815TL
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 62
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 Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:46 pm Post subject: My Kitfox hit my car. What to look for damage wise? |
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Ya know, if it wern't for bad luck I, I would have no luck at all.
So I got all done with the starter problems, and am getting set up with my instructor. I had pulled the plane out of the garage, covered it up with a tarp, and put blocks under the tires, thinking it would be OK for a few days till I could get it on the trailer and take it down to the airport.
This afternoon we were having bad winds, gusting 40-50MPH. The plane was parked in the driveway facing north/south. Apparently the wind caught it just right and swung it 90* to west/east. When it did this, it hit my wives van. From the scuff and paint marks it looks like the tail rode right up over the hood, up to the windshield and partway back down.
The places that I know it hit were the horizontal stabilizer, the wing strut, and two places along the bottom.
When I got out there to look the situation over, the horz. stab. was still up on the hood of the van. It was pushed up about 1 to 1 1/2" more than normal. I pulled the van back, and it came down into the normal position.
Looking it all over, the only real damage I found was a hole in the fabric, where one of the bungie ties holding the tarp down, let loose.
The horiz. stab seems to be OK. There are no wrinkles in the fabric, and nothing seems to be permanently bent. The struts seem to be OK on both sides, no cracks or bends. The attachment points seem fine. If I push up good on the stab, from the end, it seems to have about 1/2" of movement. The opposite side moves down about the same. Never having done this before, I am not sure how much movement there should be, but it seems about normal to me.
The wing strut seems OK, no dents or bends, just a couple of scuffs. I have not unfolded the wings yet, but I don't anticipate any problems from what I have seen.
The bottom edge has 2 scuff marks where it hit the bumper, but again, it was squarely on the tube, and nothing seems bent, and no loose or wrinkled fabric.
Is there any place else I should check. Any weak points that may be susceptible in an incident like this?
Andrew
Kitfox II, 815TL, Rotax 582-C
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