up elevator control linkage hitting airspeed indicator

[AWilson]

This is my first post as I am a new 170A owner.

I notice that when the yoke is pulled back about 3/4 of the way and I apply left and right aileron the chain linkage behind the panel gets hung up on what i think is the airspeed indicator. It catches and then with a thump, visibly jars the instrument panel and then snaps loose and continues with the aileron throw. I don't believe I get full elevator up either. Obviously not good. I was wondering if this is something that has been reported before? The airspeed indicator seems to have an extension on it. sort of a tee fitting. Maybe it is a drain? Anyway it seems that this extension may be the issue. But if it is supposed to be there then why is it contacting now?
Any insight would be appreciated.

[jlwild]

Don’t fly until you get it fixed. Had one experience after a shop changed out gyro. The chain caught on improperly installed vacuum line clamp fitting,

[GAHorn]

This is my first post as I am a new 170A owner.

I notice that when the yoke is pulled back about 3/4 of the way and I apply left and right aileron the chain linkage behind the panel gets hung up on what i think is the airspeed indicator. It catches and then with a thump, visibly jars the instrument panel and then snaps loose and continues with the aileron throw. I don't believe I get full elevator up either. Obviously not good. I was wondering if this is something that has been reported before? The airspeed indicator seems to have an extension on it. sort of a tee fitting. Maybe it is a drain? Anyway it seems that this extension may be the issue. But if it is supposed to be there then why is it contacting now?
Any insight would be appreciated.

First of all…WELCOME! and Congratulations on your “new” 170-A !

We don’t yet know if this is also your First airplane acquisition…or if you’ve owned/operated other airplanes previously… but instrument replacements are common maintenance items, especially on aircraft with a few decades of experience on them.

It may be that someone has replaced that instrument and not confirmed that flight controls clear the installation….. AND EVEN EXPERIENCED technicians/mechanics can make that error. (My airplane underwent a 17-year restoration by Textron/Cessna employees on their personal time…and we had a full-annual inspection performed as part of the negotiated-purchase… That annual was performed (not a paper-job…a real inspection was performed and signed-off by the A&P-IA who had performed most of the restoration…AND I’d hired another Inspector, who had no previous familiarity with that airframe, to over-see that inspection.) … Furthermore, This airplane won the Restoration-Award at Oshkosh after restoration. …which meant it had undergone the scrutiny of a Number of talented people knowledgeable about Cessnas.

However the first annual inspection after purchase ….. we discovered the control-column “T” behind the panel contacted the Attitude gyro preventing full “up” elevator by about an inch of travel. The elevator angles were checked and it was found deficient by several degrees.

I tell of this so that it can be appreciated that even experienced and talented persons can miss or overlook important matters if the full procedures are not followed.

Also, keep in mind, these airplanes are now 70+ years old… giving ample opportunities for equipment exchanges that may not be what was once “standard”.

Airspeed indicators are tied to the pitot-static system. The static system is also plumbed to the altimeter and the vertical-airspeed indicator… and May be tied to additional equipment …such as altitude-encoder, etc. So it is not uncommon for “Tees” and other plumbing fixtures to be attached to those instruments. (The “Tee” shouldn’t be a “drain”. It should not be “open” (unconnected). Bottom line: You must have all that inspected and corrected before further flight.

Hope this helps.

[AWilson]

Thanks all! Definitely going to get it fixed before flying. I had a thorough pre purchase inspection completed before I bought it. The last annual was done in November by the IA seller. But maybe while the aircraft is being fixed for this finding, I should have another annual done by the FBO maintenance shop on the field.

[GAHorn]

Thanks all! Definitely going to get it fixed before flying. I had a thorough pre purchase inspection completed before I bought it. The last annual was done in November by the IA seller. But maybe while the aircraft is being fixed for this finding, I should have another annual done by the FBO maintenance shop on the field.

AWilson…you are “new” to our Forum so perhaps you’ve not had the displeasure of my (unintended) sometimes didactic conversational method of posting… …but as you explore these discussion threads you will see that I am a proponent of Full Annual Inspection forms to be used for “pre-purchase” or “Pre-buy inspections”.

There is NO Legal basis or definition in a “pre-purchase/pre-buy” inspection. That sort of “looky, looky” is merely whatever the “inspector” thinks is necessary to satisfy whomever employed his services. There is Zero consistency between inspectors….and there is No Standard to-which the inspector must adhere. You have found that out, now too late. Your pre-purchase inspector did not check flight controls…. kind of an important matter… don’t you agree?

There is only ONE inspection which carries legal obligations toward determining Airworthiness: Full Annual Inspection according to FAA guidelines and Mfr’r Forms.

A Full Annual Inspection-only will cost about $1K …. not a bad figure for such an important matter, IMO.

You do not have to repair the airplane during an inspection. You will not plan to fix a sellers defects. You only wish to KNOW about them.

You can negotiate how the defects will be addressed in further purchasing negotiations.

PS: In the example I gave earlier on my own airplane…the “full annual inspection” still missed an important item, I agree with those that noticed…. but the inspector was obligated to correct his oversight without further charge (with some degree of embarrassment.) I’m grateful nothing bad happened in the meantime.
In another example, In 1988 I bought a C-206, which during our Pre-Purchase Annual Inspection…. it was discovered the incorrect engine and prop were installed…and had been operating like that for 4 years. (It had IO-520-D engine and C-185 prop, instead of the correct IO-520-A engine and associated prop and prop governor.) This discovery led to contact with the Inspector who had performed the previous 4 Annual Inspections…who, in order to avoid further “discovery”… corrected the problem by converting the engine to “A”-status and installing new, correct prop gov and propeller at his expense.
Other examples such as this exist in these Forums.

Hope this helps.

[IA DPE]

My Aviation Mentor taught me to check all four corners via the “box method” when doing the Control Check on the Before Takeoff Checklist. Most everyone else does the fore/ aft, then left/ right method thus only verifying the center.

I picked up a Cessna 340 from King Radios in Olathe, KS many years ago, and while doing the “four corners check” found a snag which was corrected before flight. Very thankful to have found that while on the ground. I learned another thing later on that flight- never take a GA airplane in the clouds that I’ve not first verified all systems operational (and where the switches for said operation are) in VMC. But that’s another story

[AWilson]

I appreciate the comments. I noticed that some of the dynamic involved with a pre-purchase inspection were a little questionable. One guy asked me "What do you want me to check". So this definitely makes me understand your point. It furthers my decision to get it annualed before I fly it. Also, for insurance I need an instructor current in a 170 to give me dual for 5 hours. I expect that person to want to be sure the aircraft is airworthy. Fresh out of annual and fixing any findings is a good way to start!

Thanks.

[GAHorn]

Richards’ “box” method is what I was taught also…and it saved me on an occasion that I was to ferry a 175 somewhere. The controls tangled with a wiring harness in one of the “corners” of the box.

AWilson, another thing pops-into memory…. “fresh out” of maintenance…carries a high probability of issues in my experience. I sometimes cringe when I think about other people disassembling/reassembling the airplane.

I’ll never forget the time the chief inspector (Earle Eader, and he deserves to be named) at Atlantic Aviation, Houston, after performing the 8-year X-rays (interior had to be removed/reinstalled) on the Hawker I was flying handed me a styrofoam coffee cup of screws and said (and this is exactly what he said), “I don’t know where these came from.”

[c170b53]

But did you need them George ?
AW welcome to the club, all the best with the plane. Sounds like any plane is going to welcome your ownership. Good luck with her

[c170b53]

Might be a case of the rubber isolators snapping in two or just plain sagging ?

[IA DPE]

George: a GOOD mechanic always has “leftovers” for the next job!

[ghostflyer]

It was when we took delivery of a number of 737 -800NGs that the amount of excess parts become apparent to my crew at one of our crew meetings . Plus on One aircraft there a fuel pump issue [ centre tank] where pressure wasn’t being attainted . New fuel pump went in after a while same problem . It was only after the tank was emptied and inspected a bunch of rags and a “ladies girdle ‘ was found in the area. Plus there was a AD out at that time with aircraft fires from overheating fuel pumps . Then a major issue I had was an air conditioning pak [LH] kept tripping off line after climbing through 15,000ft. Reset carried out at 20,000ft and still on climb ,no issues. I “spat the dummy “ over this issue as fault finding was not finding the issue and so I had the heat exchanges cleaned . When the heat exchanges came out ,i was inspectioning the door linkages to the outflow gates and here was a burnt plastic yellow torch jamming the push rods . It had the name “Marion Greg**** engraved into the torch. This torch had been there since assembly of the aircraft at Boeing .QC at Boeing on the 737 NG production line was shocking. Sorry the QC wasn’t shocking as there wasn’t any QC.
So Marion Greg**** I have your torch , It’s in horrible condition . Plus I have a full row of sockets and ratchet in a metal container box that was left inside a CFM56 core engine cowl on a structural ledge when it left Boeing . All the issues listed above was with new 737 NG boeings on their delivery flights.

[GAHorn]

George: a GOOD mechanic always has “leftovers” for the next job!

Are you and Jim suggesting Earl regularly did that to pilots he found “picky”….?? (that’d truly be a nasty practical joke to pull).

AWilson…. I hope you realize by now we are not the “typical Type-Club”…. We are Social, Friendly, and Welcoming. Also Thread-HIjackers!
(sorry, I guess I started this)

[AWilson]

George: a GOOD mechanic always has “leftovers” for the next job!

Are you and Jim suggesting Earl regularly did that to pilots he found “picky”….?? (that’d truly be a nasty practical joke to pull).

AWilson…. I hope you realize by now we are not the “typical Type-Club”…. We are Social, Friendly, and Welcoming. Also Thread-HIjackers!
(sorry, I guess I started this)

No problem!