Chafed, Corroded

The following information is derived from the FAA's Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

Friday, November 16, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Multiple aircraft components, including wing spars and brake disks, experienced critical failures or corrosion that were not visually apparent or detected prior to disassembly or during routine operations.
Design-related issues, such as a coolant hose chafing against an exhaust hose, led to component failure and subsequent engine overheating, requiring specific disassembly for inspection.
Even low-time or recently inspected components, like spark plugs (30 hours post-annual) and a starter, can fail catastrophically, causing severe engine damage, system malfunctions, and dangerous flight conditions.

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Cessna 150B Corroded Wing Spars
Corrosion was found on the forward and aft wing spars under the fuel tank spacer blocks (p/n 0523524) in the fuel tank mounting bay. This problem was discovered when the fuel tanks were removed for repair. No visual corrosion indications were noted around the spacers before removal. These spacers were removed on a “hunch” underlying corrosion might exist. The condition was found in both wings.

Part Total Time: 7400.0 hours