Vent: I called BS on the torque stripe trick for 6 years, now I owe a guy in Wichita an apology

Joel Sanchez · 2026-10-07T06:40:03.897274+00:00

I always thought marking bolts with a paint pen after torquing them was just a crutch for lazy inspectors, until a veteran A&P in Wichita showed me three cases where a supposedly torqued bolt backed off half a turn on the same engine after 80 hours. He pulled the logbook and had the paint lines to prove it, every single time. So what's the deal, are torque stripes a real safety net or are we just adding a step that hides sloppy work?

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Vent: I called BS on the torque stripe trick for 6 years, now I owe a guy in Wichita an apology | Aircraft Mechanics - HW Forums