Buzzer wrote:

Thinking about bolts shearing I wonder if it could have been like
pylon sway brace bolts that would get worn. No visible damage to the
threads, but when you went to torque them down they wouldn't be tight
against the pod. With a pod because of the length you could shake them
and get a feel for a loose sway brace bolt. Maybe 3 bolts torqued up
tight to the plate and one a hair away from the plate would decrease
the load carrying ability enough to have a pod come off?

That could be something of a factor, but the sway brace bolts were a lot
bigger than the bolts holding the MWA to the airframe, and we were very
careful about getting them tight. Multiple inspections, et cetera.

Wasn't something said about mechanics carrying bolts around?
I remember now we use to carry spare sway brace bolts and nuts in our
truck.

We usually inspected the MWAs off of the plane, and replaced the bolts
back at the shop when necessary. Considering the size and external
placement of the sway braces, it was very easy to do a good visual
inspection before we put the pod on.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.