[Healeys] OT: Galloping Ghost ...

[Bob Spidell]

... was the highly-modified P-51D that crashed at the Reno Air Races in 2011, killing the pilot and 10 spectators, and 
injuring many others.  I just finished reading a 'Plane & Pilot' article summarizing the NTSB's determination of the 
cause of the crash: six small screws holding the elevator trim tabs to their hinges had come loose, two had broken 
allowing one of the tabs to separate causing loss of control with extreme G-loading causing pilot incapacitation.  The 
NTSB determined that that screws had come loose in their locknuts, which had some sort of insert (usually, these are the 
locknuts with metal inserts, but I've seen the 'nylock' type used as well).  The plane had extensive and, presumably, 
expensive speed mods including a 'boil-off' cooling system that let the alcohol/water coolant boil and vaporize in order 
to cool the engine.

Bottom line: the plane, with probably hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars worth of mods, was brought down 
by a few bucks' worth of screws and locknuts (and, though it was unsaid in the article, it can be assumed sloppy or 
inattentive maintenance).

Healey content?  Next time you're bolting (or screwing) something up on your Healey give some thought to the 
appropriateness and condition of the fasteners you're using and their proper installation.

Bob

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Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

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