Small Hardware Causes Big Aviation Safety Problems – Episode 169

The NTSB has a message for mechanics – pay attention to B-nuts! Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia dig into NTSB Safety Alert 086, which highlights four accidents that were caused in part by improperly tightened b-nuts.

Small parts led to big problems. Two of the accidents were fatal.

They focus on one accident that involves a very experienced pilot who also performed maintenance on the accident aircraft. The Bell 206 helicopter crashed following a fuel leak. The NTSB found that when he did maintenance on the aircraft, he failed to properly torque the nut.

Failure to follow defined procedures in the maintenance hangar and in the cockpit is the leading cause of aviation accidents. The pilot in this accident was fortunately able to walk away from the accident caused by not following the engine repair steps outlined by Rolls Royce.

The Flight Safety Detectives offer advice and details not found in the NTSB report and safety bulletin to help every pilot and mechanic avoid similar issues. Of the “dirty dozen” workplace mistakes, John believes complacency is the most prevalent and dangerous.

Related documents at the Flight Safety Detectives website:

• NTSB Incident Report, NTSB_Incident_Report_ERA21LA023_102161
• NTSB Aviation Investigation Final Report, NTSB_Final_Report_ERA21LA023.pdf
• NTSB Safety Alert 086
• FAA Avoid the Dirty Dozen Workplace Mistakes, FAA_Avoid_the_Dirty_Dozen.pdf
• Rolls-Royce Maintenance Manual Excerpts, Rolls-Royce_maintenance_manual_excerpts.pdf
• NTSB Public Docket for Accident ERA21LA023

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Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8