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Maintenance Safety Tip-1405
Is the Duct Ready for Flight? On November 16, 2013, a Piper PA-28-140 lost engine power shortly after takeoff and crashed, resulting in a destroyed aircraft and a seriously injured pilot. Why? Read on. You are probably very familiar with the air ducts commonly referred to as “SCAT,” “SCEET,” “CAT,” and “CEET.” You may have replaced some on the aircraft engines you have worked. You might even keep a ready supply on hand. Although we are not going to go into detail about each duct here, we do caution you to ensure that the one you are using is
Maintenance Safety Tip-
“Fly-Away” Tools! It is sad to say there have been fatalities attributed to tools left in aircraft. Can you imagine the immense emotional impact - and the legal consequences - if your tool caused a loss of life? With a little common sense, attention to detail and time, you can avoid the dire consequences of leaving your tools where they might cause harm to innocent people. This is one type of accident you can absolutely prevent —the cure is simple, and may keep you from becoming the cause of an accident. After every maintenance action, account for every
GA Maintenance Alert
Safety and Security of Components A review of recent helicopter accidents has revealed a number of improper maintenance practices and techniques. Contributing significantly to these accidents is the improper safety and security of critical flight control systems, engine systems, and drive system components. In some cases, proper torque was not applied, safety wire or cotter pins were not installed, self-locking nuts were reused numerous times where they lost their self-locking capability, and critical components were removed and reinstalled without following the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICAs). A preliminary review as to why these improper maintenance practices and techniques were
Maintenance Safety Tip
"Heading Off” Aircraft Heading Errors How often do you think about the sensitive nature of the heading reference systems installed in that aircraft you are working on? Maybe you should. Check out the new Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB CE-15-01) issued by the FAA on 11/4/2014. There continues to be a growing number of reported heading errors and anomalies in heading reference systems due to standard maintenance practices and the use of standard tools while maintaining these systems. The problem stems from the sensitive nature of these heading sensors which can be substantially affected by ferrous materials, including the
Maintenance Safety Tip-1404
Good Intentions + Lack of Knowledge = Fatal Consequences Substituting a recommended compound with a non-recommended compound can have unintentional consequences. An example of this is when an operator substituted a lubricant with a non-lubricant during an installation of a threaded rod end. The procedures only called for grease on the threaded rod end. The operator’s intent was to enhance corrosion protection but instead he unknowingly affected the preload on the threaded connection by using the torque value for threads with lubricant. This led to premature thread wear (see image below). Unfortunately the damage remained undetected until the threads
Photo and Video Chronology — December 3, 2024 — Kīlauea summit webcam maintenance
The KWcam on the eastern rim of Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera) has been sending blurry images due water condensation inside the camera enclosure. On December 3rd, 2024, HVO staff visited the webcam to dry out the enclosure and search for any perforations that may be the source of the leak. USGS photo by H. Winslow. A HVO geologist inspected the KWcam enclosure for potential water entry points and found a weak seal. HVO staff will likely return in the future to make repairs to the enclosure or replace it all together. USGS photo by J. Barnett. HVO staff also visited the
Aviation Maintenance Alert for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 Aircraft
The Chicago Aircraft Certification Branch has posted an Aviation Maintenance Alert for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 Aircraft. This Alert results from an accident that occurred on May 27, 2018 in Houston, Texas where a SR-20 airplane crashed shortly after takeoff.The pilot reported that he could not maintain roll control of the airplane immediately after takeoff. The airplane began to roll to the left. The pilot was able to counteract with right aileron input initially, but the airplane continued to roll to the left. The pilot continued to use right aileron and trim, lowered the nose, and executed a straight-in forced landing
St. Louis Aviation Maintenance Association Message
A message from the St. Louis Aviation Maintenance Association (SLAMA), After 26 years of hosting the Inspection Authorization (IA) Renewal and Maintenance Symposium, the SLAMA Executive Board made the decision to postpone this year’s event scheduled for February 2021. The new date for this event is now Thursday September 16, 2021 and will count towards the next even-numbered year IA cycle starting April 1, 2021. In accordance with FAR § 65.92(a) each inspection authorization expires on March 31 of each odd-numbered year. The current inspection authorizations are set to expire on March 31, 2021. If utilizing a “refresher course”
Human Factors Training Resources for Aviation Maintenance
On May 24, 2022, the FAA published an interim final rule that establishes new regulations for part 147. The new regulations can be found here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-05-24/pdf/2022-10367.pdf The final rule also includes some changes to part 65 regulations regarding certification of mechanics. Specifically, on August 1, 2023, the FAA will begin testing mechanic applicants using the following standards: FAA-S-ACS-1, Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe, and Powerplant Airman Certification Standards, dated November 1, 2021 (Mechanic ACS). The Mechanic ACS can be found here:https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/ One of the new subject areas in the Mechanic ACS is Human Factors. The Human Factors subject area is not