Loading…
32
Just realized skipping detailed checks on old rivets is asking for trouble
I used to think if rivets looked fine from a distance, they were okay. But a recent hangar talk with a vet mechanic showed me corrosion hiding underneath. He shared a story where a loose rivet caused a skin panel to fail in flight. Now I do a close up tap test on all jobs. It changed how I view routine inspections.
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
carr.lee8mo ago
NTSB reports often cite missed corrosion during preflight.
5
iris_baker478mo ago
It's scary how often that happens, really. I've read a few of those reports, and it's always the small things that get missed. Corrosion can hide so well, you know (like in those tight spots under the wings), especially in places you don't check every day. When rivets fail, it might not be instant, but it can lead to big trouble if no one sees it coming. Makes you want to triple-check everything during preflight, just to be safe.
4
michael_coleman105mo ago
To @nancycooper's question, rivet failures aren't super common but they happen more than people think, especially when corrosion has been quietly eating away at the metal for years. That tap test the original poster mentioned is the kind of simple check that catches hidden problems before they become the NTSB reports carr.lee is talking about. The real danger is when a rivet looks fine on the surface but has no strength left underneath.
5