Update: A 737's autopilot kept dropping out on final approach in Denver

Last week, we had a bird come in with the autopilot disconnecting right at 500 feet, every time. The write-up just said 'A/P inop', so we started digging. After three hours of chasing wires, we found a single pin in the flight control computer connector had backed out just enough to lose contact. Has anyone else seen this on the -800 series, or was this just a weird one-off?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_west18d ago

Wow, that's wild. I've actually seen that exact thing on a couple different airframes, not just the -800. It's more common than you'd think.

evakelly18d ago

Totally agree, it's way more common than people realize. I've heard mechanics talk about finding similar stress marks on older 757 wing boxes too. Seems like once you know what to look for, you start seeing the pattern everywhere...

the_thea18d ago

Check the P6-3 connector on the flight control computer first. We had a -800 at O'Hare with the same fault, and it was a bent pin in that exact spot. A good wiggle test on that whole harness usually finds it fast.