Service difficulty report · Control Cable · Cessna 172S

Difficulty date
August 23, 2010
Submitted
September 9, 2010
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N548ER
Make and model
Cessna 172S
Aircraft serial
172S10530
Engine
Lyc IO360L2A
Propeller
Mcauly 1A170E
Part
Control Cable
Part number
0510105364
Condition
Frayed
Location
Aileron
Part time
2,088 hours
Stage of operation
IN
How discovered
V
Nature of condition
O
Precautionary procedure
K

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

(BF8R) CABIN OVERHEAD CTR PANEL WAS REMOVED FOR PROGRESSIVE INSP. DURING FLAP & AILERON CABLE INSPECTION, FLAT SPOTS WERE NOTICED ON 2 AILERON CONTROL CABLES. ROLLED THE CABLES FOR BETTER VIEW OF CONTACT POINT WITH PULLEYS, WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH FRAYED WIRES WITH A RAG AND COULD SEE A SUBSTANTIAL GROOVE IN THE CARRY-THRU CABLE. CABLE TENSIONS WERE WITH PROPER SPECS AND THE AREA WAS CLEAN & FREE OF ANY DIRT/DEBRIS. ALSO, THE PLASTIC PULLEYS WERE INSPECTED, THEY WERE CLEAN AND FREE TO ROLL. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING DURING NORMAL FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOL USE AND HAS BEEN NOTICED TO BE HAPPENING WITH ALL OF OUR ACFT WITH SIMILAR ACFT TT. WE FEEL THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PULLEYS, THEY ARE MADE FROM A HARD WHITE PLASTIC MATERIAL. THE BRAIDED STAINLESS STEEL CABLES ARE RUBBING AGAINST THE PULLELYS INSTEAD OF ROLLING ON THEM. THIS IS CAUSING THE CABLES TO FLAT SPOT AT FIRST AND THEN CUT A GROOVE DEEP INTO THE CABLE. ALSO, THERE IS ALSO NO NOTICEABLE CABLE DEFLECTION WHERE THE CABLES CONTACT THE PULLEYS, SEEMS LIKE THE PULLEY DIAMETER IS TOO SMALL. SUGGEST REPLACING THE PLASTIC PULLEYS WITH A STANDARD PHENOLIC TYPE PULLEYS THAT ARE USED IN ALL OTHER AREAS OF THE ACFT.

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