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I received this on the Globe/Temco Swift list and thought it worth forwarding to the Cub forum............even though it doesn't involve a Cub (or Swift 
) In all seriousness, it makes one stop and consider the consequences of inattention. This pilot and plane were fortunate. It could have been tragic.
An Aeronca pilots preoccupation with cowling removal during maintenance contributed to a nasty surprise on a subsequent test flight.
The Chief had compression problems on one cylinder and the cowl had to be removed for maintenance. The prop must be removed to take the nose bowl off a Chief. After engine repair, the cowl was reinstalled and the prop placed on the tapered shaft to check for rubbing. The spinner...was installed because it is the first thing to rub if the cowl is not on perfectly. It rubbed, so the cowl had to be loosened and retightened until everything had sufficient clearance. The engine was test run and the airplane appeared ready for flight, even though the prop, which was only placed on the shaft to test for clearance, had not been tightened or safetied. The spinner prevented this from being noticed before flight. The engine tested fine in the pre-takeoff check, and the flight proceeded normally for about 30 minutes until a knocking sound was noticed. Power was reduced, and the prop departed the airplane and landed, as best we can tell, in a woods north of the airport...The Chief glided back to the airport and landed with no problems and no damage....
The cause was distraction with the cowl and resultant oversight of the props improper attachment. The problems that could result from not securely attaching the prop before flight are obvious.
Regards,
JimR
) In all seriousness, it makes one stop and consider the consequences of inattention. This pilot and plane were fortunate. It could have been tragic.An Aeronca pilots preoccupation with cowling removal during maintenance contributed to a nasty surprise on a subsequent test flight.
The Chief had compression problems on one cylinder and the cowl had to be removed for maintenance. The prop must be removed to take the nose bowl off a Chief. After engine repair, the cowl was reinstalled and the prop placed on the tapered shaft to check for rubbing. The spinner...was installed because it is the first thing to rub if the cowl is not on perfectly. It rubbed, so the cowl had to be loosened and retightened until everything had sufficient clearance. The engine was test run and the airplane appeared ready for flight, even though the prop, which was only placed on the shaft to test for clearance, had not been tightened or safetied. The spinner prevented this from being noticed before flight. The engine tested fine in the pre-takeoff check, and the flight proceeded normally for about 30 minutes until a knocking sound was noticed. Power was reduced, and the prop departed the airplane and landed, as best we can tell, in a woods north of the airport...The Chief glided back to the airport and landed with no problems and no damage....
The cause was distraction with the cowl and resultant oversight of the props improper attachment. The problems that could result from not securely attaching the prop before flight are obvious.
Regards,
JimR
