On 25 Jan 2005 16:11:39 -0800, wrote in
.com::

Anyone else here ever experience one?

Sort of.

How did yours happen?

After a buffalo burger on Santa Catalina Island, I telephoned SoCal
TRACON and filed IFR back to the mainland. After performing a walk
around inspection I got into the aircraft, and my flight instructor
pulled the aircraft out of the rough onto the asphalt, and climbed in
behind me (PA28).

We went through the prestart checklist, and I engaged the starter only
to hear a loud clunk as the first blade went by. He had left the tow
bar on the front gear leg. He was a little chagrined, but there
was no damage, so we released within our time window for an uneventful
flight home.