Aft/Rear Wing Spar Splice and Rib Cracks - 1966 M20C

[rakesb]

During first annual inspection, A&P discovered a crack in the aft wing spar splice and cracks in the RH rib P/N 210052-8 of my new-to-me 1966 M20C.  According to A&P, this is an airworthiness item and repairs to this area will require a wing de mate from the fuselage.  A&P is researching to determine whether repairs can be made in this area and what other hidden damage may be present.  According to A&P, this looks like damage  caused by putting too much load on the flaps, e.g. by deploying the flaps at too high an airspeed, or some other load put on the flaps, which then transferred the load through the driver links and arm to the attach point on the rear spar. According to A&P, this damage is not new; it has been there awhile, and most likely did not happen all at once, and shouldn't have been missed during previous annual inspection(s) -- it is not in a hidden area on this aircraft. I have yet to fly the plane.  Ferry pilot flew it from purchase point to annual inspection point. Anyone have any comments, explanation, recommendation, etc. to what A&P reports above?  Should I scrap the airplane and cut my losses now, even though I never got to fly the airplane, my first ever, by the way?

[Marauder]

Sounds like you bought it without a pre-inspection. Not sure what your options are other than to see if it is repairable, the wing can be replaced or let the boogie man get it. The boogie man is on this site. And I am sure he will contact you. Sorry to hear about this. Hope you got it for a killer price so that if you do need to scrap it, the scrap value will recover some of your money. What does it have in it for equipment?

[Sabremech]

Can you post some pictures of the cracks? I have a high time 66 M20C and have not seen this on mine.

Thanks,

David

[M20F-1968]

For what it is worth, I have a nice 1967 Mooney wing which could be used to replace yours.  Replacing the wing would be less work than repairing yours.  If interested, please e-mail me at johnabreda@yahoo.com or call me at (617) 877-0025.

 

Thanks,

John Breda

[Cruiser]

what did your purchase agreement say about airworthiness issues? How long have you owned the airplane? Did you contact and discuss this with the seller? 

[Sabremech]

Whether a pre-purchase inspection was done or not is a mute point and not helping a fellow Mooney owner get through an issue. Great post JimR and I thank you for that as I went and read the service bulletin. That does look very promising and I suspect a repair can be made returning the airplane back to airworthy. I'd still be interested in seeing some pictures of the cracks and where exactly they are located.

 There's some great resources here and I suspect you'll find some useful information to get you back flying.

 David

[BigTex]

Looks like it's an approved way of repairing rear spar cracks... Wonder if the SB kit is still available?

[BigTex]

It looks like the MAPA list is all over this. Don Maxwell said that the kit runs $300 with about 20 hours labor... Not bad considering what his A&P mentioned.

[Rwsavory]

From Don Maxwell it sounds like the repair will cost less than $3,000.  We spent at least that with Don for a pre-buy and fixing misc. squawks when we bought our 1965 C model last year.  It was worth every penny.  If it's the only major issue your A&P found during the annual consider yourself lucky.  Keep your chin up and stay optimistic.  

[Rwsavory]

Also, I might add, you should strongly consider having your plane ferried to Don Maxwell's shop.  The fact that your A&P did not know about this very common issue with vintage Mooneys and talked about taking the wing off should give you a lot of pause.  Just because they are doing the annual does not mean you have to use them for the repair.  You can have them sign off the annual with the discrepancy and get a Ferry Permit from the FAA District Office.  Food for thought. 

[1964-M20E]

Sorry you found something this on your first annual and without having flown the plane. I’m not an MSC fan however I do respect knowledge and skill to do the repair correctly and in this case I agree with others go to Maxwell and have him take care of this unless you can find someone who has an excellent reputation in working metal repairs like this. For about $3k and ferry flight it’s worth it rather than scrap the plane.

[DaV8or]

I'd love to see pictures too.

[takair]

I Did the SB on my 64 a few years ago. It can be difficult to find the cracks on a basic prebuy, they may be hidden under the brackets. The SB is not difficult, but access is difficult. Some parts of it require two people, one inside and one outside. Any A&P shpuld be able to do it, but a Mooney guy will do it faster, thus less labor. Worth doing vs some of the alternatives. I suspect most vintage Mooney's are or will crack. The repair really reinforces the area.

[BigTex]

Is this a preventative SB as one to repair cracks?

[triple8s]

Dont EVER just believe what a mechanic tells you, do your homework, if need be get a ferry permit and take it to someone who knows how to deal with the problem. Most importantly do your homework. I read and hear how "oh that plane has this wrong with it" or that plane cant be repaired. I have seen what can be done and if you've ever seen warbird restorations you'll realize that ANYthing can be fixed/repaired/rebuilt. One of my old pilot friends always asks, "Do ya know what makes a plane fly?" MONEY! So find someone good and who knows what they're doing, this isnt always the most expensive either. Like i said do your homework.

 

http://www.p38assn.org/glacier-girl.htm

 

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/hangar/museums/kissimee/kiss.htm

[Alan Fox]

Am I really the Boogie man???

[carusoam]

1) Beech addict.

2) cuts up Mooneys for parts.

3) Current avatar pointing humor at the good doctor.

4) your M20E is so fast it vexes Js...

I'm not sure Alan... What gives you the idea?

For those that don't know Alan, his parts are keeping the existing fleet alive and he is truely a nice guy. Just his choice of Vtail leaves me uneasy...

Best regards,

-a-

[Alan Fox]

I would not pull the wing , if there is a repair doubler it would be a no brainer , As far as cause , probably from people stepping on flap..... If the wing has to be pulled , have it done by an MSC , it is a huge undertaking , and you want someone that has done this numerous times before.... Have your mechanic go over the whole plane before you go any further.... If he was diligent enough to find these cracks , he can probably find any other major issues... If for some reason you decide not to repair aircraft , Contact me and I will make it as painless as possible.....Regards the "Boogie man" (Alan)

[FloridaMan]

I don't know if it's the same issue, but I was cautioned to not pump my flaps if the handle stopped or I pulled it up and miscounted pumps.