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Just read the FAA's new report on wiring faults and the numbers are wild

I was going through the latest FAA safety briefing and saw that over 40% of avionics system failures they tracked last year were traced back to wiring issues, not the black boxes themselves. That's way higher than I ever thought. We spend so much time on LRU swaps and software updates, but the real weak link is often the basic harness. Found it in their '2023 General Aviation Wiring Review' PDF on their site. Makes me think we should push for more time on continuity checks during inspections. How many of you actually do a full pin-to-pin on every annual, or just when there's a problem?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_gonzalez611mo ago

That 40% number is a real eye opener, makes you wonder about the inspection checklists. Do you think the FAA should make a full wiring continuity test a required item for every annual, or is that adding too much time for shops already booked solid?

craig.parker1mo ago

Honestly, that report just proves what I've seen in my own hangar. We started doing a full pin to pin check as part of every annual three years back. It adds maybe two hours total, but we've caught three major chafing issues before they became failures. It's not about the FAA making it a rule, it's about not wanting your plane to be part of that 40%.

sethc124d ago

Have you guys actually tried doing a full pin to pin check yourself yet? @holly_gonzalez61, I swear I'm the last guy to want more shop time, but two hours is nothing compared to grounding a plane mid-trip. I am not exactly the most patient person with wrenches, but even I can handle that without cursing too much. Three catches in three years is a solid return on that time investment, especially when you think about what a chafed wire could do to your insurance premium.