What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Ever lose a tool in your airplane?

I have a bucking bar that rode around in the wingtip of a commercial aircraft. It could only have been "installed" there when the aircraft was manufactured, and I discovered it when the aircraft was in for a new spar, having time-X'd its original spar. Man, did the skin in the wing panel ever have a nice shine to it!
 
I flew my piper colt to a mechanic so they could (if memory serves) reface the vernatherm seat. When I went to pick it up I was doing a preflight and I found an 18" maglight inside the engine compartment. When I walked back to their hangar with the flashlight you could see the sudden looks of embarrassment...
 
Found a complete socket set, including the case, in the wall of a military aircraft during heavy maintenance. Tracked it down to belonging to a contractor that did a modification on the aircraft 4-5 years prior.

Another aircraft, had an engine flame out at altitude 4 times in one week. Every time they did ground runs, it worked fine. Finally caught the low fuel pressure on the next near flame out, prompting a look in the tanks. Found two or three hazmat mats in the tank from the last cell maintenance a couple years prior.

Then, there's this...

http://www.defensetech.org/2012/01/27/a-basic-mistake-that-trashed-a-jstars/
 
A friend bought a new German sailplane and when he first looped it he heard a loud clunk in the aft fuselage.

A little investigating found a 3 pound mallet that must have been in the fuselage when the factory glued the two halves together.

A little PO'd he called the US agent/importer who was well known for nickel and diming customers with small items. The first thing the agent did was call to his wife "Hey dear, did we charge Bob for that mallet?"

Even he had to laugh...:)


---------------------------------------

And even the big boys can lose flashlights. I saw this one from my office -

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-09-06/local/me-1096_1_emergency-landing
 
Last edited:
Found objects

When I do DAR inspections I commonly find tools.
Be careful folks!
 
I have a very nice, high dollar, torque wrench that I found on top of an engine while doing an annual. Owner said it wasn't his. Now it's mine.

The Air Force taught us to do a tool inventory after any maintenance/inspection.
 
Bucking bar

I have a nice bucking bar that was flying in a Comanche 260B wheel well. No idea how long and how many miles it traveled.
 
Found One at OSH

At AirVenture a few years back I was perusing the offers from Piper - their Cherokee line, and what did I find but a 10" file laying in between the number 1 & 3 cylinders on a Warrior. These airplanes were brand new and had been flown in for the show. I discreetly brought my find to the attention of the sales rep, who blew me off and said such a thing wasn't possible because of the QC at Piper Aircraft.

As I was walking away (and looking over my shoulder) the rep "snuck" over to the airplane, stealthily removed the offending file and discretely relocated it to a more appropriate resting place - all the while looking around to see who might be watching to comment on the "QC at Piper Aircraft".

David Howe
 
Another very good reason to keep tools organized. I've seen so many toolboxes where the wrenches are just piled into a drawer (usually along with various other things like screwdrivers and drill bits and who knows what else).

I never shadowboxed my toolchest drawers, but I do have every set lined up in a nice, orderly manner by size and type...wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, whatever.

Makes it very easy after maintenance to see at a glance if a tool is missing...and the plane doesn't fly until it's found.

Keeping a neat workspace helps, too, rather than just laying tools anywhere and everywhere thinking "I'll clean all this up later".

Had a coworker who brought in a bucking bar to the office one morning...came out of the wing of his Mooney, where the maintenance guy had left it at the last annual. Needless to say, he was...unhappy.
 
I rented a Warrior back when I first started x-countries and found a pair of safety wire pliers and a roll of safety wire laying on top of the engine cylinders when doing my preflight.
 
I bought a Grumman AA1C off TradeAPlane back in 1984 that was ferryed from CO to GA. On doing the annual here in Ga we found an 10 inch wooden handle screwdriver in the the center tunnel between the seats where all the controls travel thru. I still have that screwdriver in my toolbox. No one has claimed it yet!!
 
Our airline uses to lease A320 during the winter seasons, and one of these experienced electrical problems during its first flight with us. Lots of arking and systems going off line. An allen key was later found that had contacted lots of circuits behind an electrical panel.

And, many years ago, a Convair was intercepted at a remote northern airstrip after flying from Columbia with a full load of coke. A machine gun and a number of grenades were found in a wheel well. But their presence was voluntary as a backup for eventual problems on the ground. A grenade going off in a wheel well in flight would have certainly been a pita.

Michel
 
I found a large flat blade screwdriver in the center console of a Cessna 402, when I worked as an avionics technician years ago. It was perched just above all of the control cables where they went through pulleys. Whoever flew it into the airport where I was working had someone watching over him (or her.) It would have done a great job of jamming the controls. I gave my boss the screwdriver, told him where I found it and never heard anything else about it.
 
Boots in a fuel tank

In order to swap out the boost pumps in one of the B-47's tanks the mechanic had to crawl inside the tank though an access panel in the bottom of the tank, walk/crawl over to the side of the tank and swap out the pump. It was best to remove your boots before climbing into the tank so as not to gouge the rubber liner.

Most guys took off their boots and set them down on the tank floor right next to the access panel so they could put them back on when done.

There were many many screws to install when closing up the access panel. If the aircraft commander was in hurry to get going and the mechanic finish the job and found himself standing on the ramp in his socks.... well there was a tank or two with boots in it when the USAF switched over to B-52s.
 
Did find a cleco on top of my engine at about 400 hours. Guess I ingested it somewhere on taxi.....no way I could have left it there and not seen it on multiple service intervals and annual inspections.....
 
Spirit...

There's a VERY accurate Spirit of St. Louis replica being built north of Seattle, which was highlighted in a recent issue of Kitplanes. The builder gave a briefing of the progress to our EAA chapter at BVS (Skagit Regional) and then graciously allowed the chapter to view the project at his shop. He was involved in the discovery of the pliers (even discussed the possibility of including same in the replica) and also covered the fuel tank details as he was allowed to measure and study the Spirit when it was hoisted down to the floor of the museum for a time. Fascinating.

Doug
Seattle area
-4, wings
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top