A number of years ago, a fellow owner and I both noticed an unusual shimmy in the main gear of our 182 on landing roll out. My first thought was a warped brake rotor, but the vibration didnt seem to be affected by the application of brakes. Hmm. While it didnt seem like a big deal, it wasnt right either, so we had the mechanic take a look.
An unusual shimmy in a Cessna 182's main gear led to the discovery of a critically fatigued gear saddle bolt, demonstrating how subtle vibrations can signal impending structural failure due to metal fatigue.
A second incident involved a Cessna 180 tailwheel wishbone suffering a brittle fracture due to incorrect reassembly, specifically missing spacers and overtightening during owner-performed maintenance.
The article highlights two distinct types of structural failure: progressive metal fatigue (first incident) and immediate brittle fracture caused by improper installation (second incident).
A number of years ago, a fellow owner and I both noticed an unusual shimmy in the main gear of our 182 on landing roll out. My first thought was a warped brake rotor, but the vibration didn’t seem to be affected by the application of brakes. Hmm. While it didn’t seem like a big deal, it wasn’t right either, so we had the mechanic take a look.
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