Lost a 10mm socket inside a Cessna 172 wing tank last Thursday

I was in the hangar at KPDX trying to button up an annual on a Skyhawk when my 10mm slipped off the float gauge bolt and plopped right into the fuel, so I spent 45 minutes using a borescope and a telescoping magnet to fish it out because there's no way I was leaving that thing in there for the next guy to find. Has anyone else dropped a tool into a fuel tank and had to go full search and rescue on it?

2 comments

2 Comments

gracecarr26d agoMost Upvoted

Drop a sinker in a bait bucket and you'll spend all day pissed off. At least in aviation you know it's coming back to haunt you when that thing rattles around on takeoff.

milarodriguez26d ago

Man, that sinking feeling when you hear that clank of metal hitting fuel has to be awful. @gracecarr you're right about aviation coming back to haunt you, that socket would have been a real problem on the next flight. I feel your pain though, I've spent my share of time with a magnet and a flashlight digging a 10mm out of a tight spot. It's never just a quick job, it's always a full on search and rescue mission. Glad you got it out before it turned into a bigger headache.