20220724013109I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-25-235 · Independence, OR · July 24, 2022

Date: July 24, 2022 · 14:15 local
Place: Independence, OR
Airport: Independence State
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N6900Z
Reported as: Piper PA-25-235
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,500 total62 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

N6900ZRegistered now · Piper PA-25-235S/N 25-2634 · Built 1964 Airframe modelPiper PA-25-235 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

From the pilot's perspective:

This was the first tow of the day. I flew my normal approach when I fly my 172 but this time I forgot that I had my tow rope attached. I flew left traffic for runway 34 and was about 1,000' on downwind. I didn't even know that the rope had caught and broken until I got out of the plane and started looking for the end of the rope.

I am thinking that fatigue and dehydration as well as a sunburn that I had just gotten distracted me. It was hot that day. We normally land runway 16 which doesn't have a fence or road to worry about. I just got distracted it seems.

As the FAA filed it

FROM THE PILOT'S PERSPECTIVE:

THIS WAS THE FIRST TOW OF THE DAY. I FLEW MY NORMAL APPROACH WHEN I FLY MY 172 BUT THIS TIME I FORGOT THAT I HAD MY TOW ROPE ATTACHED. I FLEW LEFT TRAFFIC FOR RUNWAY 34 AND WAS ABOUT 1,000' ON DOWNWIND. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THE ROPE HAD CAUGHT AND BROKEN UNTIL I GOT OUT OF THE PLANE AND STARTED LOOKING FOR THE END OF THE ROPE.

I AM THINKING THAT FATIGUE AND DEHYDRATION AS WELL AS A SUNBURN THAT I HAD JUST GOTTEN DISTRACTED ME. IT WAS HOT THAT DAY. WE NORMALLY LAND RUNWAY 16 WHICH DOESN'T HAVE A FENCE OR ROAD TO WORRY ABOUT. I JUST GOT DISTRACTED IT SEEMS.