8KCAB Holes drilled into spar...options?

k.hart

k.hart

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Hey all,
I am (or maybe was, dang it) the proud new owner of a 1977 Super D and not but 30hrs into ownership the tank started leaking. After opening up the wing to get the tank out, A&P found 5 drilled holes into the top of my otherwise immaculate Rainbow front spar from 2000 - the damage seems to have come from a tank install in 2013. To say I am bummed is an understatement... Has anyone seen this before?

I'm trying to get in touch with ACA about metal wings - is there a word on the street for timeline for new 8KCAB wings? If I am able to get a replacement Rainbow wood spar and re-do this wing, is there a market for well maintained wings with new fabric and Rainbow spars? She's meant to be a flight school bird so I am hoping to get it back online in a reasonable time frame and the most attractive option to get it home and flying again is a replacement and getting on the list with ACA and selling these when we're ready to go.

Thanks for any and all insight!
 

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Call ACA and hit option 2 if Angie doesn't pick up. If she picks up, ask for Chad, he'll know what's up with new wing orders.

Sorry to see that, that really sucks!

Used wood spar wings are wort a couple of grand. With new-ish Rainbow spars and no fabric, maybe $6000 to $8000? Hard to say since they don't come up for sale like that much. Good luck!
 
I concur Rainbow Ron is going to know if it is repairable. You know one hole is a issue for sure but 5 like that? If he has a fix for that I'd sure be interested what it is.

and then there's the subject of wood spars and A.D. 00-25-02 (R1) which requires a annual inspection of all wood spars in these aircraft. Which means someone or multiple A&Ps signed this inspection off for at least 9 years since 2013 with that damage present! ? Are we missing something here?

I am as human as the next and stuff gets missed some times but 5 holes in one spar over at least nine years?

I am not picking on anybody here honestly, I just want to learn.

Over the last 3 yrs out of 33 years of doing maintenance on these noble aircraft I have seen an avalanche of buyers not doing pre-buy inspections

and plunking down a crazy price for these aircraft. Im not saying thats what happened here but I am seeing this a lot. I can't really explain it but it's

painful to watch.

Brian, ....
 
Assuming those are a 1/4" deep or less and not a drill bits length down into the spar I'd be looking for a repair. I think the hard part would be coming up with approved data to back it up with. Many Bellanca spars have trammel marks nearly that bad.
 

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Two thoughts - one, some surface damage may be ok. Be sure to study AC 43-13 and check for Bellanca bulletins. Looks more like a shallow dimple than serious damage. Remember, the spar has lots of large holes in very critical areas, and this area is about the least critical. It might be cheaper to get a DER to do a structural analysis.

The other - I want to meet the sharp-eyed mechanic who can see the top of a spar under a rib. Sure, the AD requires an inspection, but Rainbow Ron’s inspection window indicates just how difficult that is.
 
Bob,

I agree you can't see under a rib. Yes this wood spar A. D. remains a huge bone of contention and has taken up much space on the site.

I also knew bringing up the subject would be a double edged sword. If you don't look, as difficult as it is, you will not see a possible issue.

Years ago on doing a walk around inspection on a 737-400 I was looking up at a pitot probe on the left side of the aircraft. Something caught my

eye, enough so that I got on a lift for a closer look. About that time the first officer from the flight came around the plane and said what are you

looking at?

I said I don't know but it doesn't look right. I said jump on the lift and let's have a look. When we got up there I pulled the back end of a bumble

bee out of the pitot probe opening. The first officer looked at me and said how in gods name did you see that? I said I looked!

K.Hart I hope we can help you get your problem solved safely and economically.

Cheers, Brian
 
It takes me about three hours to do the spar inspection. The only way I would spot defects in the tank area would be to remove the cover and the tank. That may be because I don't have the right equipment - but I use a TV Setup that is probably as good as a thousand dollar borescope was when the AD was written.
 
Thanks for the thoughts here! I was able to get in touch with Ron and the opinion is that it is indeed repairable. We're working on that now.

I had an excellent pre-buy done - there is was just no way to have seen the holes drilled in to the top of that spar until the tank had to come out, as Bob said. Unfortunate, but now we know I suppose!

The tank is repaired and being tested - very happy we were able to come up with a workable solution that didn't involve having to replace the entire wing!
 
To K Hart and Bob, sounds like this had a good outcome. Ron is pretty amazing!

Could you please if you will when you have a moment post the basic repair details here. It would sure be appreciated and it would save a lot of grief.

Bob in answering how I see those points where the spar sits close to the tank, I use a long fully flexible vivida able bore scope and yes it's not fun. Are there parts I don't, can't, see? yes. Also thx for posting those pics.

Cheers, Brian
 
Yes, I use a TV scope too. They get better and cheaper every year.

But the AD says "Bend-A-Lite and mirror." Therefore, to do it correctly you must inspect every single square inch using those two tools. They need to re-write the AD, and maybe make Ron's window part of it. As it is, since it is impossible to actually do, it breeds contempt.
 
k.hart I'm glad to hear there is a fix. I suspect this is a common problem. Can you post photos of the repair and how it gets written up?
 
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