czechsix
Well Known Member
Here's some pics of the top of the vertical stab of my RV-8A that I took with my cellphone camera yesterday evening. I flew the airplane from Kansas City out to Virginia to spend the 4th of July weekend with my inlaws and left it tied down on the ramp at Blacksburg/VA Tech airport (KBCB). When I did the preflight inspection to depart Blacksburg on Tues morning, I noticed a black lump up on the tail and thought it was a bird dropping. Blasted featherdusters, why do they have to poop on my airplane? Anyway I figured I would clean it off later. Got in the airplane and started it up, and discovered that the alternator was offline. I thought this was odd since it was working fine when I shut down a few days earlier. Cycled the breaker and Alt field switch with no luck. Since I have dual batteries on board I elected to make a 1 hour flight down to where my parents live in NC, just south of Charlotte (JAARS Townsend field, N52), where I knew I could get tools and help to troubleshoot the alternator problem. Upon arrival I borrowed a voltmeter and figured out that the problem was a failed voltage regulator, so I ordered a new one next-day-air from B&C and installed it Wed morning. This fixed the problem and I had an uneventful flight back home to Kansas. After wiping the bugs off, I climbed up on a stool to clean off the bird dropping on the tail, and realized it was actually a hole melted in the aluminum and fiberglass, obviously from a lightning strike. I called the Blacksburg airport and the line boy confirmed that the airport had been hit by lightning during a t-storm that blew through on the afternoon of the 4th, but he was not aware of exactly where the strike occurred. I inspected the rest of the airplane to see if I could find an exit point for the other end of the lightning bolt. So far I haven't found anything. The tiedown ropes may have been wet enough to conduct the current to the ground without burning. It's interesting that the voltage regulator (mounted on the firewall on the opposite end of the airplane from where the lightning hit) was the only electrical component damaged. Everything else seems to be working just fine.
Anyway, the irony of the situation has not escaped me. Struck by lightning, on the 4th of July, right next to the lightning bolt graphic I put on the tail. Moral of the story: don't tempt fate by putting a lightning bolt on the tail of your airplane, and then leaving it outside in a thunderstorm.
----------------------------------------------UPDATE---------------------------------------------
Well the mystery of what happened to the other end of the lightning bolt is no longer a mystery. I pulled a bunch of panels and fairings off the airplane and found arcing damage on the outboard rim of both wheels. The damage to the right wheel is fairly minor, the damage to the left wheel is more severe, with two melted spots on the rim. No damage to the tires or tight-fitting fiberglass wheel fairings.
Sounds like my insurance company is willing to pay for all the damages (no deductible) which looks to be amounting to well over $1K at this point...
Mark Navratil
RV-8A N2D
Olathe, KS
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