Quote:
Originally Posted by JAG
So the point of my rant is this - landing gear (in my experience) needs constant TLC. Cleanliness in areas that need to be clean, and consistent fresh lubrication where it is required. Old Grease and lots of grease is not good. Actuators need to be clean, and pivot points free from dirt and build up.
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I wouldn't call that a rant but it is a pretty great story and a really good way to get your point across. Thanks for sharing that!
I visited the shop in order to witness the gear swing today so I got so see up inside areas not previously accessible. There was a little bit of very clean, non-contaminated looking grease in all the areas where I would expect it and everything was neat and tidy. The good news is they managed to pop the breaker a couple of times by putting the gear down while someone else applied back pressure on it to simulate the wind. We discovered a couple of things after that...
The gear actuator on the left side was much easier to "overpower" then the right one so the thought is that the actuator needs new seals or to be rebuilt entirely. The thought is that this was caused by the next issue.
We a wear point was discovered near the left gear hinge top. It appears that during the final stages of the lock process something is not aligned properly and this is causing the hinge to not seat. The actuator would continue to PUSH and maybe that is how it wore itself out. On those last few flights when I cycled the gear up and down it eventually seated itself and locked.
I am trying to not be terrified by the ramifications of all of this. The possibility of there being some sort of damage to the gear and just how much money this could cost to fix it. Also, how did this happen in the first place. So many mysteries. Perhaps not so much holiday flying for me...