FOD damage to flap

[highlowfastslow]

MS seems to be a great place to vent when something like this happens because good advice always pops up. I was tied down at an airport on Cape Cod earlier this week during high winds. I had my Mooney tied down tight but apparently the airport forgot to secure some of their own stuff floating around the field. Turns out a white plastic barrel let loose and started rolling towards my Mooney. It ended up rolling right into my left flap and putting a tear in it. See the pictures below. It was an empty light plastic barrel, so despite the significance of the damage it doesn't look like there was any further damage to the wing itself.

Luckily the airport immediately took responsibility and it looks like their insurance will cover it. There is also a shop on the field that used to be a MSC that can perform the repair. They plan to send the flap to Air Frame Components, part of Williams, Inc. in Indiana. Air Frame Components will re-skin the flap and put a base coat of white paint on. I'll then have to fly somewhere to have the black paint and stripe put on.

Neverheless I'm now without my Mooney for a month while she gets repaired. I'll also have to fly commercial back to Chicago. Hoping their insurance will cover my flights. Anyone else experience something like this and learn anything from it? I'm just hoping to not be any worse off after it's all said and done, money wise or with the condition of my new to me Mooney.

[Browncbr1]

Crap happens.  Glad you didn't get stiffed like many others have been.  

[carusoam]

Holiday in Hyannis?

It is the largest airport on the cape with the most services available. Commercial flights by CapeAir to Boston..?(?)

Good luck with getting through the challenges.

Best regards,

-a-

[1964-M20E]

Glad to see they are taking care of it.

 

I would think their insurance would cover you commercial airfare home and back to get you plane as well as expenses to ferry it to get the final painting and any other expenses incurred during this process.

Not to pry but are they giving you a check to get it repaired or are they  handling it all?

 

If they are giving you a check before you accept it make sure it includes the above mentions expenses as well.  Their fault you should not have to come out of pocket for much to make you whole again.  They should even cover a rental plane if you had other trips planned during the repair time.  Maybe I'm grabbing and asking for too much but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I'm not a lawyer but I stayed at a hotel once.

 

 

 

[211º]

I had to deal with insurance companies twice this last year with a 150 that had been damaged by another plane.

In the first dealing, we agreed to an amount that it would cost me to rent a plane to fly (per hour wet) and if I had to drive somewhere, they reimbursed me for the flight hours -- even if I drove it.  The second time they weren't as willing to be so upfront.  I was dealing with the other airplane owner's insurance company and I think that they were a little frustrated to paying a claim twice in one year in two separate incidents between the same two airplanes.

The best advise that I received from an attorney friend is negotiate from actual that were/will be incurred.

My advise is to be patient with the adjusters and the negotiations as they have a single goal - reduce, reduce reduce.

Also, carefully read the final agreement for you are really agreeing to - odds are good that it'll reduce their risk to zero for anything and everything regardless of fault, when noticed, etc.

[highlowfastslow]

On 12/30/2016 at 11:44 AM, 1964-M20E said:

Glad to see they are taking care of it.

 

I would think their insurance would cover you commercial airfare home and back to get you plane as well as expenses to ferry it to get the final painting and any other expenses incurred during this process.

Not to pry but are they giving you a check to get it repaired or are they  handling it all?

 

If they are giving you a check before you accept it make sure it includes the above mentions expenses as well.  Their fault you should not have to come out of pocket for much to make you whole again.  They should even cover a rental plane if you had other trips planned during the repair time.  Maybe I'm grabbing and asking for too much but it doesn't hurt to ask.

I'm not a lawyer but I stayed at a hotel once.

 

 

 

Yea I'm hoping the airfare for my wife and I is a reasonable request. I didn't have any other trips planned over the next month but still hate to have the plane sit for a month straight, but what are you going to do. I'm not sure how they plan to go about it. I guess I hope they'll just pay the bills as they come. The local FBO has already asked Air Frame Components to send a crate for the flap, so AMUs are already being incurred.

On 12/30/2016 at 1:22 PM, 211º said:

I had to deal with insurance companies twice this last year with a 150 that had been damaged by another plane.

In the first dealing, we agreed to an amount that it would cost me to rent a plane to fly (per hour wet) and if I had to drive somewhere, they reimbursed me for the flight hours -- even if I drove it.  The second time they weren't as willing to be so upfront.  I was dealing with the other airplane owner's insurance company and I think that they were a little frustrated to paying a claim twice in one year in two separate incidents between the same two airplanes.

The best advise that I received from an attorney friend is negotiate from actual that were/will be incurred.

My advise is to be patient with the adjusters and the negotiations as they have a single goal - reduce, reduce reduce.

Also, carefully read the final agreement for you are really agreeing to - odds are good that it'll reduce their risk to zero for anything and everything regardless of fault, when noticed, etc.

Appreciate the advice. The airport already filled out a claims form and took responsibility for the damage so I'm hoping the process will be pretty smooth. With the re-skin of the flap and costs to paint this will be a more expensive repair than I was first thinking, probably upwards of 7-8k, so who knows how accommodating they will be or not. 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, highlowfastslow said:

Yea I'm hoping the airfare for my wife and I is a reasonable request. I didn't have any other trips planned over the next month but still hate to have the plane sit for a month straight, but what are you going to do. I'm not sure how they plan to go about it. I guess I hope they'll just pay the bills as they come. The local FBO has already asked Air Frame Components to send a crate for the flap, so AMUs are already being incurred.

Appreciate the advice. The airport already filled out a claims form and took responsibility for the damage so I'm hoping the process will be pretty smooth. With the re-skin of the flap and costs to paint this will be a more expensive repair than I was first thinking, probably upwards of 7-8k, so who knows how accommodating they will be or not. 

If you hangar your plane at home, they should be keeping yours in a hangar while the repairs are underway.

Clarence