back there.  Very easy to miss checking the rear tie-down in a situation like this.

I'm not making excuses for the pilot.  This was a dumb oversight that could have been fatal.  It is not as uncommon as you might expect.  What should be done is to ensure that airplane tie-downs aren't so small they can be moved like this one was.

[airtac]

I think the mistake was stupid too, BUT, I'll agree with RC here----If you can pull a tie down out of the ground with an aircraft, then it's not worth tying down to anyway

[Fabo]

I think best tie-downs are those built into the actaual apron anyway. You just WONT take off with those

[TheSoccerMom]

How about taking off in a Baron 58P, with the gas-powered TUG attached to the nosewheel??     

Yessirree, it HAS BEEN DONE.     

The tower saw "a blob" under the nose, called the pilot, who was JUST reaching for the gear handle....  he came around and landed, YES, and did NO damage whatsoever to the airplane OR the tug....  don't even ask me how the hell you can do that, it's still hard for me to believe, and I talked to the guys in the tower...  boy, were their jaws on the floor!

This is still about the most insane one I have heard......  the guy didn't even get a dope-slap....  management's "solution" was to stick a tall fiberglass stick on the tugs, with an orange pennant on top! 

Hey...  who needs a preflight, anyway?!?   

[PiperGirl]

What about all the extra drag on take off and the the wierd cg??? WOW some pilots 

S'Mom:

[TheSoccerMom]

Yeah, I never would have believed this in 100 years, if I didn't know all the brilliant players involved.  (Sarcasm intended...  this was just one of about 25 accidents, runoffs, incidents and misadventures with this little group). 

The only good thing that came out of this, (besides the fact that no one was killed, miraculously), was when one of the pilots I worked with, upon hearing the story for the first time, kept shaking his head, and kept giggling...  finally he said "WOW, can you IMAGINE, how good those bearings must be, in those teeny little wheels on that tug?!?  To be doing 90 knots down the runway?!?"     

We were all crying, we were laughing so hard.       

[Frank N. O.]

Oh man, that was a good joke, the company that made that should use that in their ad: Idiot-proof Tug! Guaranteed to handle at least 90 kts! 
Of course, only until the gear is retracted, then I don't think things would turn out that well, for either the tug or the plane.

And may I give a to the pilot that saw the humour side in this

Frank