The International Cessna^® 170 Association

OK, it appears that I need to have my rudder re-skinned. Don't ask - I'm still PO'd at the guy who had 100+ yards to his right but decided to pass close to me on his left.......

Anyway, how about some tips on what else I need to look at when getting an estimate. Beside the obvious stuff like the horizontal and veritcal stablizer attchements, the bearing, and cables, what else should be examined when some SOB runs into your rudder?

Appreciate your insights guys.

Look at the bellcrank and rudder stops at the bellcrank to be sure they weren't slammed/deformed. Inspect the internal cables and pulleys to be certain they were not pulled loose from structure due to stress. Were you in the airplane? Did you feel it thru the rudder pedals? Are you certain your elevator system was untouched?

Contact Del Lehman of Mountain Airframe, Mena AR for his advice on the repair.

I was not in the airplane but was nearby enjoying a morning coffee. The a/c was tied down. It did not appear to move or get repositioned. The elevator does have several minor wrinkles.

Del, would sure appreciate you comments....

Kyle,
George covered everything to look for. It appears, from your description, that the rudder contacted an elevator. If so, I would be inclined to believe there may be rudder bellcrank damage, or rudder hinge damage. Look at the elevator hinges also; if struck hard enough, all 4 will be canted the direction of hit and you'll notice a larger gap between the stab tip and elevator on one side versus the other.
Can you email pictures. I'd be happy to give you rebuild cost, but need more info.

Thanks for the tips guys. Looked at it with a couple of our local IAs today. Will get an estimate from them. Appears I'll need rudder skins and the right elevator. Will take the vertical fin off as well to thoroughly inspect the supports. Will also examine the bellcrank and replace as needed.

Del, thanks too for your comments. I'll see what I can do on the pictures......

Be certain to inspect the rudder cables where they pass thru the final bulkhead. Those are difficult to inspect and they are frequently overlooked and frayed. (You'll be in that area and now's the time to pull them out and inspect them.)

Am expecting the rudder cables to be OK as I replaced them just 2 years ago. But we'll definitely take a strong look at them at this point.

Thanks again, guys!