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Seat back reclined unexpectedly


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I fly a 74 C.

My front left seat slipped from its fully upright position and reclined all the way back just after takeoff this past weekend. That was the second occurence and it makes for a bit of a wild ride. My bride was unimpressed, and I can't say I enjoyed it much either.

 

Is this a common problem?   Anybody have a similar experience to point me in the right direction? Is the a gear in there that wears out with time?

 

 

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In my 65C there is a control that's several sided that essentially acts as the adjustment for the seat back angle. It's on the inside-side of the seat at the back of the base. It's quite easy for it to jump and cause the problem you mentioned if it's not properly adjusted beforehand

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My bride was unimpressed, and I can't say I enjoyed it much either.

 

Is this a common problem?   Anybody have a similar experience to point me in the right direction? Is the a gear in there that wears out with time?

 

It happens on occasions when trying to do the "Mile High". Try Viagra next time. :P

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In my 65C there is a control that's several sided that essentially acts as the adjustment for the seat back angle. It's on the inside-side of the seat at the back of the base. It's quite easy for it to jump and cause the problem you mentioned if it's not properly adjusted beforehand

Yes, when I tried to adjust my bank angle to be more vertical it did this shortly afterward.
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My seatback reclined once in cruise flight and, of course, I grabbed the yoke while falling backwards. 

 

The "slipping off the cam" issue is a common problem that I had never heard of until it happened to me.  I'm sort of suprised that there hasn't been an official "action" on this.  It is a very legitimate safety issue.

 

See the post below for further info:

 

http://mooneyspace.com/topic/10062-seats-in-77j-replace/

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I have had the same thing happen on my B model on more than one occassion.  I found that the seat back adjustment lever is attached via a cable to a pin that inserts into a hole in the seat frame.  Each time it has happened, I found that the pin had come out of the hole.  I put it back in and all was well.  But, I too am looking for a permanent fix to avoid repetition.

rocky

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Scary stuff. I jerked the yoke back when it first happened.. then um... corrected.   I could still reach the yoke but couldn't do much with the rudder.The sight picture of a departure while sitting Gangsta' style looks different from normal.

 

I went to the airport and studied it over lunch. The mechanism appears to be working correctly, and the metal arms from the seat back look like they're straight and contact the cam squarely.   All I can figure is that I must have adjusted the seat so it was on one of the corners of the cam instead of a flat area.

 

From now on, I'll look when adjusting the seat back. 

 

And for the next few weeks, I won't be doing any Vx departures and I'm going to stick a bag full of junk behind the seat in case it happens again.

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I was in a friend's Mooney and this occured to me.  I figured it was just the triangle back angle thing being worn.  Take a look at it, tighten up whatever has to be tightened, and maybe replace it?

 

My current Mooney does not have this adjustment ('83 M20J Missile) but my forer F did.  

 

Which Mooney's have the triangle seat adustment piece?

 

Did it stop with the M20J or was it a year thing - do some J's and K's have those seats?

 

-Seth

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Why would you open a can of worms that big for a small part that can be easily inspected and replaced?

You realize the FAA and Mooney are there to make things really expensive?

Unless you got the 50 year and 6,000 hr. warranty.

What year is your C?

Does it have the three position cam on it's chair?

During the annual, the seats are removed from the plane and inspected for broken and worn parts.

If this is not being done, check with your mechanic first.

Or, did I miss something?

Best regards,

-a-

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Agreed. There's no need for gubment action or finger pointing. That's why I consulted the Mooneyspace braintrust as to what causes this problem.

 

If it's common or mechanical failture, then it's worth talking about. If it's operator error (i.e. I can't adjust a seat correctly), then I'll take it as a lesson learned. I'll tread lightly until I find out.

 

'Josh

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It is a good exercise to take a seat out to see it's condition. They have a tendency to get old and break in some locations. Wires/springs have been known to stick through the faux leather. Parts get loose or worn. The nylon wheels have a tendency to break with age.

New foam and leather can be taken care of at an automotive interior place. Knowledge of proper fire ratings will be helpful if you go this route...

Some seat leathers were available at MS a while back. See Scott from Kansas for what's left in his collection...

Best regards,

-a-

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Hmmm....

Is it possible that,

The cam is aluminum, the seat parts are steal.

Excessive wear has rounded the cam corners on some seats.

Can we get a photo of some rounded off corners?

This type of owner feed back resulted in improved resistance to GU landings for manual gear. Low cost replacement blocks became available.

Best regards,

-a-

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The cams on my C were severely worn when I purchased it. I made new owner produced cams for mine and can make more if anyone needs them or can't find new ones.

David

Hi David -- I am absolutely interested. I will snap a picture of mine to make sure we are talking about the same part... Been an irritant for me for a while.

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