Taylorcraft Spar Failure

[flyguy]

If I go searching I know I will get 10,000 "spar" references, so I am going to be lazy.

Anyone know of any case of in-flight spar failure on a production type Taylorcraft?

Darryl

[VictorBravo]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

No failures that I've heard of, but you sure did scare the !($* out of me when I read the title of the discussion thread!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

Second hand from a discussion with Duane Cole at Oshkosh many years ago. We were talking about what kind of aerobatics were proper with a full wing Taylorcraft. I had taken a ride with another owner who showed me my first loop and roll from inside the plane (I had done spins and lazy eights before). When I talked about rolling in a long wing Taylorcraft he said that was NOT a smart thing to do. He said the long Taylorcraft wing could easily fail at the strut attach in a roll. He was pretty adamant but didn't cite an actual failure. Hey, it was Duane Cole. I have never done another roll in a Taylorcraft.
Hank

[guns68]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

No failures that I've heard of, but you sure did scare the !($* out of me when I read the title of the discussion thread!

No Kidding! I'm in the middle of doing a spar repair, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that title! Maybe I ought to back away from the computer until my plane is up and flying again.

[NC36061]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

Online NTSB reports only go back to 1962. A search there http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp shows this http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=38892&key=0 as the only reported in-flight spar failure. The older reports are very minimal in detail; this might have been an improper splice repair.

[flyguy]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

The thought did go thru my mind that the title might wake up a few readers. Sorry about that, but I did chuckle just a bit when I reread the title after I had posted it.

I think Duane might be correct as it is pretty easy to get into excessive speed or negative G's in a roll.
Actually I was just thinking about "normal" conditions such as turbulence.
I had never heard of anything.

Sorry again about the heart palpitations.

Thanks for the link.
Darryl

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

The long wing Taylorcraft from the factory could be easily and safely rolled IF you know what you are doing!!! I roll mine at 0 g-s to this day. Balliostic roll, nose up 30 degrees and around you go....

REMEMBER not all ships have been properly cared for over the years. Things break if not repaired correctly or mistreated. As to SPAR failure, the ones that come to mind are the "tear out" of the wing attach fittings on the rear spar. THIS can happen if the ship had been flipped onto its back at one time, the negative loading can effect the spar but ends.... LOOK them over real well. Remember not all failures have been reported over the years.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

You can also damage the root end of the spar by hitting the wing tip. We had a guy years ago who hit his wing tip against the corner of a hangar row when he taxied just a tad too close to the corner. Whacked the tip against the building but thought he was OK since it didn't dent the tip tube or damage the fabric. On takeoff the plane was "squirrely as hell" and he put it back down fast. Taxied back and lifted and twisted the wing from the tip. The aft spar attach had failed and split the spar through the bolt holes!
That wing is a LOOOOONG lever arm! I ALWAYS "feel" the wings from the tips on preflight. Slight lifting, twisting and push fore and aft (DON'T get carried away, YOU can damage things with that lever too!) Any small change in the feel of the wings or stab should be looked at before flight. Might help to get with the sailplane guys when you get the chance to learn the right way to do a positive control check too. I do those anytime I have someone who knows how (couple of times a year). It's overkill but every once in a while you notice a surface that needs lube or a bad pulley. You CAN feel these things if you know your plane well and look.
Remember, I am anal too (and nothing is as fun as messing with my plane).
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

That is a demonstration we do here, grasp the end of wing at the spars and twist, lift, move down and fore and aft ( gently).... watch for looseness and do the same at the stabs .. new students, and old hands at the fly-ins need this demonstration.

[akndrifter]

Re: Taylorcraft Spar Failure

My uncle did loops in a Taylorcraft "back in the day". My mom told me it was the craziest thing seeing her home town upside down (she was his first pax doing loops). Mind you this was in a typically well used Alaskan "bush" plane, so I don't know if that speaks well for tcarts or good luck.