MikeOH

I read all of these 'arguments' with a bit of amusement. It seems to me the REALITY is if INSURANCE claims will be DENIED if the cause of an accident is somehow related to an OPP. Absent that evidence (denied claims) I will continue to take a pragmatic approach to properly maintaining my aircraft. The FAA and their after-the-fact interpretation take a distant second place to whether my insurance will be in force.

I'm pretty sure I do; I'll check next time I go the hangar. Thanks for the suggestion!

Yes, quite possible the intercom was out for some time prior. If I'm not having a squelch problem I don't touch it. Honestly, I'm hoping it's just a string of bad luck. Much preferable to tracking down intermittent electrical issues in a 50 year old aircraft! I'll crawl under the panel and see if I can ID some common ground points and check their integrity. Beyond that, I'm going to take a 'wait and see' approach absent any other suggestions. Thanks, all

Hi Greg, Thanks for responding! Yes, at the moment, everything is working (except for the intercom that I haven't yet replaced/fixed). The Garmin, G3, and intercom are all on the CB switched Avionics buss. Nothing else has burned up....so, far. I have no idea if those items share a single point ground...and, no idea how to track that down...many wires, all white, bundled together, buried behind the panel and, I'm not sure my back is up to the task Does the electrical system have any (effective) overvoltage protection system? Probably well before the days of transorbs and the like, but curious if the system is 'clamped' at some voltage. What kind of spike could occur with a temporary VR/alternator failure? Thank you!

"Your papers, please!" And, you are here to tell us that is, "a total non-event," and are, apparently, only too happy to comply with gathering them all up. History is lost to many, I'm afraid. Sad

Well, I'm going to be mean...Too Stupid for Arby's (They advertised jobs on pizza boxes for gawd's sakes!) (But, I'm nice to 'em, too. They can easily make my life more miserable than going through airport security already is)

Good to know! I suspect mine have been neglected...annual coming in December.

Hmm, must have taken out the sound-proofing by the time Mooney built my F

What Garmin provided with the repaired unit left a LOT to be desired. In it's entirety: "Verified problem. Replaced main board and display lens. Tested and met all specifications." Pretty disappointed. Never flown in rain. Never washed with water (use Wash-Wax-All). Yuup. I'm hoping one of the avionics guys here will see this thread and take pity on me

No reason to. The G3's ONLY electrical system monitor is system voltage. And, as an EE, and as previously stated, there are NO clues in the system voltage as far as what the G3 records: stable at 13.8 volts right up to the point where the G3 'froze.' Subsequent downloads show the same stability. If this is NOT just coincidence, then it's a transient event whose source remains a mystery.

Thank you! That's the kind of 'out-of-the-box' idea I was hoping for. I'll check that out.

Well, I have been flying since with no issues. And, I have pulled the G3 data with no anomalies seen. G3 is at its highest sampling rate, but that's not going to capture micro, or even milli, second transients. Never any popped CBs, or over-voltage indication. Absent that, I'm not concerned with fire, but with more failed avionics. While I appreciate the suggestion, taking it to a shop with NO presenting symptoms sounds like a great way to spend hundreds, or thousands, of dollars looking for ghosts. I am a practicing EE, so it's not like I have no background. But, yes, some intermittent in the VR/alternator system would seem plausible; was hoping someone here had seen and fixed the same kind of problem. I brought up this over-voltage theory with the avionics shop I took the blown GN430W to, and the owner seemed to think that was HIGHLY unlikely as the WAAS models are universal input (switch-mode power supply) good up to something like 40 volts. Anyone know what voltage an alternator can reach? Also, isn't there an overvoltage 'clamp' in the system?

So, yeah, I can and I did.

I've owned my M20F for two years and have not had any avionics problems...until the last month. On a recent flight my G3 Insight engine monitor 'froze' with a random pattern on the screen. I was IFR and did not want to cycle power during flight. After landing the G3 reset after cycling power and has been fine ever since. However, the next morning, the GNS430W was dead, and no amount of cycling power changed that. It took $1200 and a trip to Garmin (see my "Black screen of death" thread). Now, the PM1000ii intercom is dead. It may have failed on the trip above because it 'fails safe' to pass through and it was my wife that noticed on our last flight that she could barely hear. No response from the volume or squelch controls, but unit is receiving power. This looks all the world like a serious over voltage event occurred, but I have ZERO idea what would have caused it. The G3 data showed a stable 13.8 Volts right up until the unit 'froze'...and, has shown the same since. Obviously, I'm concerned about this happening again. Unless, this was just coincidence. Anyone ever had something like this happen? I'm at a loss for troubleshooting ideas as this appears to be the mother of an intermittent: a single event. Now living in fear that this will happen again...

I guess that makes sense. Still curious If the data shows over age 70 pilots actually having a higher accident rate.

I'm guessing you're going to be calling your doctor

Is it correct to infer that over 70 pilots would not have this issue with a non-RG aircraft? And, if so, it would imply the gear-up accident rate increases for those pilots over 70....are there data to actually back that up, or is this just 'caution/paranoia' on the part of carriers?

Seems like you could just use a spot of epoxy to hold the nut in place. I did it the 'hard way' with painters blue tape and an open-end wrench; really wasn't that hard.Or, maybe it just seemed easy after what a TOTAL PAIN IN THE ASS putting the clamp around the frame tube was!! Gawd, that was two years ago and the memories still haunt me....makes safety wiring a prop look easy!

Mine, too. YUCK!

Just got my renewal offer: up over 20% ($1300 up from $1050 last two years) Global through Falcon. I asked Falcon for an explanation but, so far, not even the courtesy of a response!

Is that available in the aviation aisle at Wal-Mart?

This is just horrible news. Mark seemed to be doing well; so shocking to hear this. Prayers to all.

Call Mooney and ask???

Went to the hangar after work today and turned on the 430W in set-up mode (hold ENT down while turning on power). Went to the CDI screen and easily calibrated the OBS to 150 and checked every 30 degrees; worst case was 1 degree error on a couple of headings (limit is 2 degrees). This set-up screen also allowed for deflection of each needle by full scale, both directions; and peg needle. Those checked out for both vertical and lateral. So, I'm good to go

Thanks, Paul! I'm hoping that's it; I called the shop where I took the unit and that's what they said. The concern is that they weren't sure about the needle deflection, only that the CDI bearing offset is easily calibrated, as you mentioned. You're memory is good, too; 150 is the OBS bearing that is used. I found the 430W install manual on line and the procedure is described. There was some mention of needle calibration, as well...So, off to the hangar tomorrow to give it a try. Will post results when I have them