Preflight Inspection

[joness0154]

Hey all,

Thought I'd start a thread detailing all of the interesting (if any) things you've found on preflight inspections.

Sunday was the first flight i've ever had to scrub (in my measly 300+ hours) due to finding a discrepancy during the preflight inspection. While I was checking the oil level in the Decathlon I took a cursory glance around the engine compartment and noticed a wire lead wasn't connected to where it was supposed to be (oil temp or oil pressure sensor). The screw holding it on had backed out and although it was touching the sensor any slight bounce, etc. would move it. Obviously, I'm not flying if anything I notice is disconnected, let alone something required by FAR.

Anyone else find anything interesting?

Oh, and a few pics for clicks.

[87vr6]

Well, I'm not a flyer, but I am a maintainer, and have been in the USN/USMC style of aviation maintenance for 9 years now.. Things I have found on daily inspections, while performing maintenance, or otherwise is astounding...

From screws dangling out of small holes, to wires wrapped (on purpose) around components that rotate, after these years nothing surprises me anymore.

Tires with huge bolts sticking out of the tread, to petrified/mummified birds falling out at you when you open a panel up.. Had a pigeon stuck in an APU exhaust tract once. windows that were completely bubbled..

[OOOO-A3]

Ah, jeez.... can't remember them all.

• Broken magneto P-lead on a C-150.
• Oil cooler air intakes STUFFED with grass from nesting starlings on a Seneca I.
• Bent nose strut and wrinkled firewall on a C-172
• Wasps.
• Broken brake line on a C-172
• Several flat tires.
• Flat main struts on various PA-28s.
• Flat nose struts (various Cessnas & Pipers, and Lear31a)
• Chunk of metal out of a prop blade (my solo student caught this )
• Damaged elevator from dragging on the ground (C-172)
• Bad elevator bushings (C-172) and stabilator bushing (PA-28)
• Bad flap rollers (C-150) and actuator rod digging into the wing skin (same)
• Bent flap actuator rod on a Seneca.
• Missing motor mount (!) on a Seneca.
• Fuel leaks.
• Loose spinner.
• Loose wingtip (DA40)
• LOTS of water in fuel drains.

[Gern_Blanston]

I found most of the wingtip on a '172 missing one morning. A renter pilot had taken it out the night before and taxied into a fence (at an airport 50 miles away) tearing off the strobe, nav light, and a fair amount of fiberglass.
He flew back to the home 'drome, tied down, dropped the keys in the slot, and left. No call, no note, nothing. When I called him, it was "Well, it's a rental, and you have insurance, right? I didn't think I needed to mention it." Last rental for him.

[ATL_Av8r]

[*]Loose spinner.

Thanks jackass....now I want to go back to Vegas, but I'm married now

[OOOO-A3]

Thanks jackass....now I want to go back to Vegas, but I'm married now

[unreal]

Found leaves in a retracted landing light on a 402 once.

[AZGolf]

[*]Loose wingtip (DA40)

Out of curiosity, what was your impression of the DA40 in general? As opposed to a C182?

[OOOO-A3]

Out of curiosity, what was your impression of the DA40 in general? As opposed to a C182?

(Note, the loose wingtip was a mechanic's error, not a fault of the DA40 in general.)


I LOVE the DA40. But it's not comparable to a C182. It has a 180HP IO-360, making it directly comparable to a 180HP C172SP, but with a constant-speed prop.

Early models could be had with round gauges, then it was all G1000. Up through 2005 or so they used the King KAP140 autopilot (altitude preselect, coupled approaches, etc.), and non-WAAS GPS. 2007+ have the autopilot integrated into the G1000 (which adds IAS mode & flight director), and WAAS GPS. Because of that there is a significant price jump between otherwise identical 2005 & 2007 used ones.

So, the fair comparison is to a C172SP G1000. Engine and avionics being identical, the DA40 is just a tremendously better-built, better-flying, more comfortable, better visibility, easier access airplane. It's faster, smoother, quieter, great glide ratio, and has the most elegant handling of any light single I've flown (that includes a ****ton of Cessna products, Piper PA28 & PA32, Grummans, Beechcraft, Mooney, Bellanca, and SOCATA). It has a few quirks (e.g. no sunvisors, you need one of those static-cling sunshades from Sportys), but every airplane does and none of it's quirks are any reason to chose a different plane. That's huge coming from me, who would generally consider the PA28 Archer to be the go-to single. If I had the cash to buy a new 180HP fixed-gear single straight out of the factory..... I would be really torn between an Archer (classic, life-long love of Cherokees) and a DA40 (nostalgia aside, the better plane). A C172 wouldn't even be in the running for me.

One of my now-former students who I trained from 0-Instrument bought an Archer on my recommendation to do her training in. Between both our obsessions with wanting things 'right', we redid the interior 100%, avionics and panel, and made it the nicest 1979 Archer around. Still, once she finished her instrument rating, she fell in love with the Diamond and sold the Archer to get a brand-new 2012 DA40XLS She can afford it. It has the newest Hartzell wide-chord scimitar prop, and cruises at 140-145 kts. on about 9.8GPH

Any details you want to know about them, just start a thread about it and I'll answer any questions.

[yz1337]

Giant bees nest on #1 nacelle of a C-130 in U-Tapao ...the swarm on engine start was incredible, I'll find some pics

[hisnibs]

So far the most amusing things have been finding pitch links installed with the hardware backwards and tracking gear left on the blades from the prev days Maint.

[Brendan@bwalkauto]

Found leaves in a retracted landing light on a 402 once.

I remember seeing that pic years ago and thinking "wha dafuq?"

I've only caught the usual water in tanks, blown lights, rusted foot pegs on Beech's. Nothing nutty.

[AZGolf]

Any details you want to know about them, just start a thread about it and I'll answer any questions.

Just got back from an east-coast vacation; thanks for the reply though! Of the 900 hours or so I have in X-Plane over the years, hundreds of them are in my DA40 model; steam gauge, KAP140 autopilot. Compared to many other included, free, and a dozen or so other payware aircraft I have for X-Plane the DA40 is the most enjoyable light single to fly. I was curious if it was just an optimistic model, or if they really do fly that good and have the visibility advantage it appeared to. From what you wrote, it really is a cut above the others! I guess the real-world trouble is the fact it's priced like a 182 turbo, but as you said is in many ways more comparable to the C172.

[vwbrvr6]

Recently, I found an unusual amount of oil coating the belly of the aircraft. When I went to check the oil, the dipstick wasn't screwed on, and I was able to just lift it straight out.