It's great that it all worked out OK. Congratulations to your wife for her correct and quick reactions. Lose the gloves...

-John, Q3


On Wednesday, December 24, 2014 6:42:28 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Today while towing my wife, a pre-solo student, the tow plane
suffered a power loss at about 300' AGL and started down.* Too low
to think of turning back, I was chanting "Straight ahead, straight
ahead" as I began rocking the wings.* I did not feel a release so I
pulled my release and began a slight turn to the left.



Looking down, I saw the mixture lever just above idle cutoff.* I
advanced it and got the power back.* Climbing towards downwind, I
looked back and saw the glider in a right turn back for the runway.*
Then the engine cut out again!* I found the mixture again at idle
cutoff.* Screw this - I'm landing behind the glider if I can make
it.* I was too close so I took the parallel taxiway and we rolled
out together.



Turns out I was wearing gloves that I hadn't flown with before.*
They had a tightening strap on the inside of the wrist and I think
that strap snagged the mixture lever.* I changed gloves and had more
problems for the day.



My wife told me that, when I waved her off, she immediately pulled
the release and started a turn into the wind.* Her instructor asked,
"Did you pull the release?", since he hadn't seen me rock the
wings.* She said that she had.* This was her first experience with a
premature termination of the tow and she handled it like a pro.* I'm
so proud of her!


--

Dan Marotta