Nose truss damage-fbo caused

[Mark89114]

Just a reminder to check anytime somebody tows our Mooneys.  I specifically mention this to line guys and get either a i understand or a blank stare.....

The FBO really overworked this somehow.  So far they seem to be accepting reaponsibility but now the repair process starts.  

I am guessing this would have failed anf a much bigger problem.

[Fly Boomer]

2 hours ago, Mark89114 said:

The FBO really overworked this somehow.

That is some impressive damage -- worst I have seen.  Good Luck.

[cbarry]

The often dreaded conversation upon arrival: Lineman: “Sir are your brakes off?”  Me: “Yes. Is your staff familiar with the nose gear turning limitations of a Mooney?”  Lineman: “Oh yeah, we know.”  Me:  “Good. I prefer this aircraft to not be towed, so if I need to park in a different spot, I’m more than happy to do so now.”
 

 

[Hank]

4 hours ago, Mark89114 said:

The FBO really overworked this somehow.  So far they seem to be accepting reaponsibility . . .

While the damage is unfortunate, you should be thankful that they are owning up and doing the repairs! I've read horror stories here about denials, lawsuits, etc.

Hope everything goes smoothly and doesn't take a protracted time.

[EricJ]

Wow, I don't think I've seen one worse than that.

[Marc_B]

If you look in the second picture down, your stop tab is ripped back 90 deg.  probably has a hole in the truss there.  I'd refuse to taxi it and let the shop assume the liability if the nose truss broke on taxi resulting in a prop strike.   Certainly wouldn't fly it anywhere to repair.  I can't remember where I saw it, but wasn't there a Mooney who had the welds break off resulting in a prop strike that looked like it had been oversteered while towing and was felt that was what weakened the truss...

 

[PT20J]

In the first picture, the badly damaged tube on the right is actually the gear leg and the part it hit on the left that shows missing paint is the truss. Usually only the leg gets damaged because it has the smaller tube. But, with that much damage to the leg, be sure that the truss tube isn’t also deformed. Also, check the rudder push pull tubes and the stops (in the tail) for damage because it will have hit the rudder stops well before the tubes on the nose gear touched.

[Fritz1]

Sorry to see that much aggravation, airplane damaged, trip derailed, repair may take a while, I have bought two gear legs, one for my G-model way back when, my own FBO wrecked it and repaired it, the other one when I bought the Bravo 7 years ago, part of the pre purchase. A lot has been written about this, there is no easy way out. Line personnel especially at large FBOs often has a turnover of 100% per year. Therefore avoid towing with a tug whenever possible, especially pushing backward, park so that the airplane does not have to be moved if possible. If towing unavoidable, talk to the line service person, give him a tip, that makes you less of a moper, a make him touch the left gear leg tube and feel that there is no dent. Explain that the repair is somewhere between $4k and $5k and nobody wants to go there. 

[Red Leader]

How much damage is too much? What is the exact amount of impression allowed before it becomes unairworthy? Isn't it something like 1/32" Of course, your pictures show about the worst-case scenario that isn't an immediate failure- sorry about that.

[kortopates]

35 minutes ago, Red Leader said:

How much damage is too much? What is the exact amount of impression allowed before it becomes unairworthy? Isn't it something like 1/32" Of course, your pictures show about the worst-case scenario that isn't an immediate failure- sorry about that.

10% of tube wall thickness

[PT20J]

54 minutes ago, Red Leader said:

How much damage is too much? What is the exact amount of impression allowed before it becomes unairworthy? Isn't it something like 1/32" Of course, your pictures show about the worst-case scenario that isn't an immediate failure- sorry about that.

[Jeff Uphoff]

WOW!

I had this happen to me once, back in 2003, in my 231. I was at Stella Maris in the Bahamas and had left written instructions re towing and the limits, but it didn't matter--they bent the tubes. I don't find the damage until pre-flight--after I'd already cleared Bahamian Customs outbound and had a US Customs time cut to make. In the end, my insurance wound up covering it--despite my getting pictures, etc. The wrinkle was trying to subrogate an FBO in a foreign country. Don Maxwell did the repair--thankfully, it wasn't as bad as the apparent damage your pictures show!

--Up.

P.S. I love love loved this lineman's t-shirt at the 2022 Mooney Summit in Tampa (KTPF).

[EricJ]

56 minutes ago, Jeff Uphoff said:

WOW!

I had this happen to me once, back in 2003, in my 231. I was at Stella Maris in the Bahamas and had left written instructions re towing and the limits, but it didn't matter--they bent the tubes. I don't find the damage until pre-flight--after I'd already cleared Bahamian Customs outbound and had a US Customs time cut to make. In the end, my insurance wound up covering it--despite my getting pictures, etc. The wrinkle was trying to subrogate an FBO in a foreign country. Don Maxwell did the repair--thankfully, it wasn't as bad as the apparent damage your pictures show!

--Up.

P.S. I love love loved this lineman's t-shirt at the 2022 Mooney Summit in Tampa (KTPF).

That's not Mooney specific, either.    I was reminding somebody that was hooking up a tow machine to my airplane that Mooneys have steering limits.   He glanced at me and said, "They all do."     This shirt is awesome.

 

[bluehighwayflyer]

I love that lineman’s t-shirt, too!

This has happened to my dad and me three times in 42 years of Mooney ownership.  No FBO has ever taken responsibility for it.