Pro tip: The debate on using a torque wrench for every single fastener on a panel

I was working on a Cessna 172's inspection panel last month, and I had to decide between torquing every single fastener to spec or just doing the critical ones and running the rest down to a 'good and tight' feel. The book called for 25 inch-pounds on each screw. Doing all of them would have added maybe 20 minutes to the job, easy. I went with torquing every one, because I kept thinking about that one story from a guy in Florida about a panel that vibrated loose over the Everglades. It went fine, no stripped threads, but it got me thinking. Is that extra time always worth it on non-structural access panels, or is it overkill that slows down the hangar? I'd love to hear where you all draw the line.

3 comments

3 Comments

willow24429d ago

That Florida story gets passed around a lot, but it's probably more of a scary campfire tale than a real common issue. On a simple inspection panel, torquing every screw to 25 inch-pounds is serious overkill and just bogs down the whole shop. If you've got a good feel for it from experience, running most of them down firm and just hitting the corners to spec is way more efficient. Spending an extra 20 minutes on a panel that isn't structural is time you could spend on something that actually matters for safety.

jessew8329d ago

Heard a guy stripped a panel doing exactly that.

tyler_hall918d ago

Yeah, that's why I just use a torque screwdriver for the corners only. Saves a ton of time and you still know those critical ones are right. What do you set yours to for inspection panels?