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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.
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carr.lee9d ago
NTSB reports often cite missed corrosion during preflight.
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iris_baker478d 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.
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