Seeing too many guys skip torque seal on critical bolts

I was walking through the hangar at KGPI last week and noticed three different planes where someone forgot to put torque seal on landing gear bolts. That stuff is cheap insurance for a quick visual check during walkarounds. Anyone else run into inspectors flagging missing torque seal on routine work?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_johnson2228d ago

Why is everyone so obsessed with painting bolts when a good eyeball works fine?

dixon.willow23d ago

Good eyeball works fine" until the eyeball is looking at a bolt head that's torque striped and covered in grime after 200 hours of oil mist and vibration. I remember a guy who swore by feel, no paint needed, and he was right about 98% of the time. The other 2% is when you find a main gear bolt that's backed off a quarter turn during a routine tire change, and suddenly everyone cares about the paint. Torque seal is less about checking the bolt and more about proving to the next guy that someone actually gave a damn when it went on. It's like a handshake that outlives the guy who did it. Plus it makes the walkaround look 10x more professional for the owner who's paying for the inspection.