Torqued the same bolt wrong for 4 years until a QA audit caught it

I've been doing the same flap track bolt pattern since I started at the MRO in Tulsa back in 2019. Always set my torque wrench to 85 inch-pounds, same as my old lead told me. Turns out that spec was for the older airframe, not the -300 series we got in 2021. The audit guy pulled the manual out and showed me the page, I felt like an idiot. It took a 40-page compliance check to make me question what I thought I knew. Anyone else ever trust a coworker's word over the manual and pay for it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

baker.phoenix15d ago

Buddy of mine from my old shop torqued brake calipers to the same number for years because his trainer swore by it. A routine inspection found one backing off and the whole fleet got grounded for two days, manual was right all along.

ivangrant15d ago

Funny how that works, the manual gets ignored because someone's "experience" feels more real than the printed spec. @baker.phoenix Ive seen the same thing with tire pressures and even cooking times, people trust the ritual over the recipe until something fails. Its like we all want a shortcut until the shortcut bites us.