Check the TOP of Your Aircraft

[Ernie Martin]

I get to the airport at 7 AM so we can get an early start on two days of puddle jumping to several Bahamian islands. After a thorough pre-flight inspection and filling the tanks to the brim, I climb on a ladder to add a 1/2 quart of oil to the rear engine. While there I survey the top part of the aircraft: wings, fuselage, booms, elevator, etc. I am shocked to see an entire line of rivets missing -- gone -- near the front end of the rear engine scoop (see figure below). My shock was not just because I was surprised to find this condition, but the realization that it had been like that on earlier flights and my concern that the top panel could simply peel off, strike the rear prop, and cause a life-threatening accident.

We had done the annual inspection only a few months back. I had participated daily. And I couldn't recall, on that annual or any previous annual, anyone actually climbing on top of the aircraft to inspect it thoroughly. A cursory look, yes. A thorough inspection, no.

I don't know what caused these rivets to slowly disintegrate (you could see the shaft of some, without the head, so it's not that someone forgot to replace them), but it merits a good look on your aircraft. And I wouldn't wait for the next annual -- I'd do it before the next flight.

Ernie