Over Stress

[Droopystop]

Here's a question for someone like Genghis and it is hypothetical.

Can you tell if an aircraft has been over stressed? I'm thinking along the lines that if you are looking to buy a second hand aircraft, can you tell if someone has been doing "high energy" manouvres in a low energy plane?

[Sunfish]

Get an expert to look at it. There might be tell tales you can find like loose rivets in high stress areas or local structural deformation around landing gear, oil canning of the skin etc. Better to get the aircraft surveyed by someone who knows exactly what to look for.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Yes, it's going to depend very much upon the type. My recommendation would always be that if you don't know the type intimately yourself, pay a LAME/inspector who does for a day of their time, ask them to go over it with a fine toothed comb, then whilst they're doing so follow them around with a clipboard.

But, if you want some general rules:-

- Microcracking of the gelcoat on composite aircraft, particularly around spars.
- Visible elongation of rivet holes
- Slight bend in tubes
- Owner has removed the g-meter!

But all of these may be perfectly acceptable in other types - that's why you need an expert.


Also, in my experience it is far more likely that an aircraft will have been overstressed due to storm damage,hard landings or ground transport than through severe manoeuvring.

G