Flight Safety Foundation Aviation Mechanics Bulletin 1998

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November–December 1998

Preventing Fretting Damage Becomes Increasingly Critical as Aircraft Age 20 pages. [PDF 107K]

Fretting is a combined form of wear, fatigue and corrosion that can lead to premature mechanical failure at loads well below structural design limits. It is a time-based failure that will require increased attention as the transport-category aircraft fleet continues to age.

September–October 1998

F-117A Accident during Air Show Flyover Caused by Omission of Fasteners in Wing-support Structure 20 pages. [PDF 152K]

On Sept. 14, 1997, the pilot of a Lockheed Martin F-117A felt an abnormal vibration when he initiated a climb during a flyover at 700 feet and 380 knots at an air show at Martin State Airport near Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. The U.S. Air Force stealth fighter then abruptly rolled to the left and pitched nose-up.

July–August 1998

Maintenance technicians are familiar with the types of aircraft-wire failure caused by chafing, cutting and other visible forms of damage. When such damage is observed, the wire usually is repaired or replaced.

May–June 1998

Unrecorded Maintenance on Fokker 100 Lift-dumper System Leads to Wing-Surface Damage in Flight 20 pages. [PDF 198K]

Upper-wing damage was found during the walk-around inspection of a Fokker 100 (F-100) that landed at London (England) Stansted Airport after a flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Oct. 12, 1995. The edge of the no. 5 lift-dumper (spoiler) panel on the left wing was bent upward, said the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

March–April 1998

Corrosion and Fatigue-crack Detection Remains Critical to the Continued Airworthiness Of Aging Aircraft 24 pages. [PDF 150K]

As airframes grow older, accumulated fatigue and corrosion degrade their strength, but many airline-type aircraft are being flown well beyond their original design-service objectives. These aircraft were designed so that the majority of defects can be found by inspection while the aircraft is still strong enough to carry normal flight loads. Early detection of problems is made possible by a variety of technologies and by maintenance and inspection programs tailored to detect defects identified through operating experience.

January–February 1998

Report Recommends Team Inspections, Checklists in Repair Station Oversight 20 pages. [PDF 145K]

In response to concern about work performed by some holders of repair station certificates, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted a review of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) oversight of repair stations and in October 1997 published the results in Aviation Safety: FAA Oversight of Repair Stations Needs Improvement.