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Bolts and nuts


bischoffm
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OpSec is somethng that has gone away since everone has a camera phone and has to tell someone when something goes on. It seems since we only have terrorist to deal with instead of a global superpower to oppose, little information like mission reliability isn't an issue........ WRONG If the bad guys know we don't have aircraft availability then it allows them to step up their activity. Information leaks hurt our people not the bad guys. Guess all those briefings about OPSEC when I was on active duty have gone away with the new kinder Air Force, probably replace with more gym time so people can go and work out more.

Mike

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Guest USCGC130J

When the inspection came through Thursday we saw it for the legacy c-130 but we figured we would look at our planes to make sure that we did not have them. We looked on 3 planes were good and the last one that we had check had the tapered barrel nuts. So we found it on a J and had Lockheed come take pictures so they grounded the J's as well.

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Guest USCGC130J

Heard from a good source today that it might be 48 weeks before all defective nuts are replaced.

Lockgreed ought to do this for free on the "j" acft as they were equiped "from the factory" with these defective nuts.

RZ Hill

We have already replaced the barrel nuts that were bad on the one plane that had the incorrect ones. Luckly we had 16 on hand and Airstation Kodiak had an extra 10 for us.

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From what the SPO has told us, the barrel nuts in question were supposed to have met the spec for that application. The issue is that the manufacturer evidently scewed the pooch during the manufacturing process that leaves these nuts suceptible to "embrittlement". I would not characterize that Lockheed or the SPO installed "incorrect" nuts, just nuts that came from a manufacturer that didn't have the right quality controls in-place to ensure they produced a quality product comensurate with the application. I do believe there should be enough blame to go around with the agencies that are supposed to be looking out for our best interest when buying aircraft parts. We just went through a similar issue with the truss mount and external tank mount bolts about 6-8 months ago. That was due to bolts being introduced into the system from an umknown source with suspect bolt head stamps. I still haven't heard what came from that investigation.

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Any word on why they're only inspecting the top nuts? I mean, if it's a material problem, they should be inspecting the bottom nuts as well, shouldn't they?

I haven't seen the actual TCTO, but I saw the message traffic that outlined the work & only saw Top Nuts...

Unless the slide-rule engineers believe the failures to be caused by shock loading during landing (unloading of the wings) vs fatigue or general stress (in that case, bottom nuts would be more critical for inflight). But if it's an embrittlement issue, that's materiel, and all nuts should be inspected/replaced, no??

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I'm just a dumb-ass pointy head, but as I learned it from giving limited help to my APG brethren, the bottom bolts and nuts are a different thread size. The top are .750", the same as the bottom engine bolts and the rear eye bolt of the refueling pod.

The bad .750" nuts in question were machined with squared surfaces in the locking part of the nut. I believe the bottom bolts in the rainbow fittings are a different size, I'm guessing .625", but I don't have the book in front of me. I would think the top engine mount bolts are probably larger. But again, there aren't any wires running to them, so that limits my ability to comprehend.

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Guest cobra935o

Didnt we have this same issue with the wing attachment barrel nuts about 16-17 years ago? I remember doing some inspections back then for the same damn thing, and back then it also seemed we only did the top nuts!

I also liked how they wrote in the article "legacy" 130's which are all 130s now except it seems the J models.

Edited by cobra935o
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“Actual flight loads are not that much of a problem,” May said. “It’s the shock of landing that tends to be the issue. Of course operating on unimproved runways is also a concern.”

OK...guess that answered my question. May be different nuts too as pointed out by Tiny...I just assumed they were all the same.

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Guest USCGC130J

As far as i know that is what i heard as well 5 nuts on one a/c were bad. As for what i have heard about the coast guard is that all of them will be replaced and untill they are the a/c is grounded. Our a/c are back up(J's in E-city) not sure about the rest.

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