Hit torque wrench clicks wrong for 6 months before I caught it

I was torquing main landing gear bolts on a 737 and the wrench clicked but the bolt still felt loose. Took it to the cal bench and found it was 15 ft-lbs out of spec. Anyone else ever trust a torque wrench too long before checking it?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_gibson18d ago

Man I used to think torque wrenches were basically bulletproof, like just set it and forget it. Had a buddy who always said to get them checked every year and I figured he was being paranoid. Then I helped him torque down some prop bolts on his Bonanza and sure enough his old Snap On was reading 5 lbs off. Changed my mind real quick. Now I send mine in every 6 months like clockwork.

kevin_martin18d ago

A buddy of mine who works on heavy equipment told me that torque wrenches can drift by up to 10% just sitting in a toolbox for a year. Something about the springs settling. I never thought about it until he showed me his calibration chart from a place in Columbus. The difference between before and after was scary. Your story about the prop bolts is exactly why I started taking this seriously. Planes and trucks are not things you want to guess on.