kommers Posted August 6, 2016 Report Posted August 6, 2016 Today, while trying to avoid head-on with another plane on taxiway, I accidentally hit and destroyed left wingtip and the lens. The wing tip is on the pictures below (before the damage). I wonder if anyone can recognize the model of this wingtip and advise where I can get a replacement. This thing is made of fiberglass, that's all I know for now. I doubt that it is repairable since it is ripped open ( strobe light managed to survive) The fin is also damaged and needs to be replaced Quote
kommers Posted August 6, 2016 Author Report Posted August 6, 2016 yes. this is something probably made by Lasar in 90's. Their stuff is on the felt. Quote
gsxrpilot Posted August 6, 2016 Report Posted August 6, 2016 What year is your J? The late model J's came with these tips from the factory. I had the aftermarket LASAR tips on my C and broke the lens. I was able to buy a replacement lens directly from Mooney in Kerrville, TX. Check with Mooney. They might have them and will ship them to your local MSC or other shop. Quote
kommers Posted August 6, 2016 Author Report Posted August 6, 2016 I still can't believe what happened today, it is next to incredible but true. I was taxing along the hangar blocks and mine is in the last row so I had to make almost 90% left turn from the main taxiway to the aux taxiway to get to my hangar. Mine is a third hangar on the block and once I turned left I immediately saw Piper Comanche sitting on taxiway, revving up 2 engines and completely blocking my way. I think something clicked in my head and my instincts of the car driver kicked in so instead of just stopping I instinctively pressed left pedal to avoid head-on (which would never happen because his plane was not moving, just getting ready to do so..) So, by doing car-like move to avoid another plane, I simply smashed my left wing into the hangar door. Well, I put damaged plane in my hangar and Comanche rode past me and departed. I went for my mechanic and 40 min later I brought him to my hangar. While he was doing inspection, I heard the prop noise, stepped out and saw the same Comanche coming back from his short flight. This time he stopped because my car was in his way. I re-parked the car on the grass strip on the right side of the taxiway, clearing his way and what happened next was incredible: he decided that he still doesn't have enough space so he pressed left pedal to keep himself clear of my car and the next thing I heard was screeching metal sound as he smashed his left wing into his hangar door, damaging his wingtip exactly in the same way as I did. Can you imagine this? Two pilots trying to avoid each other on the taxiway, making the same mistake in two separate incidents separated by 40 minutes in time, and causing the same damage to each plane ! When he got out of his plane I approached him, we looked at each other and just laughed, although crying would be more appropriate considering the outcome of our stupidity 1 Quote
kommers Posted August 6, 2016 Author Report Posted August 6, 2016 Just now, gsxrpilot said: What year is your J? The late model J's came with these tips from the factory. I had the aftermarket LASAR tips on my C and broke the lens. I was able to buy a replacement lens directly from Mooney in Kerrville, TX. Check with Mooney. They might have them and will ship them to your local MSC or other shop. Mine is 1978 and I don't have logs before 1997 when plane was reimported from Venezuela. From the current logs it is clear that wingtip was installed in 90's as the log only has a mention of repairing already installed fiberglass wingtip Quote
ArtVandelay Posted August 6, 2016 Report Posted August 6, 2016 My wingtips were done by Mod Works, STC ST00193AT and drawing MW 120-A are only details in my logs 1 Quote
mooniac15u Posted August 6, 2016 Report Posted August 6, 2016 I think I saw a couple on eBay recently. You might also want to check with Alan. Quote
carusoam Posted August 7, 2016 Report Posted August 7, 2016 Is it just the lens? Or is the fiberglass broken? Lenses were made to be replaced. Albeit for more money than I want to pay... The fiberglass parts are often best taken to the local Corvette shop. They have the tools and skill, naturally. If this idea sounds like a workable solution, have your mechanic take the parts to the Corvette place and confirm the materials being used are compatible.... Something to consider.... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- Quote
kommers Posted August 7, 2016 Author Report Posted August 7, 2016 7 hours ago, carusoam said: Is it just the lens? Or is the fiberglass broken? Lenses were made to be replaced. Albeit for more money than I want to pay... The fiberglass parts are often best taken to the local Corvette shop. They have the tools and skill, naturally. If this idea sounds like a workable solution, have your mechanic take the parts to the Corvette place and confirm the materials being used are compatible.... Something to consider.... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try although my mechanic thinks that restoring this wingtip will cost more than buying a new pair. As to the damage, I wish it was just the lens since lens is readily available for just above $200. That second pilot and myself sustained nearly identical damage, losing the lens and getting a huge gash in the wingtip itself. The only difference is that my strobe survived it, while his didn't 1 Quote
bradp Posted August 8, 2016 Report Posted August 8, 2016 If you can't find and have the skills to reproduce (or the local Vette shop does) this may be a candidate for an owner produced part. Mid you want to send it through insurance that's fine, but those wing tips are probably pretty expensive. Quote
jetdriven Posted August 8, 2016 Report Posted August 8, 2016 The fiberglass is easy to repair with aircraft epoxy and fiberglass. I'm more worried about the bent And torn up rib inside the wingtip. That's gonna need some fixing. Quote
kommers Posted August 8, 2016 Author Report Posted August 8, 2016 well, at this point, if I choose to buy Lasar new wingtips and pay for the labor, I am looking at 5K+. Unfortunately, this year I had tons of out of pocket expenses that made Mooney repairs with new parts prohibitively expensive. At this point I am looking at two options: repair or getting used wingtips somewhere. I found the guy from marina who does boat repairs and is intimately familiar with fiberglass. However, the last post of Jetdriver shook my confidence, I am referring to the fact that I need to use a special aviation grade epoxy glue and some rib inside the wingtip of which I was blissfully unaware. That marine guy is an expert though. I showed him a few photos on broken wingtip and he said that this wingtip has been already repaired twice. Indeed, plane log shows two repairs, I am not the first person to cripple it. Quote
kommers Posted August 8, 2016 Author Report Posted August 8, 2016 pictures of the damage are here: https://www.facebook.com/yuri.levenfeld.3/media_set?set=a.555261001327268.1073741830.100005301188652&type=3 Quote
mooniac15u Posted August 8, 2016 Report Posted August 8, 2016 http://m.ebay.com/itm/311669834612 $575 for a pair. Not new but they look like they're in better condition than yours and a lot cheaper than new. Quote
kommers Posted August 8, 2016 Author Report Posted August 8, 2016 yeah, I saw these already. They don't look exactly like mine which means a double labor charge on taking off and installing wingtips considering that these wingtips are riveted to the base, it will be long and extensive Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.