What is this?

[skydvrboy]

I was changing looking in the wingtip this evening through the nav light hole and found this.  Sorry about the poor picture quality, I tried to clean it up, but this was the best I could do.

There appears to be a pile of something in the inside corner near the back of this chamber.  I opened a few other inspection panels and didn't see anything like it anywhere else.

 

[EricJ]

Definitely get it out and inspect for corrosion in the area.   Even if there wasn't animal urine it could have held moisture in there.

[Yetti]

corrosion and organic material

[skydvrboy]

It definitely won’t be easy to get to. There isn’t an inspection panel in that section. I’ll rig up a small hose duct taped to a vacuum cleaner and suck it out through the nav light hole.

[1964-M20E]

Yes get it cleaned out.

 

While some may think it a waste of time at every annual all wing inspection covers are removed (4 to 6 hours to R&R) and I clean inside each bay to the best of my ability before applying corrosion X.  The first few years are really dirty but it gets less and less over time.  Sometimes I feel like a proctologists on an elephant reaching deep inside the wings as far as I can.

 

[ArtVandelay]

My guess would be an old mouse nest.  You need to do whatever has to be done to clean it all out of there and inspect the area for corrosion.  
Jim

At the wing tip?, mice usually make their way into the tail via tie down rope? I would guess hummingbirds or flying insects. Not that it matters much, in either case it needs to be cleaned. Maybe got entry via gaps by ailerons? Did you check other wing?


Tom

[Vance Harral]

4 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

At the wing tip?

Yep.  They climb up the mains into the wheel wells, enter the wing where the retract rods pass through the wing to the wells, and thence through the holes in the wing ribs to wherever they like.  Ask me how I know.

Some Mooneys have "rat socks" where the retract rods enter the wheel wells, presumably in part to prevent this.  Our airplane doesn't.  It's unclear to me whether it left the factory that way, or if some prior owner removed them.

[Shadrach]

7 hours ago, 1964-M20E said:

Yes get it cleaned out.

 

While some may think it a waste of time at every annual all wing inspection covers are removed (4 to 6 hours to R&R) and I clean inside each bay to the best of my ability before applying corrosion X.  The first few years are really dirty but it gets less and less over time.  Sometimes I feel like a proctologists on an elephant reaching deep inside the wings as far as I can.

 

I do not believe that the MM specifies all inspection covers to be removed nor is necessary to inspect the wing in its entirety. One must be willing and able to use a mirror and a flashlight. One thing that gets neglected more are the wing root fairings.

Whatever is in skydvrboy’s wing needs to come out now. Looks like it could be an old rag.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, Shadrach said:

Whatever is in skydvrboy’s wing needs to come out now. Looks like it could be an old rag.

That's better than the empty Coke bottle that was in a door of my grandparents' new Buick . . .

[RLCarter]

32 minutes ago, Hank said:

That's better than the empty Coke bottle that was in a door of my grandparents' new Buick . . .

Guy here found a bucking bar in the wing of a new 182 during its 1st annual several years back

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Shadrach said:

I do not believe that the MM specifies all inspection covers to be removed nor is necessary to inspect the wing in its entirety. One must be willing and able to use a mirror and a flashlight. One thing that gets neglected more are the wing root fairings.

Whatever is in skydvrboy’s wing needs to come out now. Looks like it could be an old rag.

While it’s technically not required to open every panel on the wing, cases like this sure explain the need to do it once in a while.

Clarence

[skydvrboy]

5 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

While it’s technically not required to open every panel on the wing, cases like this sure explain the need to do it once in a while.

Agreed, but don't forget, this area can not be viewed through any inspection panel.  It is on the very tip of the wing and is only visible/accessible through the nav light hole.  I took off the four outermost inspection panels and there was nothing like this in any of those compartments.  Kind of makes me wonder how long it's been there.

When I get it out, I'll report back on what it is (assuming I can figure that out once it's removed).  I'll also spray some corrosion-X in there and try to get it covered well.

33 minutes ago, RLCarter said:

Guy here found a bucking bar in the wing of a new 182 during its 1st annual several years back

My other wing had a bucking bar in it from the previous wing repair.  I let the mechanic keep it for his tool set. 

[Shadrach]

1 hour ago, M20Doc said:

While it’s technically not required to open every panel on the wing, cases like this sure explain the need to do it once in a while.

Clarence

Agreed. I hope this turns out to be benign.

[skydvrboy]

Quick followup on what I found.  It looks like the some insulation and fibers.  It could have been a mouse nest, but there were no mouse droppings.  I opened up all the inspection plates around this area and found nothing in any of the other compartments.

 

The only way to access this area is through the nav light holes, so I made a make-shift vacuum cleaner hose by duct taping a section of garden hose onto the vacuum hose.  I was able to get it all out except for a small amount on the back side of a 3/4" rib.

I went to several stores around town, but couldn't find Corrosion-X, so once it was cleaned the best I could, I sprayed it with this stuff.

If anyone takes off their nav light for any reason, inspect this area.  It would NEVER be found through an annual inspection, PPI, etc.

 

[carusoam]

Great follow-up, SDB!

Best regards,

-a-