Wing skin lap joint crack

I have no idea how this happened (maybe the skin was too thin after sanding it for the lap joint?), but I now have a nasty crack around the corner hole of my inboard bottom wing skin:


(photo link if the above breaks)

Help!? Any suggestions that don't involve removing the entire skin and replacing it? It's fully riveted in place.

Someone mentioned trying to seal this up with proseal, but just by touching it I can see the crack propagating (thankfully, it's propagating down towards the edge, so far)...

(this is a -10, if it matters)

Thanks in advance
Rodrigo

I'm thinking you're going to have to cut off the corner and patch the area with a doubler as depicted somewhere in AC 43.13.

Better Call....

?Better Call..." Vans. Breaking Bad reference

I'm sure Vans will come up with an easy solution since it is the hidden side of the joint.

However if it was sanded that thin in the corner, does this excess sanding extend upwards (ref. to pic) and also apply to the last row of rivets in the overlap area where the two skins meet?

Thanks all for the replies. Yes, I've shot an e-mail to Van's, let's see what they say on Monday.

az_gila said:

However if it was sanded that thin in the corner, does this excess sanding extend upwards (ref. to pic) and also apply to the last row of rivets in the overlap area where the two skins meet?

Click to expand...

Good point. I just measured it throughout and it seems that all parts are .016 or thicker at the edge (up to .032 inboard), that corner was <.010.

?

Does it say in the planes to sand down the edges like that looks like it takes the strength away?
Bob

6 Gun said:

Does it say in the planes to sand down the edges like that looks like it takes the strength away?
Bob

Click to expand...

Yes the plans have us do that building the -10.

Finally got a hold of Van's support.

Good news is - according to them, there's no structural integrity issue at all. They suspect that this is not something that would happen during the lap joint step, but rather something that came as it is from the Phillipines (it's a QB).

They recommended using JBWeld to fill the crack, OR just cutting that corner off (which may not look as good), and it should have no adverse effect.