A little PSA

Ed Batist

Ed Batist

That Guy
After watching this episode of Air Disasters be thorough on your preflights. Continenetal Express flight crashed because there were missing screws in the composite leading edge piece on the tail. After seeing that then reflecting back to my training days, there were numerous times I hopped in a training plane that could have caused something catastrophic. Here's a wiki on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Express_Flight_2574
 
Ayork62493 said:
You can only check what you can see
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The morale of the story is to not get sloppy with what you can see, because the littlest thing can have some tragic effects and not to make excuses. Some mechanic got sloppy think duh, nothing will happen if it falls off.
 
There is a realistic amount of detail the human brain can discern after repeatedly looking at the same thing over and over again. It's like the jack screw on the Alasaka MD-80, or the engine mount on the AA DC-10. Sometimes maintenance's negligence cannot be detected by the pilot to any practical degree. It sucks, but that's the faith we really have to put in our mechanics.
 
Cal Goat said:
There is a realistic amount of detail the human brain can discern after repeatedly looking at the same thing over and over again. It's like the jack screw on the Alasaka MD-80, or the engine mount on the AA DC-10. Sometimes maintenance's negligence cannot be detected by the pilot to any practical degree. It sucks, but that's the faith we really have to put in our mechanics.
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The arbitrary lengthening of maintenance intervals doesn't help, at least in the case of the horizontal stabilizer actuator.
 
Seems to me that there was a breakdown in the turnover which has to be done verbally as well as in written form. Shops with multiple shifts should take this very seriously considering the person who disassembled something may not be the person reassembling it. Not to mention what seems like lazy inspection technique. I wouldn't expect a pilot to check the security of the horizontal leading edge during a preflight.
 
kiloalpha said:
What's a cylinder? Is that like a magneto?
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Ah speaking of magnetos, it'd be best if you check the drive gear before flight especially if you have the single drive bendix kind.

On the franklin engines, you can actually open an inspection plate and check the camshaft to. Just requires a new gasket.
 
Ed Batist said:
The morale of the story is to not get sloppy with what you can see, because the littlest thing can have some tragic effects and not to make excuses. Some mechanic got sloppy think duh, nothing will happen if it falls off.
Click to expand...
I perceive a bit of condesension towards those of us who work on the planes in your post. "Duh, nothing will happen if that falls off." has never once crossed my mind. Don't belittle your maintenance people, we can go to the ends of the earth to help you or we can simply be indifferent regarding your situation. Your choice.
 
knot4u said:
I perceive a bit of condesension towards those of us who work on the planes in your post. "Duh, nothing will happen if that falls off." has never once crossed my mind. Don't belittle your maintenance people, we can go to the ends of the earth to help you or we can simply be indifferent regarding your situation. Your choice.
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Simma down time to get of the high horse. If you took any tone with what I said towards maintenance in general then that's your issue my man. Why would I belittle an group as important as pilots to the safety of flight? But I do belittle the idiot that left those screws off.
 
I've been witness to things falling off airplanes twice, one time a Lear came back from a trip and as it taxied in something didn't look right. It took a few seconds to register that one of the outboard gear doors had departed, that was not a maintenance issue. Another time a Gulfstream had just left and the phone rings, tower asking if we want to pick up the stuff left on the runway, it was a pylon panel and it was a maintenance issue, thankfully the offending mechanic has since left aviation altogether (but not before he was responsible for destroying a Spey due to FOD).
 
Ed Batist said:
After watching this episode of Air Disasters be thorough on your preflights. Continenetal Express flight crashed because there were missing screws in the composite leading edge piece on the tail. After seeing that then reflecting back to my training days, there were numerous times I hopped in a training plane that could have caused something catastrophic. Here's a wiki on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Express_Flight_2574
Click to expand...
Your point is well taken. Sharing mistakes like this and talking to other pilots about things they've found on preflights is a great way to train your brain to look for the out of ordinary.

I've found seat belts caught in doors, fuel caps missing, bearing races in flap tracks, nose centering bolts missing, yokes that rotate farther in one direction than the other, leaking brakes, broken rudder pedal shafts, missing airworthiness certificates, popped breakers, tons of missing fasteners, cracked fairings, broken and smoking rivets, etc. Some of these things wouldn't have been caught if others hadn't told me where to look.
 
Little PSA:

j31usair.jpg


Big PSA:

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