Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
I didn’t make it up.
I’ve just been through the usual cycle of working out what damage and defects have been inflicted on my aircraft during annual maintenance. This year was pretty good compared to others.
Only four loose washers and one loose lockwire offcut found in the engine bay. The ‘good’ news is that I don’t think the washers were left off anything important but were rather dropped and ignored because - well I suppose it might be inconvenient to try to find them. A missing adel clamp from one of the fuel hoses meant it was rubbing against the engine crankcase. But it’s only a fuel hose.
And they always set a special, hard-to-find trap. This year it was the pilot’s seat not being engaged on one of the rails. They nearly got me, because when I sat on the seat and adjusted it fore and aft it felt normal: two of the rails were engaged and the third anchor was pressed against the top of the third rail due to my weight. Luckily I had to taxi to get fuel, first, and discovered the seat was off the third rail through sheer luck while embarking a second time.
But all round a pretty ‘good’ outcome compared with some previous years.
People who do this quality of work would never, never accidentally drop a spark plug and surreptitiously refit it.
Anecdotal evidence, as impressive as your's may be, could still be made up.
The obvious answer, if the lack of quality control is true, would be to change service provider.
Whilst there is no doubt that spark plugs have been dropped and damaged, I struggle with the concept that the said plug would not have been replaced. It would behoove the mechanic to sell you a new one, considering that you would have no idea when it had been damaged.
To be honest, I would agree that there are indeed some dodgy workshops operating in the GA environment, and in fact have rolled my swag twice due to disagreements with the practices in outback workshops.
On your comment in a recently closed thread, I see your bet and raise you a carton of beer.
