Nearly caused a short in a Cessna 172 after leaving a screwdriver in the avionics bay last Tuesday

Spent all morning doing the pre-flight checks and only caught the damn thing when I saw it poking out from behind the Garmin G5 install, which would have been a real bad time if we fired up the panel, anyone else ever drop tools in tight spots and almost miss them

3 comments

3 Comments

skyler_jackson272d ago

I mean, I've left a hex key on top of a battery box before and nothing happened. I guess it depends on where it's at and what it's touching. That Garmin G5 install probably had plenty of clearance around it anyway, those trays are usually pretty open. Maybe it's just me but I feel like people overthink this stuff sometimes, a screwdriver isn't gonna arc out unless you're jamming it into a live bus bar.

lee8472d ago

nah man I'm with the second person on this one, you're kinda blowing this way out of proportion lol. a screwdriver sitting in a bay isn't gonna arc out unless it's literally shoved into a live terminal, and even then most of those avionics bays are plastic trays with nothing hot exposed. plus you caught it before powering up so what's the big deal? people act like dropping a tool is the end of the world when in reality half the mechanics I know have left whole wrenches under cowlings and the planes flew fine for years before someone found them rattling around. chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on honestly, not worth losing sleep over.

karenh562d ago

Reminds me of the time I found a stray socket extension wedged behind the rear seat rail on a friend's Mooney M20, must have been there for months judging by the dust. Thing was sitting right next to the trim cable linkage too, which would have locked up the whole system if it shifted during a go-around. Weird how easy it is to lose stuff in those little nooks and crannies (especially when you're trying to reach something one-handed with a flashlight in your teeth).