Who blew his bolt?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Where I'm not alarmed
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Who blew his bolt?
From the ABC News today:
Air Services spin-doctor reckon's it's from a B737.
Fallen metal bolt may have come from plane
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the discovery of a metal bolt which is believed to have fallen from a plane over Sydney's inner west this morning.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the 15 centimetre bolt came from a plane and if so which one.
The bolt was found by Five Dock resident Angelo Margiotta after it crashed into the roof of his home.
"I was too shocked to talk ... because of the noise," he said.
"It was very, very loud.
"This has fallen from the plane. You don't get it from anywhere.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the discovery of a metal bolt which is believed to have fallen from a plane over Sydney's inner west this morning.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the 15 centimetre bolt came from a plane and if so which one.
The bolt was found by Five Dock resident Angelo Margiotta after it crashed into the roof of his home.
"I was too shocked to talk ... because of the noise," he said.
"It was very, very loud.
"This has fallen from the plane. You don't get it from anywhere.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 331
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bombs Away!!!!!!!!!
From The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Oct
Hitting the roof over jet's dropped bolt
Jano Gibson and David Braithwaite
October 18, 2006 - 4:45PM
An international airline is being investigated after an 11-centimetre-long bolt dislodged from a wing shortly after take-off and slammed into an elderly Sydney man's home as he drank his morning coffee.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has confirmed that the bolt, which smashed through tiles on the roof of Angelo Margiotta at around 8.30am, was a type used on Boeing 737 and 747 planes.
"It is definitely an aeronautical bolt manufactured by a company in America,'' CASA spokesman, Peter Gibson, said.
Based on the make of the bolt and this morning's Sydney Airport aircraft take-off schedule, CASA has identified an international airline as the likely source of the bolt, Mr Gibson said.
However, investigations were at too early a stage to name the company, he added.
The bolt is a type used to fix wing flaps to actuators - "the thing that moves the flap in and out,'' Mr Gibson explained.
"The flap provides extra lift when you are taking off or extra drag when you are landing.''
He said that the loss of such a bolt during flight would not cause any serious safety concerns.
"It's not the only bolt connecting the actuator to the flap ... the whole thing [the flap] is not going to fall off because of one bolt.''
He added that there was "no risk to the wing falling off.''
Mr Gibson said there were two possibilities of how the bolt came to fall off mid-flight.
The first was that it somehow dislodged itself. The second was that a mechanic had accidentally left the bolt on the wing and it had fallen back to earth when the flaps were adjusted over Five Dock.
Whatever it was, it certainly shocked Mr Margiotta, who has a heart condition.
"I was sitting at the kitchen table having my coffee about 8.30am and I heard a big, big, big, loud bang," he said.
He said the noise was louder than a gun shot.
"I used to go hunting. I used to shoot rabbits. I know the noise a gunshot makes. This is worse than a gunshot."
Mr Margiotta contacted firefighters who found a tile "which appeared to have high speed impact damage", NSW Fire Brigades spokesman, Inspector Gordon Boath, said.
Mr Gibson said CASA had investigated three reports over the past 10 years of bolt-like objects falling from the sky into Sydney homes.
"All three turned out not to be from planes. You've got to be careful not to jump to the conclusion that just because it fell out of the sky it came from a plane."
Left the bolt just sitting somewhere on the wing??? And the jet is allegedly an international arrival? These journos are priceless....
Hitting the roof over jet's dropped bolt
Jano Gibson and David Braithwaite
October 18, 2006 - 4:45PM
An international airline is being investigated after an 11-centimetre-long bolt dislodged from a wing shortly after take-off and slammed into an elderly Sydney man's home as he drank his morning coffee.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has confirmed that the bolt, which smashed through tiles on the roof of Angelo Margiotta at around 8.30am, was a type used on Boeing 737 and 747 planes.
"It is definitely an aeronautical bolt manufactured by a company in America,'' CASA spokesman, Peter Gibson, said.
Based on the make of the bolt and this morning's Sydney Airport aircraft take-off schedule, CASA has identified an international airline as the likely source of the bolt, Mr Gibson said.
However, investigations were at too early a stage to name the company, he added.
The bolt is a type used to fix wing flaps to actuators - "the thing that moves the flap in and out,'' Mr Gibson explained.
"The flap provides extra lift when you are taking off or extra drag when you are landing.''
He said that the loss of such a bolt during flight would not cause any serious safety concerns.
"It's not the only bolt connecting the actuator to the flap ... the whole thing [the flap] is not going to fall off because of one bolt.''
He added that there was "no risk to the wing falling off.''
Mr Gibson said there were two possibilities of how the bolt came to fall off mid-flight.
The first was that it somehow dislodged itself. The second was that a mechanic had accidentally left the bolt on the wing and it had fallen back to earth when the flaps were adjusted over Five Dock.
Whatever it was, it certainly shocked Mr Margiotta, who has a heart condition.
"I was sitting at the kitchen table having my coffee about 8.30am and I heard a big, big, big, loud bang," he said.
He said the noise was louder than a gun shot.
"I used to go hunting. I used to shoot rabbits. I know the noise a gunshot makes. This is worse than a gunshot."
Mr Margiotta contacted firefighters who found a tile "which appeared to have high speed impact damage", NSW Fire Brigades spokesman, Inspector Gordon Boath, said.
Mr Gibson said CASA had investigated three reports over the past 10 years of bolt-like objects falling from the sky into Sydney homes.
"All three turned out not to be from planes. You've got to be careful not to jump to the conclusion that just because it fell out of the sky it came from a plane."
Left the bolt just sitting somewhere on the wing??? And the jet is allegedly an international arrival? These journos are priceless....
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: australia
Posts: 350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
looked like a 747 flap flight roller bolt or a flap canoe aft attach bolt,couldnt tell if it had a split pin hole though the media are priceless with their assumptions,
anyone have any other ideas?
anyone have any other ideas?
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: with the porangi,s in Pohara
Age: 66
Posts: 983
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For those of us who fix and fly these aircraft....I am not personally surprised,stuff falls off Aircraft all the time...(just look at the initial cause of the concorde crash)....luckily,most of the time it doesnt hit anything or anybody...over the years have lost "several parts",generally small stuff.....bolts,screws...and a couple of panels...ie refueling/waste doors...usually found missing on the post flight...... ...whats that about "sweeping it under the carpet"......
The worst thing that could happen,and I believe I speak for all is that falling parts dont hit anyone...luckily this bloke and his family were not injured.
The worst thing that could happen,and I believe I speak for all is that falling parts dont hit anyone...luckily this bloke and his family were not injured.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sydney NSW Australia
Posts: 3,051
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
looks pretty important to me. there are millions of smaller screws/bolts/rivets, but this looks like it might have a few more serious consequences if it fell out, flap alingment? if it fell off the flap system somewhere.... lloks like it still has a bushing attached
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: with the porangi,s in Pohara
Age: 66
Posts: 983
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ultalights...yeah mate...its a beauty for sure....dont get me wrong,Im not trying to downplay the severity of these situations ......the whole idea is to keep these A/C in one piece and stuck together.........something of this size and nature is truly cause for concern.
Working with LAME,S on a daily basis and having them fix write-ups,you hear some "amazing/head scratching" stories that if reported would shock anyone...not common ,but things do happen..... nuts,bolts,moving parts...they dont always stay in their place!!
Working with LAME,S on a daily basis and having them fix write-ups,you hear some "amazing/head scratching" stories that if reported would shock anyone...not common ,but things do happen..... nuts,bolts,moving parts...they dont always stay in their place!!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Where I'm not alarmed
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't really want to be politically incorrect but........ can anyone imagine any Asian carrier (or its regulatory overseer) freely admitting to such an occurrence? They haven't in the past so why should today's literal 'bolt from the blue' cause them to change their behaviour?
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Stuck in the middle...
Posts: 1,638
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
BAAlert, I would have thought that it was CASAs responsibility to make sure the aircraft flying in their airspace are airworthy so that they are not a threat to anyone on the ground, any other aircraft in the air or any Australian passengers on the aircraft?
So if it turns out this bolt came from an important bit of an overseas carrier (which obviously isn't confirmed) and this is discovered in Australia, wouldn't it be CASAs responsibility to look into the maintenance practices of the said airline, not to mention make sure they actually replace the missing 'bolt'!
I do agree that if the carrier found out that it was their plane back on their own soil, we wouldn't hear a single thing about it! (Which might have been what u meant..)
So if it turns out this bolt came from an important bit of an overseas carrier (which obviously isn't confirmed) and this is discovered in Australia, wouldn't it be CASAs responsibility to look into the maintenance practices of the said airline, not to mention make sure they actually replace the missing 'bolt'!
I do agree that if the carrier found out that it was their plane back on their own soil, we wouldn't hear a single thing about it! (Which might have been what u meant..)
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: USA
Age: 67
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That brings back memories, during my instrument rating test years ago I hit a screw that apparently fell out of a Tobago flying around above.
Fell into the right prop and then was flung through the windshield. All happened over Ardrossan.
Fell into the right prop and then was flung through the windshield. All happened over Ardrossan.
Last edited by tlf; 19th Oct 2006 at 00:50.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CASA spokesman Peter Gibson was quoted in the press report thusly:
"The flap provides extra lift when you are taking off or extra drag when you are landing.''
I think he means "the flap provides extra lift for takeoff and extra lift for landing"!
There are enough errors and wild assumptions from the journalists - we don't need them from CASA as well!
"The flap provides extra lift when you are taking off or extra drag when you are landing.''
I think he means "the flap provides extra lift for takeoff and extra lift for landing"!
There are enough errors and wild assumptions from the journalists - we don't need them from CASA as well!
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Taildragger -
Love it. I remember that well. T'was the night wave recovery from a (I think) Pitch Black sortie - 30 jets all min fuel arriving back in Darwin all at once. I pitched into the circuit behind the offending Hornet.
We had plenty of fun with the 77SQN FCI whose AIM 7 CATM it was - "bit too heavy for landing were we? Bit much G on the pitch? That's the only Fox 1 kill you guys have had all week...Got him right in the engine block!" etc etc
Funnier still was when the compo claim came in. As you can tell from the picture it wasn't the newest Land Cruiser on the block - but the bloke wanted $50 000+ as I recall - because "he was going to restore it completely and then sell it".
cheers for posting the photo. Brought back good memories.
Swingwing
Cooda been worse
We had plenty of fun with the 77SQN FCI whose AIM 7 CATM it was - "bit too heavy for landing were we? Bit much G on the pitch? That's the only Fox 1 kill you guys have had all week...Got him right in the engine block!" etc etc
Funnier still was when the compo claim came in. As you can tell from the picture it wasn't the newest Land Cruiser on the block - but the bloke wanted $50 000+ as I recall - because "he was going to restore it completely and then sell it".
cheers for posting the photo. Brought back good memories.
Swingwing
Silly Old Git
I'd know that bolt anywhere
Its off a B733 port side variable cambulatory drive. Part of the high speed thronomister .
We were always asked trick questions about it by Checkies back in the good old AN days
Its off a B733 port side variable cambulatory drive. Part of the high speed thronomister .
We were always asked trick questions about it by Checkies back in the good old AN days