Double Check your Batteries are Secured after Annual

[carusoam]

My batteries have the Concorde rigid cast aluminum piece holding them down... listed as optional on Clarence’s link...

RGs might not be in the original IPC for my bird, as the RG technology isn’t that old..?

Best regards,

-a-

[HRM]

I just concluded a wonderful day at the 2019 Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona Air Show and at the Feds Against Aviation table they had a flyer "Advanced PreFlight After Maintenance" that made me think of this thread. DL it here.

[bonal]

Very glad that this didn't cause a catastrophic problem as we all know how dangerous a direct short on these batteries can be. Over the years there have been many threads that mention a maintenance issue with our shops and respective mechanics but in most cases no one is willing to say who did the poor work. I know we all want to be respectful and of course no one wants to be accused of slander but it seems that as long as we do so in a respectful and informative manner I think this could be very helpful toward the safe flights we all expect when we pay very good money to have work done on our airplanes. Just something that has occurred to me as I read these types of stories.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, HRM said:

I just concluded a wonderful day at the 2019 Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona Air Show and at the Feds Against Aviation table they had a flyer "Advanced PreFlight After Maintenance" that made me think of this thread. DL it here.

Very timely!

The linked FAA Safety Team Pamphlet "Advanced Preflight M-Pamphlet" shows the difference between the Fed's idea of a thorough preflight inspection and my own.  Coming out of the world's slowest no-upgrades-or-major-repairs annual, mine will be thorough, lengthy and slow. But it will not include a single item mentioned in this 12-page brochure, which is all about paperwork, overhaul times versus airplane times, writing out ADs, collecting SBs, ordering and reviewing your plane's history from the FAA, digging through all 337s etc., etc. . . . .

But I gave it a second effort and looked at the FAA Safety Briefing article, "Advanced Preflight." It's more of the same, with a paragraph or two at the end that's actually related to the airplane itself. As if paperwork is what makes our airplanes fly!!

Not one word about checking everything that was worked on, everything next to it, the security of their attaching bolts, or the position and operation of every single button, switch, toggle, knob and control in the cockpit, which will take me about four times as long as my normal preflight. Maybe five times as long. But without any of the FAA's advice to check the paperwork that has been filed with them over the decades . . . . .

[Skates97]

On 3/20/2019 at 9:35 AM, Flymac said:

back to the battery topic, if thats now on your personal list to check the tie-downs...I'd add checking the water levels (if not sealed)...that was my learning this year (always heavily involved in owner assisted every year, but always learning more to check, and what to check earliest in)...my battery levels were extremely low, probably added 2oz per compartment...just one more item thats on my personal list to "trust but verify" the shops...easy item to help maintain.

When I change the oil I also check the water level in the battery. I always have to add just a little, but checking that frequently has kept it from ever getting low. Just part of the oil change routine. 

[HRM]

3 hours ago, Hank said:

Not one word about checking everything that was worked on, everything next to it, the security of their attaching bolts, or the position and operation of every single button, switch, toggle, knob and control in the cockpit...

This bothered me as well, they appear to mean well, but don’t quite hit the mark.

<sigh>

[thinwing]

On 3/22/2019 at 3:41 AM, M20Doc said:

That explains it.  You have to wonder what happened to the left over pieces?  I tell my guys it should scare them when they have left over hardware and they better be able to explain to me where it cam from.

Clearly there is a lack of training and supervision at the shop that did this to your airplane.

Clarence

Maybe the original batteries were the /m manifold mount batteries .