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Vent: That time a fuel leak at O'Hare forced me to change my whole inspection routine
I used to just give fuel filters a quick visual check during A checks. Then last March at ORD, a 737 came in with a slow fuel leak from a cracked filter housing. The visual check I did missed it. It took the pilot noticing a smell in the cockpit to catch it. Now I do a full pressure test on every filter change, which adds 20 minutes per aircraft. Some guys at my hangar say it's overkill and the visual check is fine. Has anyone else had a close call that made you add extra steps to a standard procedure?
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keith2645mo ago
Man that cracked housing thing is scary. I had a similar wake up call with hydraulic fluid on a CRJ, just a tiny weep from a line fitting that looked fine to the eye. The morning guy must have missed it because it only showed up under pressure. Now I use a mirror and a bright light on every fitting I can reach, plus I always wipe the area first to see if any fluid comes back. It's an extra five minutes but I sleep better knowing I'm not sending a plane out with a hidden drip. Plus my supervisor actually backed me up when I showed him the difference, so that helped kill the pushback from the old timers.
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bettywilson5mo ago
The thing that always gets me about these stories is nobody talks about the paperwork side of it. That little weep you caught, if you log it right and note the pressure test conditions, it builds a record that helps the next guy who finds something similar. Most guys just fix it and move on, but a proper write-up with photos can make the case for better inspection procedures down the road. Your supervisor probably saw the value in that too, not just the fix itself. It takes an extra ten minutes to document everything, but that record can save someone from a bigger headache later. Plus it covers your back if anyone questions why you spent that extra five minutes on a fitting that looked fine.
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sarahpatel5mo ago
Honestly feels like people overthink this stuff sometimes.
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