A pilot's comment about a loose cowl pin made me double-check my whole process

After a routine Cessna 172 annual, the owner told me he felt a 'light flutter' on climb out. He specifically said, 'The left cowl pin felt like it had a quarter inch of play.' I checked my log and saw I'd signed off on that pin. Now I physically shake every single cowl and access panel after closing, counting to three on each latch. That one comment three weeks ago changed a 20-year habit. How do you guys make sure nothing is just 'closed' but actually secure?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oscar22d ago

Wait, the baggage door just tore off? That's insane... I'd be checking every single latch twice after that.

max33022d ago

A buddy of mine had a similar wake-up call with a baggage door on a Cherokee. He'd done the walk-around, gave the door the usual push, thought it was fine. About ten minutes after takeoff, he hears this awful banging and the door just tears off. Scared him so bad he landed at the nearest strip. Now he doesn't just push, he lifts up on the edge of every door and panel to check for any give. Says his pre-takeoff is twice as long, but he doesn't care. That kind of noise stays with you.

betty_white392d ago

Damn, that's a scary story. Did your buddy ever figure out what actually failed? Like, was the latch itself broken, or did it just not catch right that one time? Knowing the exact cause would haunt me more than the noise.