Secure Doors

[Pat Stewart]

This weekend I started my engine with both doors open at idle. After a couple of minutes I saw something silver fall from the right side of the aircraft onto the wing and bounce to the ramp. My first thought was That it was a cleco but I could not figure out how I could have left a cleco laying on top of the airplane. After shutting down I walked around to retrieve the cleco and to my surprise I found one one the door latch pin tips. That prompted me to remove the remaining three tips and locktite all four tips back on. When I removed the remaining three tips I was able to remove two of them with my hands.

If any of the tips would have vibrated loose in flight it would have significantly reduced the contact area of the latch pins and possibly be another cause for a lost door in flight. This post is primarily intended to notify all 10 owners who use these tips to check their tips and add this inspection to your checklist.

Pat

 

[Ron B.]

Had they been locktited originaly?
Ron

 

[Strasnuts]

Pins

Everyone should check their pins and make sure they are loctited. Vibration can loosen these if they aren't tight and loctited. I have also seen some pushrods that are not consistent in I.D. The set screws or 5/16-24 threads can be pulled out. Mine are tight and glued and will not come out. Another way to make sure the pins don't come out is to pin them in place by drilling through the pushrods and the threads.