I've learned this one a few months ago and thought I'd share it with you guy this morning.
The secretary at my job has a boyfriend who's a mechanic at the Air Canada base, here at YUL. One day, this guy was taking a look at the front landing gear of a 767 undergoing a C check. Then he heard a loud "crack" like sound. Instinctively, he ran away from under the 767 and a fraction of a second later, the front landing gear broke up and the plane felt on the floor ! A few mechanics who were working inside the 767 at that time were injured, but not too seriously, fortunately. Most mechanics working on that plane at the time were not around because they were on their afternoon brake. One can only imagine what would have happened if the guys had been around...
A mechanic inside the cockpit, for whatever reason, pull the landing gear knob up so the landing gear started to retract. It was later found out that somekind of safety pin device that sould have been on the gear during maintenance had not been installed.
The damages to the 767 (don't know the exact model, AC has three : 762, 763 and 763ER) were, of course, important. Apparently, Air Canada hesitated a lot between scrapping this plane or repairing it. Finally, they opted for repairing. They called in Boeing which sent 4 or 5 18 wheelers of spare parts and tools from Seattle to Montreal. Altogether, it apparently cost AC 7 millions $cdn to repair the plane.
As for our secretary's boyfriend, he was off the job for quite a long time (a few months) du to a nervous trauma. He's back to work now. He doesn't work under airplanes anymore, as he cannot stand it. He works on engine maintenance.
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RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
Yeah well, it's common sense that if you're going to move the l/g handle to "up" you better make sure your gear pins are in--whether hydraulics are powered up or not. 15 or so years ago saw a similar thing happen to a 737 in a hangar. Someone had left the l/g handle up from an earlier task and never returned it "down"...later,another mech needed to power up "A" system and when he did the a/c assumed a nose down attitude -- no pins installed. He had to take the heat because someone else was careless. BTW, it should be noted that ops checking certain systems may require the gear handle to be in the up position...I doubt that whoever did that on that AC incident did it out of "gee, I wonder what THIS is for...let's see" curiosity. Lack of communication causes most damage.
RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
Hey FDX...Small world isn't it! That incident to which I refer WAS the PEX 737-100 in the old UAL hangar 14. Were you there too? Did you work for the "B" company? Holy Cow!
RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
Yes, I was there 
. It IS a small world. I worked the hangar and line from '83 till the Continental merge. Did you stay to the end or did you leave before the ship went down.
. It IS a small world. I worked the hangar and line from '83 till the Continental merge. Did you stay to the end or did you leave before the ship went down. RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
Well well! I hired on in '84 and worked hangar from mid 86 (interiors for 6 mos. and then line until mid '86) till the fat lady sang in Feb '87. Turned down an "invitation" to work for Frank's big "C". I remember doing lot's of engine build-ups and changes the last year or so. It was pretty good,and good experience as you will probably agree. BTW, for a short time I came back to B.A. in'88 and worked corporate and did some "B" checks on your FDX 727's in hangar 14. Did that till I hired on with Piedmont. Did you work at "Frank's Place"? Later.
I remember doing lot's of engine build-ups and changes the last year or so. It was pretty good,and good experience as you will probably agree. BTW, for a short time I came back to B.A. in'88 and worked corporate and did some "B" checks on your FDX 727's in hangar 14. Did that till I hired on with Piedmont. Did you work at "Frank's Place"? Later.RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
We have to know each other.
Interiors....Nov 83 - Jan 84
Line..........Jan 84 - late 85 (approx)
Hangar......late 85 - Feb 19, 1986 (remember the first first wave and second wave).
I worked engine buildup too, remember the cage? And all the engine changes to match engine lessors to a/c lessors.
After the triangle I went to CO from Feb 86 to Dec 91.
I wanted to work for one of the big 3 so I went to American in Dec 91. Great company but bad timing because thats when Crandall switched from "growth plan" to "transition plan". Smelling a layoff I jumped ship in '93 to Fedex and have been there since.
dec
Interiors....Nov 83 - Jan 84
Line..........Jan 84 - late 85 (approx)
Hangar......late 85 - Feb 19, 1986 (remember the first first wave and second wave).
I worked engine buildup too, remember the cage? And all the engine changes to match engine lessors to a/c lessors.
After the triangle I went to CO from Feb 86 to Dec 91.
I wanted to work for one of the big 3 so I went to American in Dec 91. Great company but bad timing because thats when Crandall switched from "growth plan" to "transition plan". Smelling a layoff I jumped ship in '93 to Fedex and have been there since.
dec
RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
I'll bet we turned wrenches together turning Braniff #2 engines into Alitalia #1 engines. I worked days till the first wave and then afternoons thereafter till the end. E-mail me at tr2unit@webtv.net Take care.
I worked days till the first wave and then afternoons thereafter till the end. E-mail me at tr2unit@webtv.net Take care.RE: Weird Maintenance Incident
That 'weird' maintenance incident isn't the only thing that's weird in this thread! 
Imagine the coincidence!!!
- Neil Harrison
Imagine the coincidence!!!
- Neil Harrison
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