Does this dent in my wing need to be repaired?

nickmatic

nickmatic

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Nickmatic
I just noticed this small dent in my wing near the pitot tube. Would anyone consider this necessary to repair for safety or reasons other than cosmetic?

It's about 2" long and doesn't pierce the skin. Mooney Encore, 1986.

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I would not, if it was 2” further left, it would have hit the rib, then that I would fix.


Tom
 
It looks awfully deep from my view. IMO that needs to be documented.
 
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Would I get it fixed? Yes
Would I ground her until the fix? Probably not.

Add it to your list during annual.
 
Any idea how it happened ? Looks mostly cosmetic. If your worried talk to your trusted mechanic.
 
nickmatic said:
Would anyone consider this necessary to repair
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It at least needs a detailed look on both sides as it appears to have a crease in the metal. The Mooney mx books aren't very good on limits but they tend to address only cracks if that helps.
 
Bell206 said:
It at least needs a detailed look on both sides as it appears to have a crease in the metal
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Creases turn into cracks eventually, much quicker if you try and fix them. Try and straighten creased, work hardened metal and most of the time it cracks as soon as you start.
 
Bacho said:
It looks awfully deep from my view. IMO that needs to be documented.
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Documented, how?

It’s not structural, you can see no damage to the rib. It’s deep because it got hit by what looks like a heavy metal tools cart. If he were to install an AOA probe it would require a hole that big, let alone just a dent, and no one would question it. Now that I think about it, installation of an AOA would probably be cheaper than a reskin job.


Tom
 
nickmatic said:
Would anyone consider this necessary to repair for safety or reasons other than cosmetic?
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Anyone like me? No, not for safety (I’d have my A&P look at it next opportunity) nor cosmetic (if I’m not selling it today). When you find your A&P, get an estimate, then decide.

For now, fly it and cogitate on it :)
 
If it's easy to fix by getting to the back side, I'd do it. Otherwise keep flying but keep an eye on it and watch for cracks developing.
 
Looks like something slid into it. You can see how the crease increases in depth from right to left, and there's a scratch leading up to the crease. Probably not anything sharp as it would have a hole in it, but maybe a fuel truck or something else really low to the ground that backed into it? Also the deepest part looks a little circular at the end:

upload_2019-10-3_12-34-19.png
 
If you do have to repair it, and the repair requires the removal of the TKS panel, you will also need a new TKS panel. Once removed the panel cannot be reused as the panels sustain damage during the removal process.
 
Caramon13 said:
Looks like something slid into it. You can see how the crease increases in depth from right to left, and there's a scratch leading up to the crease. Probably not anything sharp as it would have a hole in it, but maybe a fuel truck or something else really low to the ground that backed into it? Also the deepest part looks a little circular at the end:

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Like a jack.
 
I'd be talking to my insurance company. That looks fugly, rib or not if you didn't put it there at least explore your options.
 
iflyvfr said:
I'd be talking to my insurance company. That looks fugly, rib or not if you didn't put it there at least explore your options.
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I have no experience or insurance expertise, but I wonder if calling your insurance company for a relatively inexpensive repair is the right thing to do, it could drive up your rates. The first thing any insurance company wants to know is if you have had any claims.

That looks like a simple piece to fabricate?


Tom
 
Unless that is a wet wing and there is fuel on the other side of that dent, I would wait until it showed signs of cracking to repair it...
 
Call a paintless dent repair guy and let him fix it. I didn't say that, someone hacked my POA account.
 
0d25339f-40ff-40c3-a00f-9e7f582f5243.jpg
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
I have no experience or insurance expertise, but I wonder if calling your insurance company for a relatively inexpensive repair is the right thing to do, it could drive up your rates. The first thing any insurance company wants to know is if you have had any claims.

That looks like a simple piece to fabricate?
Tom
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Let me walk that back a bit. What I meant was call my broker (Wenk Aviation takes my money) and ask what if any course of action they recommend. I didn't mean to imply call Avemco and file a claim.
 
OK, now I will put my A&P hat on. Flush repair with 3/32" flush rivets, a bit of paint, and you will never know that it was repaired.
 
Even if you don't get it repaired, I would check your plane for anything missing that is about that size...
 
I would keep an eye on it. If cracks develop then maybe this.
upload_2019-10-4_6-1-35.png
 
At least they didn’t hit the TKS panel....those are expensive
 
On a serious note.... have your IA inspect for rib damage and get their assessment. Likely your aircrafts service manual describes the compliant method for patching a dent like this with a doubler patch.
 
Robin Hood said:
yes I know but he also included it in his first post.
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Let me clarify, he added it to his first post after I inquired. It was not there originally hence my questiono_O.
 
Bell206 said:
Let me clarify, he added it to his first post after I inquired. It was not there originally hence my questiono_O.
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Oh I gotcha, man always hate being wrong but I'm glad you're right this time, I was beginning to think one of us was a real knucklehead :D
 
If it was mine, I'd get it fixed. Flush patch.
 
As a claims guy, I can attest that this is an insured claim, due to it being a one time occurrence and clearly not wear and tear. You can contact them, tell them about it but that you'll deal with it during annual, and they'll pay for it. Now, I can't speak for the whole industry, but it probably won't affect your rates because it's not an expensive fix.
 
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