Flat Tire on Cessna. What did I do?

Skid

Skid

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Skid
Hello all,

Recently getting back into flying after an almost 10 year hiatus. I logged about 20 hours in the last two months, just trying to get in as much practice in as possible to bring myself back to par. I did about 6 landings today, all which were pretty average. None that I recall were too "forceful", sideways or flat. The wind was for the most part right down the runway and relatively light, so everything was working to my advantage.

After parking and talking to a nearby fellow pilot, I noticed the plane sitting very low on the right side. I went and checked and sure enough right main was completely flat. I didn't notice anything strange while taxiing, and I even pushed the plane back to its parking spot without much trouble (indicating that it at least had some air at that point).

So this (probably stupidly) has me slightly discouraged that maybe my landings were harder than I thought or that I was too sideways at some point? I was curious how many have you have encountered a flat tire and if there is any common theme to them. For all I know I may have ran over a nail or something, but it seems unlikely. The plane has wheel fairings so I couldn't really check for bald spots or punctures.

Thanks!
 
Could have been flat spotted on previous flights. Doubt it was you from what you described. Don't sweat it, they'll change it, normal wear and tear on rentals.
 
Skid said:
Hello all,

Recently getting back into flying after an almost 10 year hiatus. I logged about 20 hours in the last two months, just trying to get in as much practice in as possible to bring myself back to par. I did about 6 landings today, all which were pretty average. None that I recall were too "forceful", sideways or flat. The wind was for the most part right down the runway and relatively light, so everything was working to my advantage.

After parking and talking to a nearby fellow pilot, I noticed the plane sitting very low on the right side. I went and checked and sure enough right main was completely flat. I didn't notice anything strange while taxiing, and I even pushed the plane back to its parking spot without much trouble (indicating that it at least had some air at that point).

So this (probably stupidly) has me slightly discouraged that maybe my landings were harder than I thought or that I was too sideways at some point? I was curious how many have you have encountered a flat tire and if there is any common theme to them. For all I know I may have ran over a nail or something, but it seems unlikely. The plane has wheel fairings so I couldn't really check for bald spots or punctures.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Couple months ago when I was still a student I was taking the old flight school Cherokee for a few laps in the pattern, taxied up to the gold short and called tower I was ready for take off.
Got cleared and I powered up to taxi onto the run way and didn't budge. Started having a mild heart attack trying to figure out wth was happening, I thought I had broke the brakes our somthing.

My front tire got pinched somehow and popped so I spent 45 mins in the Texas heat watching others land until I got help.


Don't get discouraged, stuff like that happens. Probably not even your fault
 
If the flight and landings were as uneventful as you describe, I doubt it was caused by you.

It's also possible that the tire was on its last leg before you ever flew it. As Mark said, don't sweat it, it's no biggie.
 
Who knows, could have been a ton of things, some your fault some not, won't know till you take the tire and tube off
 
You did a skidding landing.
 
Not too forceful sideways..... no Bueno. Should be no sideways force.
 
in other words....your landing sucked and you flat spotted a tire. No biggie. lol :D

I did that once....it left me on the runway with no air in the tire. :lol:
 
Last edited:
Skid said:
Hello all,

Recently getting back into flying after an almost 10 year hiatus. I logged about 20 hours in the last two months, just trying to get in as much practice in as possible to bring myself back to par. I did about 6 landings today, all which were pretty average. None that I recall were too "forceful", sideways or flat. The wind was for the most part right down the runway and relatively light, so everything was working to my advantage.

After parking and talking to a nearby fellow pilot, I noticed the plane sitting very low on the right side. I went and checked and sure enough right main was completely flat. I didn't notice anything strange while taxiing, and I even pushed the plane back to its parking spot without much trouble (indicating that it at least had some air at that point).

So this (probably stupidly) has me slightly discouraged that maybe my landings were harder than I thought or that I was too sideways at some point? I was curious how many have you have encountered a flat tire and if there is any common theme to them. For all I know I may have ran over a nail or something, but it seems unlikely. The plane has wheel fairings so I couldn't really check for bald spots or punctures.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I try to roll the plane back and look for flat spots even with the wheel pants on. Roll, look roll look roll look.
 
exncsurfer said:
I try to roll the plane back and look for flat spots even with the wheel pants on. Roll, look roll look roll look.
Click to expand...
Yup, that works. Also, check tire pressures before flight. Lots of people skip that, and the tire gets REALLY low before it's obvious visually. If it's that low, the tire can rotate on the bead and make the valve leak.

I've seen new tires pinch tubes due to improper installation. A post-mortem inspection will expose some problems.
 
Skid said:
Hello all,

Recently getting back into flying after an almost 10 year hiatus. I logged about 20 hours in the last two months, just trying to get in as much practice in as possible to bring myself back to par. I did about 6 landings today, all which were pretty average. None that I recall were too "forceful", sideways or flat. The wind was for the most part right down the runway and relatively light, so everything was working to my advantage.

After parking and talking to a nearby fellow pilot, I noticed the plane sitting very low on the right side. I went and checked and sure enough right main was completely flat. I didn't notice anything strange while taxiing, and I even pushed the plane back to its parking spot without much trouble (indicating that it at least had some air at that point).

So this (probably stupidly) has me slightly discouraged that maybe my landings were harder than I thought or that I was too sideways at some point? I was curious how many have you have encountered a flat tire and if there is any common theme to them. For all I know I may have ran over a nail or something, but it seems unlikely. The plane has wheel fairings so I couldn't really check for bald spots or punctures.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Sometimes stuff just happens.

It could be that you ran over something. Could be that there was already a flat spot that finally gave out. Could be a pinch valve stem. Some things we have control over, and sometimes…..crap just happens.

I recently had a flat nosewheel on the Baron. I had just made a rather smooth landing at Allentown. We were on the ground about 10-15 minutes to pick up a part. Walked out to the airplane and everything looked fine. I personally removed the chocks from the nose-wheel and the tire looked totally normal. Starter up, picked up our clearance and while taxiing out to the runway…..nose wheel went completely flat.

Got towed back and replaced the tire and sure enough….pinched/torn valve stem. I still haven't figured out how that happened.

Unless you can specifically link the flat tire to something you know you did (hard landing, bad side-load, locked up the brakes) then I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
mscard88 said:
Probably pilot technique. ;) :D
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Possibly. In all likelihood though, the REAL reason, I believe, is because the night before, I had been trash talking another guy's Baron.

We were actually in the process of flying the mechanic up to rescue this other Baron that was a maintenance problem child. I was flying the A&P up to pick up the part needed. The previous night I was suggesting that the owner of the problem Baron should get another airplane as mine had 'never stranded me'…..famous last words….
 
I had a nose wheel blow just as I was rotating. Didn't realize it until I landed. I thought the sudden shimmy was caused by the front end unloading as it came off the ground.
I asked the mechanic about it. His answer was perfect, for a flight school airplane:

"I was wondering about the nose wheel. The guy who flew it before you blew both mains when he landed. I just barely got them changed before you got here. "

No one thought to mention that to me when I picked up the plane?!!??? Maybe it was something I needed to know?
In the end, no matter what happens, it's just another day at the office.
 
It's a rental, don't they run them til the go flat?

I've had several flats for a variety of reasons, never from having a flat spot or exposed cords.

The only one I feel directly responsible for was when I took a corner too tight (can I blame the complete absence of centerline markings?) on a narrow taxiway and went over a 4" asphalt edge, rolled the tire off the rim at night.
 
Mesquite thorns will flatten an airplane tire/tube. It'll sure shorten your roll-out after landing!
 
You probably did nothing. At many airports, particularly in the SW, where it is hot and dry, the heat just deteriorates the tires. We see it all the time at my airport, especially in the summer. It may have just worn down to that point and went flat on ya. I wouldn't sweat it. As someone said upthread, normal wear and tear.
 
I've been replacing a lot of tires and tubes lately, and I suspect that quality is an issue. In one well-known brand of premium tire, tubes are being chafed right at the spot there's a small label inside the tire near the balancing patch, and that label is found in small, brittle pieces, like chips of varnish, when I open it up. In a cheap, popular tire, the prominent molded-in ribs and nearly-exposed fabric cord inside the tire are chafing the tube. On some newer, popular wheels, the drilled valve stem hole has sharp edges on the inside that chomp at the stem.

It's hard for a pilot to flatten a tire unless he locks the brakes and skids good and hard and rips through all the layers of cord in the tire so that the tube bulges through and blows. Or lands in a horrific crab and pulls the bead way off the wheel's bead seat and lets the tube bulge out. Or lets the pressure get so low that the tires slips on the wheel when braking and tears the stem off the tube.
 
Could also just be a bad tube.

Quote from a when I posted about my flats.

Both of my bow wheel tubes failed, first one one failed along the seem between the tube and the valve, second one failed during a job, cost me $120 to replace (didn't have any spares or tools on me) and it failed perfectly along one of the ribs that goes around the tube, not sure if it helps, but here the markings that were on the tube.

Absolute crap, funny how this junk can find its way to our certified fleet, but a dynon sky view is no Bueno

image.jpg
 
SkyDog58 said:
What did you do to cause the flat? Your user name raises suspicions.

:D
Click to expand...

Haha I was waiting for someone to point that out, but I swear it's unrelated....that nickname came from another time. Thanks for all the responses though. I admit that I got lazy on my preflights when it came to tires and just took a quick glance at it. I'll start rolling it back and forth to check for bald spots.

On that same note, with the wheel fairings on, do I need a special tire pressure gauge to check them? I can't think of how deep the valve stem sits in with the fairing on and would like to get one before my next flight.

Thanks
 
A single head tire gauge like a gauge for a car is fine. Definitely don't want a double headed truck tire gauge.
 
exncsurfer said:
I try to roll the plane back and look for flat spots even with the wheel pants on. Roll, look roll look roll look.
Click to expand...

Yup. That's how I found out what I did to our right main! LOL.

Dan Thomas said:
I've been replacing a lot of tires and tubes lately, and I suspect that quality is an issue. In one well-known brand of premium tire, tubes are being chafed right at the spot there's a small label inside the tire near the balancing patch, and that label is found in small, brittle pieces, like chips of varnish, when I open it up. In a cheap, popular tire, the prominent molded-in ribs and nearly-exposed fabric cord inside the tire are chafing the tube. On some newer, popular wheels, the drilled valve stem hole has sharp edges on the inside that chomp at the stem.

It's hard for a pilot to flatten a tire unless he locks the brakes and skids good and hard and rips through all the layers of cord in the tire so that the tube bulges through and blows. Or lands in a horrific crab and pulls the bead way off the wheel's bead seat and lets the tube bulge out. Or lets the pressure get so low that the tires slips on the wheel when braking and tears the stem off the tube.
Click to expand...

Here's hoping the "china bomb" syndrome that's well known in RV trailers caused by crap tires made in China, doesn't spread into aviation.

Skid said:
Haha I was waiting for someone to point that out, but I swear it's unrelated....that nickname came from another time. Thanks for all the responses though. I admit that I got lazy on my preflights when it came to tires and just took a quick glance at it. I'll start rolling it back and forth to check for bald spots.

On that same note, with the wheel fairings on, do I need a special tire pressure gauge to check them? I can't think of how deep the valve stem sits in with the fairing on and would like to get one before my next flight.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You can just roll it forward. No need to go back and forth. :)

Clark1961 said:
A single head tire gauge like a gauge for a car is fine. Definitely don't want a double headed truck tire gauge.
Click to expand...

Yup. The big ones won't fit. Frankly on ours even the usual single sided won't fit well. We bought a little hose extension that's about 4" long and we just reach in there and screw that on, and then check pressure at the end of the little hose. You lose a little air putting it on, so we just know we'll probably add some every time we check.

You'll also have some "fun" the first time figuring out where the valve stem needs to be to reach it through the little door or whatever access you have. Hahaha. Now THAT day I definitely rolled the airplane back and forth, multiple times, trying to figure that game out.

Ours like to be straight forward for easiest access or slightly below straight forward, by the way, but it probably doesn't help you much to know that. My fingers won't bend backward to reach in there in any other position. So maybe that is similar on many setups.

It's way harder to check the air on my inside tires in the back on the dually, than the airplane. I HATE doing that.
 
Skid said:
After parking and talking to a nearby fellow pilot, I noticed the plane sitting very low on the right side. I went and checked and sure enough right main was completely flat. I didn't notice anything strange while taxiing, and I even pushed the plane back to its parking spot without much trouble (indicating that it at least had some air at that point). So this (probably stupidly) has me slightly discouraged that maybe my landings were harder than I thought or that I was too sideways at some point?
Click to expand...
Presuming the plane was a FBO rental, and they had to change the tire, did anyone tell you what the apparent cause of the flat was - e.g. 'scorched' flat spot, cut, obvious puncture?

I agree with a number of posters who suggest that it may just have been end-of-life for that tire, possibly it had a bald spot that you didn't / couldn't see on pre-flight, etc. Another possibility is brakes - did you inadvertently ride them after touchdown? Over the years I have blown 2 tires on Mooneys because I touched the brakes on touchdown (didn't even realize it the first time). But, if the plane had 'sensitive' brakes and your feet were a little high on one or both rudder pedals . . .
 
I can buy the cheapest tire at Walmart for my car air it up check it after a year of use and it still has the 32psi in it from a year ago. Buy the best aircraft tire and tube, after a few days I have to add air. A little Fix-a-Flat in the tire and you get years of use without having to add air.
 
Taxiing out at KISP back in the '70s (man, I'm old) heard tower tell a guy one of his main's looked flat... guy responded "Tire is fine, think the ground is a little harder here than back home"
 
You guys are at nice flight schools. Mine would charge the cost of the tire if it was flat spotted or damaged. I always moved the plane back and forth to check things prior to use so I wouldn't pay for someone else's poor landing technique. Despite this, I managed a flat main on a nearly brand new tire. Owner was already telling me on the radio I would be charged for it. Mechanic found a nail in it that I picked up during taxi out that EXACTLY matched materials being used to construct the new hangars at the departure end of the runway. I didn't pay for the tire ...
 
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