Frightening

[9GT]

The log books for my old C-152 indicated that a bucking bar was found inside the wing after a repair was made which bounced around and damaged the skin.

[Snowflake]

I see the problem in the first photo (landing lights should be mounted to the *front* of the wing), but I don't see it in the second... Can someone summarize?

[DaleB]

Originally Posted by Ironflight

I seem to remember that when we took the rear-most inspection cover off of the RV-1's tail cone, we were able to add a couple of small tools to Jay Pratt's collection. So this is a phenomenon that goes WAY back..... (Not saying they were Van's tools, probably a subsequent owner!).

I seem to recall reading about a pair of pliers or something that was found wedged into the Spirit of St. Louis when they poked around some of the recesses with a camera. It could have been something else, but I thought it was the NYP.

[Auburntsts]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

I see the problem in the first photo (landing lights should be mounted to the *front* of the wing), but I don't see it in the second... Can someone summarize?

Just a guess but I'm thinking he was showing that the aileron bell crank was in that same bay and that the flashlight could potentially jam it some how.

[RV7ator]

A D-cell flashlight (not mine) in the flap motor bay of our 172. A combo wrench atop #s 1and 3 at the subsequent -7 oil change (Absolutely no idea who's that might be. Not my fault. Won't happen again.) I've become paranoid enough to undress whatever was open until I find every tool. And then there are times I forget I've forgotten something which fortunately appears as if by magic somewhere in the hangar where I never went. Un huh.

John Siebold

[JimS]

That nut with the torque seal has got to be bottomed out also.

[donaziza]

One time I was flying a chopper in Vietnam. (Marines) Began to notice the flight controls were getting awfully stiff. After landing, went up and started inspecting. Found a screw driver wedged between a flight control bell crank and the floor. Couldn't even get the darn thing out. Crew chief had to disassemble the bell crank to get it out.

[High_Flyer]

Non RV related, but a few years ago I had an engine failure on 747-200, when the engineers opened the engine cowlings a hammer fell on the ground. Traced back with the serial nr to a mechanic who had worked on the plane on the last inspection a few weeks before. It was not the cause of the engine failure though.
So it happens everywhere, on every kind of airplane...

[Bill Boyd]

but my first thought was that the pic was meant to point out that someone had jerry-rigged a bellcrank connection with a tall standoff and bolt that put tremendous bending load on the bolt and wasn't to plans. Apparently I would be wrong in that assumption. I will defer to the materials engineers on this. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies to look at that set-up, though.

-Stormy

[Brantel]

Originally Posted by Bill Boyd

but my first thought was that the pic was meant to point out that someone had jerry-rigged a bellcrank connection with a tall standoff and bolt that put tremendous bending load on the bolt and wasn't to plans. Apparently I would be wrong in that assumption. I will defer to the materials engineers on this. Still gives me the heebie-jeebies to look at that set-up, though.

-Stormy

That is a spacer. The bolt goes thru the steel bell crank on both ends. The actual pivot point of the bell crank is not shown in that pic.