Glen Davis Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 Guys, I have a J in for a prebuy right now. The mechanic has not talked to me yet but did send a few pictures. Attached is a shot showing a small crack in the training edge of the elevator. It's been drill stopped. Is this a big deal, big enough that I should ask the seller for a reduction in price. The price I'm paying is fair market value, not a super deal and not overpriced. If this can be fixed, what is the procedure? Glen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertGary1 Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 Looks like it’s been fixed. I wouldn’t worry about it myself unless the mechanic is. -Robert 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 It's just something to keep an eye on, especially since it is easily inspected during every pre-flight. Shouldn't be a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DXB Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 A rashed elevator edge is a messy area in terms of airworthiness. It's a slippery slope from just fine to obviously unairworthy - this sits somewhere in the middle, and expert opinions will differ. It's not a bad plane because of this issue alone. Replacement would cost 3-4 amu sourcing a used elevator (ask me how I know). Maybe ask seller for 2amu allowance? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT20J Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 Buying an airplane is like buying a house. The price going into the pre-purchase inspection assumes that no defects will be found that have not already been taken into consideration in the price. After the inspection, there will usually be a list of issues, but hopefully no show stoppers like extensive corrosion. Your offer should be adjusted based on the complete list, market conditions, comparable airplanes on the market, etc. I wouldn't stress over a single defect -- wait until you have the entire list. And remember, you will usually find out in the first year or two how many things were not discovered in the inspection, or were about to wear out or break at the time of purchase. The first year or two can be expensive. So it's always to your advantage to try to get some consideration for each defect. When the inspection is completed, the seller will now know all the issues and will know that the next buyer will find out about them also. Time and effort has been invested in the current deal. Assuming that the seller is motivated to make a deal, if you make a reasonable offer it will be easier for the seller to accept it than to endure the uncertainty of starting over with the next buyer who might deal even harder. Just be reasonable and don't low ball if you want the airplane. Skip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missile=Awesome Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 There is a nightmare thread about this type of issue...and Mooney (company) involvement at request of FAA...Cliff notes: Grounded. Unairworthy. Ask Stacey at Mooney “what he thinks”. Gonna be great... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT20J Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 You could call these guys for advice http://www.airframecomponents.com/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtVandelay Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 I would think you can weld it to prevent further cracking, looks like it was stopped drilled already and then paint it. I have similar hangar rash on my plane, but no cracking. Tough to find 40 year old planes that don’t have some dents. My many different mechanics have never mentioned a concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOH Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 This wouldn't bother me a bit, but I'd sure use it during negotiations. For reference, when I destroyed my elevator in an embarrassing hangar rash incident, it cost me $2K to find a used one, shipped to me, stripped, painted, rebalanced and installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 4 hours ago, ArtVandelay said: I would think you can weld it to prevent further cracking, looks like it was stopped drilled already and then paint it. I have similar hangar rash on my plane, but no cracking. Tough to find 40 year old planes that don’t have some dents. My many different mechanics have never mentioned a concern. Welding that crack wouldn’t be an approved repair method. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adi Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 FYI I had the exact same question when I bought my airplane: I was super paranoid and in addition to polling this forum, I emailed several a&ps including the folks that were going to maintain my plane, LASAR and an independent shop and they all said it would be fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 Looks like corrosion cause it. Check the rest of plane very carefully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted September 15, 2020 Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 What we are most likely seeing is something called hangar rash... Trailing edges bump into columns that support the roof of the hangar... The edges get bent, the paint gets chipped, the aluminum gets torn... Over time the crack propagates, and the area around it suffers surface corrosion... Control surfaces are made of sorta thin aluminum sheets... they suffer from all kinds of dents easily... Re-skinning flight controls is a very good possibility... Flight controls are kind of complex for getting repaired... they need to be built true...and balanced post painting... There is always a market for used flight control surfaces.... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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