Just in case any of us DA20 owners missed it - Diamond has initiated a new required inspection of the NLG.
Check it out here: https://www.diamondaircraft.com/technic ... ce-manual/
Has anyone had this done? If so, how much time did it take your shop? Anything found?
DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
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- RMarkSampson
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Re: DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
Not a liquid penetrate inspection (LPI) but certainly visually when I pull the NLG to replace the pucks. So the inspection seems to be fairly open on how to accomplish. "Carefully clean pivot and inspect the strut for cracks in the location indicated using LPI(Fluorescent or Visible(Red) Dye is acceptable)." Aircraft Spruce has several options, from ~$30 for one cleaner/penetrant/developer combo, to $120 for a kit, to up to $2K if you want the Full Monty. You can probably get a used electron microscope on eBay for a few more bucks.
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/categori ... _leak.html
Anybody have any experience with these products?
"Required inspection" might be an overstatement, certainly not up there with an Airworthiness Directive - but it does look like fairly inexpensive piece of mind. No one wants a failed NLG to lead to a very expensive prop strike. Thanks for the heads-up!
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/categori ... _leak.html
Anybody have any experience with these products?
"Required inspection" might be an overstatement, certainly not up there with an Airworthiness Directive - but it does look like fairly inexpensive piece of mind. No one wants a failed NLG to lead to a very expensive prop strike. Thanks for the heads-up!
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Re: DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
My DA40 has a similar inspection requirement every 200 hours. We use the Magnaflux kit. If you use this product, be sure to mask off all painted areas of the aircraft nearby (the strut, lower fuselage, inboard wing root). The dye will stain the paint and is very difficult to remove. So far (800 hours) no cracks...
Steve
Steve
- Pascal
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Re: DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
Thanks for the heads up Arthur. I will Pass along the information to my maintenance manager when I bring him the plane for its annual inspection.
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Re: DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
The DA-20 I bought in August had a crack in nose strut that was found on the pre-buy. It had roughly 4400 hours on the airframe
- RMarkSampson
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Re: DA20 NLG Strut Inspection *New Sept 2018*
Probably has more to do with the number of NLG-slapping bad landings than the number of hours on the airframe - it can only take one... I'm now always landing nose-up on the mains - mostly because the little (off size) nose tire is so bloody expensive.
Also recommend visually inspecting the two sealed wheel bearings on the NLG - to include rotating each bearing with you finger and feel for any roughness during rotation. One of my NLG wheel bearings failed a few months ago. Found one side of the bearing popped out so it was no longer sealed and it started making an awful noise which is how I found the problem. I did not order through a Diamond Service Center - that exact bearing from that manufacture was actually available through a local bearing specialty shop. However, I ended up replacing both bearings with a different (German) manufacture that has a reputation for being the best.
Also recommend visually inspecting the two sealed wheel bearings on the NLG - to include rotating each bearing with you finger and feel for any roughness during rotation. One of my NLG wheel bearings failed a few months ago. Found one side of the bearing popped out so it was no longer sealed and it started making an awful noise which is how I found the problem. I did not order through a Diamond Service Center - that exact bearing from that manufacture was actually available through a local bearing specialty shop. However, I ended up replacing both bearings with a different (German) manufacture that has a reputation for being the best.