It certainly wont come as a surprise to an owner to see someone write that aircraft maintenance is fraught with surprises. One of mine came on the first flight after an extensive inspect-and-repair-as-necessary effort involving my mid-1960s Bonanza. 288
Post-Maintenance Tests
It certainly wont come as a surprise to an owner to see someone write that aircraft maintenance is fraught with surprises. One of mine came on the first flight after an extensive inspect-and-repair-as-necessary effort involving my mid-1960s Bonanza. Since the interior was out of the plane for other work, my IA and I decided to install new gear-motor brushes, which are expensive little beggars, even for a Beechcraft. Soon, we had everything back, buttoned up and were ready for a test flight. As he is fearless, and I wanted the company, my IA came along for the ride from my towered home airport.
Key Takeaways:
- After extensive maintenance, including the installation of new gear-motor brushes, the author's Bonanza experienced a landing gear malfunction on its first test flight, requiring an emergency manual extension.
- The unexpected gear failure was later attributed to the omission of a "run-in" procedure for the new brushes, a critical step not documented in the aircraft's maintenance manual.
- The incident underscores the unpredictable nature of aircraft maintenance and the significant value of having an extra person, such as an IA, present during test flights to assist with unexpected issues.
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