My lead tech told me to check the harness for a chafe point, and he was spot on

I was working on a Citation XLS last week, chasing an intermittent fault on the left-side landing gear indication. The system would test fine on the ground but drop out randomly in flight. I was ready to start swapping the proximity sensors, which is a big job. My lead, a guy named Carl with about 20 years on me, walked over and just said, 'Check the harness run near the main gear pivot. Look for a chafe.' I pulled the inspection panel and sure enough, about three feet back from the sensor connector, the wire bundle was rubbing against a sharp bracket edge. The insulation was worn through on two wires. A bit of heat shrink and some proper clamping fixed it in an afternoon. Saved me a ton of time and the customer an unnecessary parts bill. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice from a more experienced tech save a huge headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan66613d ago

Saved me a ton of time" sounds like you just got lucky this time.

leo23813d ago

Read a study on luck vs. skill @rowan666...

caseyw1213d ago

Saved me a ton of time" is the perfect example. See that all the time. People call a lucky break a smart shortcut. Makes skill seem like the only thing that matters. But so much of life is just being in the right place at the right time. We just hate admitting it.

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