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Vent Door Fell Off!

A

ArlingtonRV

Well Known Member
Just a heads up for others. As I was flying along today, at some point, the left side vent door departed the aircraft. I don't know if it was in flight or on the ground, but when I put the airplane away it was gone!

It was assembled and installed exactly per the plans, and that was my first mistake. The instructions have you installing the screw upside doen against normal convention.

I checked the right side and the nut was only engaged by a couple of threads. I tightened it up and it will be OK for now, but now I have to make a new one and have it painted. I know, I'm a moron I should have done something about this earlier.

The new door will be held in place with a bolt installed from the top with a castellated nut and cotter pin.
 
ArlingtonRV said:
Just a heads up for others. As I was flying along today, at some point, the left side vent door departed the aircraft. I don't know if it was in flight or on the ground, but when I put the airplane away it was gone!

It was assembled and installed exactly per the plans, and that was my first mistake. The instructions have you installing the screw upside doen against normal convention.

I checked the right side and the nut was only engaged by a couple of threads. I tightened it up and it will be OK for now, but now I have to make a new one and have it painted. I know, I'm a moron I should have done something about this earlier.

The new door will be held in place with a bolt installed from the top with a castellated nut and cotter pin.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm....
I am pretty sure that the KAI specifies the use of a screw length that has a lot of threads protruding through the nut, and specifies the the use of small self locking MS nuts for the screws on the vents. Since the locking friction of these little nuts is so high that it actually makes them rather difficult to install, I am having a hard time understanding how they could have just "fallen off" (unless you never fully tightened them).
 
Pieces falling of airplanes is never a good thing, but I have never heard of a -12 or an RV-10 rear vents falling off. If I am not mistaken the -12 vents are the same as -10 rear vents. You gotta love the Van engineers, think of the savings! There are plenty of both flying with 10's of thousands of hours now with no issues that I am aware of.
 
Last edited:
Self flagellation

After further review and going to the replay it appears that the screws were never tightened up. It appears to be a case of "I thought you did it", "No, I thought you did it." So, apparently it never got done.
 
ArlingtonRV said:
After further review and going to the replay it appears that the screws were never tightened up. It appears to be a case of "I thought you did it", "No, I thought you did it." So, apparently it never got done.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the reason I resist building a plane with others, even though I am sure the joint effort has many rewards. I am reminded of Edwards Deming and his quality processes, one of which was limiting the number of participants responsible for deliverables. :)
 
ArlingtonRV said:
After further review and going to the replay it appears that the screws were never tightened up. It appears to be a case of "I thought you did it", "No, I thought you did it." So, apparently it never got done.
Click to expand...

Glad you figured it out, and posted the results. Sometimes the guy in the mirror is the one to point the finger at. Ask me how I know that! ;)
 
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