PA28-235 pilot-side wing top skin cracking question....

[USA]

Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed
any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel
above the flap on the pilot side? The cracks I have are evenly
distributed in middle across the columns of rivets. My mechanic spotted
them today & recommended that I re-skin that one panel. A 55+ hour
project. I was told that pilot-side top panel skin cracks are not
uncommon near the flaps for the 235's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this issue and how did
you or would you handle that.

Other than that, as you might expected, the plane flies flawlessly in
every other aspect.

Thank you.

[Jim Macklin]

Are these "cracks" running spanwise or chordwise? Is the
cracked area continuous or just an occasional loose rivet?
All the cracks in the skin or just showing as rivets?

That panel on top of the wing is a fuel tank if I understand
what you said. Ask another local mechanic, perhaps an AI
and check out the whole wing, both left and right, top and
bottom to be sure that you have isolated the problem.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"USA" > wrote in message
news:Xlrfg.5806$rS6.408@fed1read11...
Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you
ever noticed any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on
the top-side wing panel above the flap on the pilot side?
The cracks I have are evenly distributed in middle across
the columns of rivets. My mechanic spotted them today &
recommended that I re-skin that one panel. A 55+ hour
project. I was told that pilot-side top panel skin cracks
are not uncommon near the flaps for the 235's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this issue
and how did you or would you handle that.

Other than that, as you might expected, the plane flies
flawlessly in every other aspect.

Thank you.

[Jim Burns]

Cracked wing skin on a Dakota?
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/NEWS/60531005

Ok, it may not have anything to do with the skin cracks... but the thought of a -235 falling out of the sky missing a wing makes you wonder what happened.

Jim

"USA" > wrote in message news:Xlrfg.5806$rS6.408@fed1read11...
Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel above the flap on the pilot side? The cracks I have are evenly distributed in middle across the columns of rivets. My mechanic spotted them today & recommended that I re-skin that one panel. A 55+ hour project. I was told that pilot-side top panel skin cracks are not uncommon near the flaps for the 235's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this issue and how did you or would you handle that.

Other than that, as you might expected, the plane flies flawlessly in every other aspect.

Thank you.

[Jay Honeck]

> Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed
> any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel
> above the flap on the pilot side?

This is a fairly common thing in 235s (and 180s, by the way). They used to
just stop-drill the cracks, but apparently there has been a new push to
disallow that sort of "fix" now. Re-skinning is the new, approved (and
very expensive) fix.

If you don't already belong to the Cherokee Pilots Association, you need to
join. See their website here: http://www.piperowner.com/)

Their "Cherokee Chat" website (which you can't access until you're a member)
is the best thing out there for any Cherokee owner. This is a topic of
relatively frequent discussion, and you can find a wealth of knowledge
there.

Also, see the Cherokee 235/236 owner's group website
(http://www.pa28.com/cherokee235/home.htm ) for type-specific information.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Bob Chilcoat]

Ron was based at our airport. I'd only met him once, but a friend who was his CFI considered him a very conservative pilot. Conjecture at the airport today was that he got disoriented in the haze that was pretty bad yesterday, and got into a death spiral. That's at least consistent with the in-flight breakup. Conjecture isn't usually worth the effort. We all plan on waiting for the NTSB now. Tragic.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Jim Burns" > wrote in message ...
Cracked wing skin on a Dakota?
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/NEWS/60531005

Ok, it may not have anything to do with the skin cracks... but the thought of a -235 falling out of the sky missing a wing makes you wonder what happened.

Jim

"USA" > wrote in message news:Xlrfg.5806$rS6.408@fed1read11...
Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel above the flap on the pilot side? The cracks I have are evenly distributed in middle across the columns of rivets. My mechanic spotted them today & recommended that I re-skin that one panel. A 55+ hour project. I was told that pilot-side top panel skin cracks are not uncommon near the flaps for the 235's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this issue and how did you or would you handle that.

Other than that, as you might expected, the plane flies flawlessly in every other aspect.

Thank you.

[Jim Burns]

My condolences. As you say, tragic.
Jim

"Bob Chilcoat" > wrote in message ...
Ron was based at our airport. I'd only met him once, but a friend who was his CFI considered him a very conservative pilot. Conjecture at the airport today was that he got disoriented in the haze that was pretty bad yesterday, and got into a death spiral. That's at least consistent with the in-flight breakup. Conjecture isn't usually worth the effort. We all plan on waiting for the NTSB now. Tragic.

--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


"Jim Burns" > wrote in message ...
Cracked wing skin on a Dakota?
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/NEWS/60531005

Ok, it may not have anything to do with the skin cracks... but the thought of a -235 falling out of the sky missing a wing makes you wonder what happened.

Jim

"USA" > wrote in message news:Xlrfg.5806$rS6.408@fed1read11...
Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel above the flap on the pilot side? The cracks I have are evenly distributed in middle across the columns of rivets. My mechanic spotted them today & recommended that I re-skin that one panel. A 55+ hour project. I was told that pilot-side top panel skin cracks are not uncommon near the flaps for the 235's.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this issue and how did you or would you handle that.

Other than that, as you might expected, the plane flies flawlessly in every other aspect.

Thank you.

[USA]

Appreciate this Jay.

Yeah, I too found out this is indeed common for the 235's. I was advised
later models have seen the factory using a stronger (thicker) sheet for
that one panel. I made the decision already to re-skin & bite the
bullet, better for the long run in re-sale & most important, safety & my
health. I've flown through some pretty severe
white-knuckle-linen-soiling stuff, I have always wondered afterwards how
an airframe older than the girlfriend unit can hold up so seemingly
flawless. Now I know. The cheaper way out is get an FAA/DER approved &
signed patch with a 337. A very ugly and attention getting alternative
even though legal that I decided against.

I walked around the field today to "inspect" other 235's & 180's.
Unbelievable, hairline cracks, slits, and popped rivets abound on the
same panel. Scary part was one guy had screws on some rivet spots.

I will check out CPA & the other group site.

Thank you Jay, and thanks everyone....





Jay Honeck wrote:
> This is a fairly common thing in 235s (and 180s, by the way). They
> used to
> just stop-drill the cracks, but apparently there has been a new push to
> disallow that sort of "fix" now. Re-skinning is the new, approved (and
> very expensive) fix.
>
> If you don't already belong to the Cherokee Pilots Association, you need to
> join. See their website here: http://www.piperowner.com/)
>
> Their "Cherokee Chat" website (which you can't access until you're a member)
> is the best thing out there for any Cherokee owner. This is a topic of
> relatively frequent discussion, and you can find a wealth of knowledge
> there.
>
> Also, see the Cherokee 235/236 owner's group website
> (http://www.pa28.com/cherokee235/home.htm ) for type-specific information.
>

> Hi, For all the PA28-235 drivers in this group, have you ever noticed
> any "little cracks" in the column of rivets on the top-side wing panel
> above the flap on the pilot side?
>

T

[Jay Honeck]

> The cheaper way out is get an FAA/DER approved & signed
> patch with a 337. A very ugly and attention getting alternative
> even though legal that I decided against.

Actually, they can patch the cracks UNDER the skin, so it's quite invisible.
This might be your most cost-effective solution?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"