Torque wrench calibration nearly cost me a gearbox swap

Got called out to a bird at DFW last month, thought the pinion nut was seized... turned out my torque wrench was reading 15 ft-lbs light from a drop I never mentioned. Flight crew was already boarding, had to redo all 6 main rotor bolts in less than an hour. Anyone else had a tool lie to them at the worst possible moment?

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jamie8041mo ago

Read a thing last year about how snap-on wrenches drift after a hard drop. Company said get em checked every six months if you work flight line. Nobody does that. I had a 3/8 that was 8 pounds off after bouncing off a stand. Caught it on a test bolt before it mattered. Your story is the reason I keep a spare in the truck now. Glad you caught it before rotor head went sideways.

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the_anthony1mo ago

Same reason I double check my torque wrench at home now, cheap insurance against lazy trust.

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