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Changed my tune on torque seal after a Q400 flight last week

Always thought it was just extra fluff for the inspectors, but saw a loose bolt on a flap track that would've been caught if someone had marked it. Has anyone else had torque seal save them from a bad day mid-inspection?
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3 Comments
miller.susan
@luna_wells57 brings up a good point about flight controls, but I'd say torque seal is more of a witness mark than a vibration check. In my experience, if a fastener is properly torqued and locked, the seal just shows it hasn't moved during inspection. Had a flap actuator bolt on a CRJ that looked loose by the seal, but when I checked it with a wrench it was still at spec. The seal had just cracked from thermal cycling, not from loosening. Your mileage may vary, but I'd still check underneath the mark on high-vibe stuff like landing gear.
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luna_wells57
Use it on every fastener that could vibrate loose. Catches things a visual check can miss especially on critical flight controls and landing gear. Saves time rechecking torque on stuff that hasn't moved.
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max388
max3886d ago
Found a mis-torqued main gear bolt on a 737 once that had zero witness marks.
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