Bite the Bullet

Am I upset thinking the inspector unnecessarily picked nits? No. He was just extremely thorough and that's what I claim I want. I am a bit frustrated with the situation and that it wasn't caught before now, but the whole thought exercise has been enlightening, and a good test of my resolution to maintain my aircraft as thoroughly as possible.

Frank Bowlin

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An aircraft owner discovered during an annual inspection that undocumented holes, drilled decades ago in a critical structural component for a now-removed bookcase, rendered his Cessna 340A legally unairworthy.
Despite the holes being present for over 21 years and passing numerous prior inspections unnoticed, the new inspector flagged them due to a lack of proper documentation and approval.
The owner opted to engage an FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) to devise and approve a repair for the holes, anticipating a cost of around $5000, and ultimately appreciated the inspector's thoroughness despite the frustration and expense.

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We’ve all lamented the frequent difference between legal, safe, and even occasionally right. I just got slapped with a many-thousand dollar reminder of that whole concept.

A small custom book case for charts and stuff was long ago installed just behind the pilot’s seat of my Cessna 340A. I used it for years, but eventually with three sources of e-charts on the panel plus an iPad on my lap, I stopped carrying paper and removed the bookcase.