Stupid stuff Mechanics find.

Tom-D

Tom-D

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Tom-D
This week I was asked if I would do a yearly Condition inspection on a wood and rag E/AB.
I asked why it had this sticky stuff in the interior of the aircraft.

owner's answer, It is ACF50 corrosion prohibitor.

I told the owner thanks for thinking of me but I'd rather not being involved.

I know you mechanics have seen a lot of stuff like that.
 
Kinda hard to beat that one, Tom.

I found a fuel leak on a RR Dart engine, someone had installed the union or nipple with the o-ring loose between the union and hose fitting, it should have been on the side of the union going into the case.

The one where somebody RTV'ed the G-1 radome on and it insulated the bonding points causing static noise in the radios, that was a pretty good one.
 
Shop towel in fuel tank.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Someone should start a corollary thread about stupid stuff that owners find after airplanes come out of maintenance...
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Fuel selector handle mounted 180 degrees off. Airplane took of on a nearly empty aux tank - went dry at about 100 AGL. Fortunately, it was a really long runway.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Someone should start a corollary thread about stupid stuff that owners find after airplanes come out of maintenance...
Click to expand...
So far it’s been mostly tools that techs have left for me. 1 cleco and one nice T-handle Allen wrench. Leaving thermocouple wires disconnected doesn’t really count does it?
 
Fearless Tower said:
Someone should start a corollary thread about stupid stuff that owners find after airplanes come out of maintenance...
Click to expand...
I once had a rental that somehow was placed back on the line with the inspection covers still open (held on with one screw each). I suppose it came out of inspection or something.
 
I have discovered the electric trim adjusted to the full down position.
The master has been left on resulting in a completely dead battery.
Unnecessary plackards were placed on my panel and took paint when I removed them; it was pleasant being charged for the plackards too.
Perfectly good tires were removed from the plane and broken down to inspect perfectly good tubes only to pinch the perfectly good tube trying to put it back together; I was charged for the labor and replacement tube.
During an avionics install, the static system was reinstalled as a closed system with no connection to outside air or even cockpit air.
 
pmanton said:
the shredded remains of a shop towel inside an engine.
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Had one of these cause an engine failure on a Clipper I purchased and had flown from Kansas City to Des Moines. It quit in the pattern while getting my 'official' instructor check-out in the a/c, after flying it home. Took it apart, and lo, and behold...

Jim
 
Tom-D said:
This week I was asked if I would do a yearly Condition inspection on a wood and rag E/AB.
I asked why it had this sticky stuff in the interior of the aircraft.

owner's answer, It is ACF50 corrosion prohibitor.

I told the owner thanks for thinking of me but I'd rather not being involved.

I know you mechanics have seen a lot of stuff like that.
Click to expand...

Maybe he was worried about intergranular corrosion in the wood grains. :eek:
 
I discovered the world's shortest screwdriver jammed in the radio tray.
 
My best find after opening the nose baggage floor in a Baron was an almost new Makita cordless drill. There weren't even any greasy fingerprints. Owner said it wasn't his so it landed in my tool box.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Someone should start a corollary thread about stupid stuff that owners find after airplanes come out of maintenance...
Click to expand...
I have a bunch of tools that were given to me by other mechanics. Some of them came from Cessna. I got a nice bucking bar from Cessna. They shipped it to me in the wing of a 206.
 
Found a missing cotter pin on one of the elevator control cables that connect to the elevator bellcrank.
 
I found a Fenix LD20 flashlight under a radio rack. It had obviously been there a long time and cleaned up well. About a $75 find. I have a collection of tool finds.
 
SkyDog58 said:
But those incidents pale in comparison to the things mechanics find.
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Disagree. Owner/pilots and A&Ps are humans. Both equally susceptible to mistakes and cutting corners.

I’ve seen some real stoopid pilot/owner induced stuff come into the maintenance shop and I’ve seen some absolute negligence from both big name maintenance facilities and shady tree A&Ps. Every side has its bad apples.
 
Worst I ever saw personally was an engine shop that did a tear down inspection/cleaning on an engine for metal contamination that then slapped on the old (uncleaned/still contaminated) oil pump on it.
 
Clark1961 said:
So far it’s been mostly tools that techs have left for me. 1 cleco and one nice T-handle Allen wrench. Leaving thermocouple wires disconnected doesn’t really count does it?
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I've found a couple of screw drivers, safety wire pliers and a pair of vice grips. I always etch my name on all my tools, can't say I've ever left a tool in a plane. The navy beat it into my head to inventory the tool box after each job. Big sin in the Navy to leave a tool in a plane. We had planes return to base to look for tools, really pizzed off the CO and maintenance officer.
 
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Someone donated a really nice shop lamp to my household. Only problem was the left the thing under the starboard side starboard rudder pedal. Found out about it when I couldn’t turn right to get on the runway. Glad I had to go right instead of left. Could have been quite entertaining.
 
AKBill said:
I've found a couple of screw drivers, safety wire pliers and a pair of vice grips. I always etch my name in all my tools, can't say I've ever left a tool in a plane. The navy beat it into my head to inventory the tool box after each job. Big sin in the Navy to leave a tool in a plane. We had planes return to base to look for tools, really pizzed off the CO and maintenance officer.
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It’s a good practice. I’ve always wondered what processes are used by NASA on space stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Bill Watson said:
It’s a good practice. I’ve always wondered what processes are used by NASA on space stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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We had a small log book you would sign after each job that the tools were accounted for.
 
AKBill said:
We had a small log book you would sign after each job that the tools were accounted for.
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This is a good idea, if the supervisor verified that the inventory was actually correct.
At the NAVY's repair station I last worked, we had three tool inventories each day. beginning of each shift, noon, and end of shift.
 
Blue shop rag in E225 (dry sump) oil tank (certainly there for years, caused no apparent harm).

Oil filter safety wire job; it was difficult to reach the terminus to properly tighten the wire so someone attached another wire about half-way along it pulling it way over to an engine mount member, thus tightening it adequately. Looked hilarious.
 
Tom-D said:
This is a good idea, if the supervisor verified that the inventory was actually correct
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The supervisor did not verify, but if the inventory was not correct when the next crew come on there was and investigation. There were spot checks by work center supervisors and Quality Assurance Reprehensive (QAR)
 
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On the electrical side, I find service loops that the installer interpreted to be “convenience” loops. I’ve rewired a couple of planes and removed pounds of unnecessary wire.

Also, plenty of automotive wire, floating grounds, floating hots , ground loops. And, unconventional wiring practices.
 
The old fart at Apex Airpark (RIP) I forget his name, left his frikken torque wrench on the top of a Cessna 180 engine. It finally worked its way out the front air intake, taking the oil cooler, prop, and windshield with it. This happened right directly over Hell's Canyon. The pilot was able to punch in nearest on his 430 and descended into LaGrande about 40 miles away.
 
AKBill said:
I've found a couple of screw drivers, safety wire pliers and a pair of vice grips. I always etch my name on all my tools, can't say I've ever left a tool in a plane. The navy beat it into my head to inventory the tool box after each job. Big sin in the Navy to leave a tool in a plane. We had planes return to base to look for tools, really pizzed off the CO and maintenance officer.
Click to expand...

Every maintenance form (MAF) had a sign off for Tools Accounted For.
 
AKBill said:
Big sin in the Navy to leave a tool in a plane. We had planes return to base to look for tools, really pizzed off the CO and maintenance officer.
Click to expand...
Some things don’t change. Tool inventories are still a big deal, and tools still get misplaced. I remember seeing jets not get to launch because of a missing tool.

Once, when a Tomcat was being launched off of Cat 4, a hammer went flying out from the left landing gear and bouncing down the flight deck. I’m not sure what kind of maintenance was being done with a hammer.
 
Tom-D said:
This is a good idea, if the supervisor verified that the inventory was actually correct.
At the NAVY's repair station I last worked, we had three tool inventories each day. beginning of each shift, noon, and end of shift.
Click to expand...
Waste of time. All that is necessary is a thurough FOD check at the completion of a job.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Waste of time. All that is necessary is a thurough FOD check at the completion of a job.
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How are you going to verify that a mechanic didn’t leave a tool inside an assembly? Disassemble everything at the completion of the job?
 
SkyDog58 said:
Maybe he was worried about intergranular corrosion in the wood grains. :eek:
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I have a vague recollection that acf50 can be used to treat the inside of the tube frame of the ragwing airplanes? Perhaps the extra stuff
was squeezed out to the interior? Hard to judge base without seeing it
 
Cooter said:
Some things don’t change. Tool inventories are still a big deal, and tools still get misplaced. I remember seeing jets not get to launch because of a missing tool.

Once, when a Tomcat was being launched off of Cat 4, a hammer went flying out from the left landing gear and bouncing down the flight deck. I’m not sure what kind of maintenance was being done with a hammer.
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Percussive maintenance is performed with a hammer.
 
GlennAB1 said:
What?

7.3.1 Quality Assurance Representative (QAR)


QARs are permanently assigned to the Quality Assurance Division. QAR qualifications:

a. Paygrade E-6 or above.

b. (Navy) Fully qualified in the Qualified and Proficient Technician (QPT) syllabus in their technical field for the type/model/series (T/M/S) aircraft supported

hat?
Click to expand...
 
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