Object fell from an airplane

jpower

jpower

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James
Well, according to the local DC news station.

http://www.wtop.com/41/3555284/FAA-investigates-metal-piece-that-strikes-Va-home

There's a video at the bottom of the article that has some shots of this mystery object. It looks like a big 'ol funky-looking bolt, but someone here might have a better idea of what it is.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I have no idea how the reporting in the video is. I don't have access to sound right now, but I'll watch it later tonight. So if they sound totally incompetent, don't blame me :).)
 
Might have been easier to identify had they shown a few pictures of it rather than the jabber-jawing reporter.
 
That bolt is in really bad shape. I doubt it was doing anything involving airworthiness on any airplane. Might have been used as a tool, or maybe a gear downlock pin, and fell out after takeoff.

Dan
 
Four inches long and weighs several pounds, they say?

No way that weighs one pound.

Impressive hole in the roof and ceiling, though.
 
"it could have fallen on children at the elementary school", "it could have hit my dog".
Move the airport before the carnage begins!:D

Obviously not the bolt that holds the engine or the wings on.
 
Space debris or wood chipper bolt.
 
Sleepingsquirrel said:
"it could have fallen on children at the elementary school", "it could have hit my dog".
Move the airport before the carnage begins!:D

Obviously not the bolt that holds the engine or the wings on.
Click to expand...

Hilarious. :rofl:
 
RV10flyer said:
Space debris or wood chipper bolt.
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I do think the wood chipper bolt looks more likely than an aircraft bolt. :confused:

If it wasn't winter, I'd say lawnmower.

1z3057o.png
 
My money is on some person with a potato cannon firing it up into the sky.. They would have had to launch it almost straight up to gain velocity for it to puncture the roof.... The perp is within a few blocks.. IMHO..

And as another poster said.... It looks to me like a old,worn out ball joint off a semi...
 
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N801BH said:
My money is on some person with a potato cannon firing it up into the sky.. They would have had to launch it almost straight up to gain velocity for it to puncture the roof.... The perp is within a few blocks.. IMHO..

And as another poster said.... It looks to me like a old,worn out ball joint off a semi...
Click to expand...

Crossed my mind as well.
 
Its from a passing UFO duh... :rofl:

It has a lot of dirt and damage for it to be off a plane I think.
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
I do think the wood chipper bolt looks more likely than an aircraft bolt. :confused:

If it wasn't winter, I'd say lawnmower.

1z3057o.png
Click to expand...

What ever this is, some beat the heck out of it to get it off. Unless the house it penetrated was made of hammer heads...:yikes:

My guess some guy was replacing the tie rod ends on his 1976 Cordoba in the warmth of his buddies air-o-plane hanger. Then after the last torch and whack was finished the post popped off and rolled out the door coming to a halt in front of his 85 year old neighbors hanger door that houses his classic PT-17 bi-plane.

The next day the old dude got to the airport and slid the hanger door open and spotted the stud. Bending over with robotic movement and carnival noises he picked it up and put it in his shirt pocket, mumbling something like "someone could loose an eye with that thing laying around here".

The old man proceeded to hand prop his plane hop up in the cockpit with the agility of a 82 year old and proceeded to take off down the runway.
After reaching an unknown altitude he proceeded to start performing barrel rolls only to get confused and stuck upside down. It was at this point the 1976 Cordoba tie rod end slipped from his pocket and made its way safely back down to earth. ;)

See, there is a logical explanation for everything, you just gotta believe.
 
MyassisDragon said:
What ever this is, some beat the heck out of it to get it off. Unless the house it penetrated was made of hammer heads...:yikes:

My guess some guy was replacing the tie rod ends on his 1976 Cordoba in the warmth of his buddies air-o-plane hanger. Then after the last torch and whack was finished the post popped off and rolled out the door coming to a halt in front of his 85 year old neighbors hanger door that houses his classic PT-17 bi-plane.

The next day the old dude got to the airport and slid the hanger door open and spotted the stud. Bending over with robotic movement and carnival noises he picked it up and put it in his shirt pocket, mumbling something like "someone could loose an eye with that thing laying around here".

The old man proceeded to hand prop his plane hop up in the cockpit with the agility of a 82 year old and proceeded to take off down the runway.
After reaching an unknown altitude he proceeded to start performing barrel rolls only to get confused and stuck upside down. It was at this point the 1976 Cordoba tie rod end slipped from his pocket and made its way safely back down to earth. ;)

See, there is a logical explanation for everything, you just gotta believe.
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Its always the simple explanation. :yeahthat: :D
 
N801BH said:
My money is on some person with a potato cannon firing it up into the sky.. They would have had to launch it almost straight up to gain velocity for it to puncture the roof.... The perp is within a few blocks.. IMHO..

And as another poster said.... It looks to me like a old,worn out ball joint off a semi...
Click to expand...

No way. The gas company guy already identified it as "likely a piece of an airplane," so end of story. Case closed. :lol:
 
But a barrel roll would keep positive G loading and the bolt would stay in the shirt pocket.
 
EdFred said:
But a barrel roll would keep positive G loading and the bolt would stay in the shirt pocket.
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But, But,he got confused and remained topside down. Probably lost his Beemans out his right pocket too...except no one reported it since the neighbor dog has probably chewed it up and is feeding it to the moles by now....:yesnod:
 
I like the farm tractor wood chipper idea but at that angle it looked like it came straight down and penetrated the roof. I wouldn't think that machinery could throw some thing that high in order to gaine enough velocity to punch through, although with the cheap housing construction I guess it cold be possible.
 
It does look a lot like an automotive ball joint. Here's a photo of one from Wikipedia:

Ball_joint_cross_section.jpg
 
NoHeat said:
It does look a lot like an automotive ball joint. Here's a photo of one from Wikipedia:

Ball_joint_cross_section.jpg
Click to expand...

The simpler theories are often correct.

Bet ya some neighborhood kids are laughing their butts off or hiding in fear. Some surgical tubing and a little ingenuity can do some damage:

SlingShot.jpg
 
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NoHeat said:
It does look a lot like an automotive ball joint. Here's a photo of one from Wikipedia:

Ball_joint_cross_section.jpg
Click to expand...

Not the same as the mystery object. Ball joints and tie rod ends have tapered shanks so they wedge tightly and don't move in their bores. The thing that fell through the roof has a straight shank and short threads typical of a lot of large-aircraft fittings. The corroded or broken top makes it hard to identify.

Dan
 
Dan Thomas said:
Not the same as the mystery object. Ball joints and tie rod ends have tapered shanks so they wedge tightly and don't move in their bores. The thing that fell through the roof has a straight shank and short threads typical of a lot of large-aircraft fittings. The corroded or broken top makes it hard to identify.

Dan
Click to expand...

Look at the picture in post #14 closer.... Altho it doesn't have a long taper on the shank, it does have a lead in taper and a flange under the part that is destroyed... I have seen numerous ball joints and tie rod ends that have an identical shank set up on back hoes and other off road ,slow moving heavy equipment..... IMHO..
 
Maybe we need AggieMike to help us.

I've looked through a lot of images of automotive ball joints now. Haven't found a match yet for the one that fell from the sky, but I am convinced they don't all look alike. Here's one from an auto restoration website that lacks a big taper:

E0TZ-3049-B.jpg
 
jpower said:
Aaaaand what a shock.

http://www.wtop.com/41/3556951/Metal-that-fell-from-Va-sky-not-from-plane
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Nice. Those crazy wood chippers.

With another wacky video interview.

"I'm glad there's no airplane going around with a part missing but I would worry for anyone living next to one of these construction sites," explained Abbie Baker. "And one of these is right there."

Little did Baker realize the culprit, which ABC7 found, was sitting only about a block from her house. The tub grinder belongs to Earth Crafters. The company's owner confirms the object - a grinding tooth - came from his machine. He says in all the years he's had this piece of equipment, it's never been so accidentally destructive.

The machine's owner stresses his profound regret over what happened and plans on meeting with Abbie Baker to pay for her damaged home. He says he'll also move the machine farther back to make sure debris doesn't hit any homes.

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/0...ed-into-herndon-home-99902.html#ixzz2sVSuMKsR
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wsuffa said:
News tonight said it was from a chipper
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Congrats to Rv10flyer and El Paso Pilot for correctly guessing this on the first page of this thread!

Here's a picture of a "grinding tooth" and it does indeed look like the roof-penetrating missile:

GT1100SD.jpg
 
And the next logical question. How did it get enough energy behind it to bust through a roof?
 
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