PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Debris Found in Undelivered 737MAx FUEL TANKS
Old 20th Feb 2020, 20:14
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tonytales
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Ft. Collins, Colorado USA
Age: 89
Posts: 216
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tank contamination, whether from swarf from structural repairs, tools or equipment is an old, old story. Back in the fifties they were retrofitting L-1049 Connies with tip tanks. This required strctural rework in the fuel tanks. One of our customer European airlines, noted for their thoroughness in workmanship did the mods. They used to criticize us if they rfound so much as a washer or snip of safety wire in the engine accessory section.
The first conversion was completed and on its first Atlantic crossing it suffered considerable engine problems. We pulled the fuel strainers and found handfuls of swarf including drill shavings, hi-lock collars, etc. We heard much less criticism from them
Yeas later at Eastern I was told of an errant paper cup in a fuel tank. It had been used to carry hi-loc collars into the tank for a plank repair. The cup migrated to the fuel vent outlet and o refueler was surprised when when a wing plank popped its rivets and burst upward. Considering the large exposed area, it doesn't take much internal tank pressure to pop things.
I found, over my career bucking bars for instance years after the aircraft was built. And then there is the general debris left behind in years of service. I put a company inspector on board a test flight of a customer DC8-63 cargo conversion. In the course of the flight the Captain put her into a full stall. During recovery two engines on one side stalled while the others spooled up. They did recover from the inverted spin that time but the inspector most remembered the cloud of debris that filled the cockpit when she inverted.
As DQC (Chief Inspector) at several airlines I always required an RII (Required Inspection) for an Okay to Close a fuel tank. Holding Quality Control's feet to the fire is the only was to minimize FOD in the tanks.

Last edited by tonytales; 20th Feb 2020 at 20:16. Reason: spelling correction
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