Prop Damage and still flying

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
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Aug 8, 2013
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First Officer 6PC
Was surprised to see dings this large on a plane that landed this morning.

I am under the impression that even very minor dings can cause some pretty major issues. This appears to have been sanded but still seems extreme.

It was on a Husky.
 

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Obviously someone has "repaired" it, but IMHO it should not fly. Unless the prop and engine were dynamically balanced after the repair it is way out of balance. :eek:
 
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No one would buy it that way without it being reduced costs to replace it why fly it like that?
 
Have you talked to an A&P about prop damage? I once found a large divit in a prop on preflight, the A&P IA explained why it was airworthy...
 
It doesn't look like it meets the 3:1 slope requirements for repairs. More like 2:1, but it is in the second highest stress section of the prop so this should be reworked correctly. Between 4 to 8 inches inboard of the tip are some of the highest twisting forces. There are dozens of accidents in the records caused by prop tips separating in this very area. The imbalance tends to loosen or remove the engine from its' mount. The only worse place to have a large nick is between 4-8 inches out from the hub.
 
I vote not airworthy, and also more important unsafe. I don't care if it's been flying for 100 hours like that.
 
I just hope he isn't carrying passengers around. If he wants to kill himself, so be it.
 
philiplane said:
It doesn't look like it meets the 3:1 slope requirements for repairs. More like 2:1, but it is in the second highest stress section of the prop so this should be reworked correctly. Between 4 to 8 inches inboard of the tip are some of the highest twisting forces. There are dozens of accidents in the records caused by prop tips separating in this very area. The imbalance tends to loosen or remove the engine from its' mount. The only worse place to have a large nick is between 4-8 inches out from the hub.
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+1.....

That thing AIN'T airworthy....:no::no:......:nonod:
 
You could track him down with his N number, then link an article or two of prop failures in flight. A few mention previous prop damage as the cause if the breakup.
 
I wouldn't fly it.

Would suck to loose a few inches off one blade durning flight.
 
Balance has to be way off.lost the leading edge of a prop once. Not a fun day.
 
Oh come on... that's just back country flying rash. :rolleyes2: You should see what the tree stump looks like!
 
It obviously doesn't look airworthy to me either, but then again I'm not an A&P.
By the way, it's on a Champ, not a Husky.
 
ok I wasn't sure.
There were 5 planes out there that all looked very similar.

2 were Huskies one looked like a clipped wing cub but wasn't tandem inside rather side by side. And this bird.

Mrs. 6PC took a pic of all of them together. I will snag it off her phone
 
In general the maximum depth for a finished repair is 3/16ths. Is that more than 3/16ths? Maybe but honestly I think you'd have to measure it.
 
Henning said:
What part of "Pilots are Cheap" are you not familiar with?:rofl:;)
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Why, Perkins has a $12 repair kit for this ... just super glue and baking soda. Add little black paint and no one would be the wiser. ;)

http://www.bearperkins.com/accessories.htm
Emergency Prop Repair Kit
Comes with Glue, and Baking Soda, and File for a quick field repair of a dinged prop. This will not work miracles but will fill up a ding, or deeper scratch.

prop_repair_kit_small.jpg


Quantity Prop Repair Kit $12.00
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... and a proud pic of the finished product!

http://www.americanparagliding.com/prop_repair.htm

This propeller was back in the air within an hour!
Click to expand...
propfixed1_600x.jpg
 
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