November 19, 2003

Re: Account of accident

On Sunday, 11/2/03, having engine trouble, I was forced to land my ‘ultralight’ class aircraft in a field located off of route 206 in Hillsborough, N.J. According to the State Police officer at the scene, and without my knowledge or consent, while I was at the hospital the owner of the field (either by his own initiative or per orders by the state police) dragged the aircraft with his tractor to along side the road. Then, per state police request, ‘Scott’s Towing’ was called to have the aircraft towed from the scene, which they did by winching it the remaining way to the roadside and loading it onto a flatbed truck, in the end, charging me $1,399.64.

In the letter attached written by ‘Scott’s Towing’ after the job, they said that they sent 3 men, and two trucks, and in the end labor was 2 1/2 hours, per man, per truck. In addition, from looking at the invoice (also attached) they charged for the use of the winch.

Please note the attached specification sheet showing that the weight of this motor-glider style aircraft is only 268 pounds (252 plus weight of parachute). I have personally, by myself, assembled and disassembled the entire aircraft to put on a trailer over a dozen times in the past two years that I’ve owned it. It takes me (again, alone) an average of 25 minutes to break down the entire aircraft and carry it onto its trailer. To charge this much money, to do something I do myself do in a few minutes is completely unwarrantable. Also, to winch something that is this light-weight, is completely uncalled for.

Also, even more unjustifiable than charging an exorbitant $1,399.64 for the removal of something that weighs less than 275 pounds, the aircraft was also improperly removed by both the land owner and by Scott’s Towing, causing further completely unnecessary damage.

In order to properly transport this type of vehicle, it must be properly disassembled (per the factory manual, available upon request) before being moved to prevent damage to the sensitive and lightweight materials used in its construction, a procedure that was not adhered to during its removal, causing more damage to the aircraft after it was in their possession. I have attached photos of what the aircraft looked like after I picked it up from Scott’s Towing storage yard for your reference.

Lastly, it is of note to mention that the aircraft was towed to Woodbridge, NJ (24.5 miles), when the airport where I had the aircraft tied-down was located in Manville, N.J., 5 miles away: another unnecessary expense. Additionally, I was charged for 2 days of storage, when they only stored it from the afternoon on Sunday, 11/2, until I picked it up in the afternoon on Monday, 11/3.

In closing, not only did the land owner and Scott’s towing damage the aircraft further upon removal by not knowing the proper procedure to break-down an aircraft for transport, but Scott’s towing overcharged me to do so.

Sincerely,

Ethan Noble
12 Wisteria Drive, 2A
Fords, NJ 08863
(973) 713-4333 (cell)
(212) 965-4638 (work)

Plane after emergency landing:

Plane after picking up from 'Scott's Towing':

Legal Action Pending.