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Maintenance Horror Stories


Tom Baker

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I have a few, but I am going to start with this one. A new owner brought this airplane to me for maintenance. He mentioned that that he wasn't sure if SA-ASTM-CTLS-05 https://flightdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SA-ASTM-CTLS-05.pdf had been complied with. Now this airplane had the parachute re-packed earlier this year, and reinstalled by a A&P mechanic. This is what I found!

Besides the incorrect installation of the pick up collar, the activation cable was caught under the head of the screw, instead of in the slot where it belongs, and they added an extra quick link for where the harness attaches to the parachute.

BRS 2.jpg

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Not surprising. Things are getting worse and worse in GA maintenance over the last 20 yrs. I see it literally almost every day where I am. The piston fleet is 50 to 60 years old and owners don't want and can't afford to fix things right. I know a lot of A&P's that just don't care. 

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Friend and owner of a 1979 Arrow decided to take his plane to a different AP for this year’s annual.  The “new” AP found multiple gas weeps from the gas tanks and other glaring years old issues.  My pal confronted his AP of 14 years and the AP said “I guess we should have looked in the wing”.

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A friend bought a new Cirrus SR22 about 12 years ago. On his first flight after an annual inspection, he noticed CHTs running hot, so he diverted to Abilene, TX. On the ground, they removed the cowling - and found the mechanic's jacket laying on top of the engine! 

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Not Flight Design, but still a humorous maintenance horror.  I was giving a flight review to a deaf, 84 year old fella in his C140 and his landings were horrid. After the first hour it was obvious his landings were not acceptable (ie I'm lucky to be alive). When pushing his tail dragger back into his hangar I noticed this modification.  When I asked him about it, he said that he knew his landing were bad and he thought the rudder/tailwheel springs were a little tight, so he put in some safety wire to fix it.... I said that the change would only make the tailwheel floppier and harder to control.   Oh brother.  I asked him what other changes he had made, and he hemmed and hawed.  Needless to say I told him that I would not be able to fly with him any more.  Yikes!IMG_498B3DCAF7CF-1.thumb.JPEG.4d9310a16ee845f35165092dfa4156e1.JPEG 

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Is anyone having to deal with BRS right now? My plane has been down for 8 weeks now awaiting my repack/new rocket from BRS. Im being told it is a rocket fuel supply issue backlog from BRS due to covid last year. Good luck if your rocket is due soon, 8 weeks and I am still waiting!

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