On Sep 6, 7:09*pm, "Morgans" wrote:
"Scott" wrote in message

.. .

On 9-6-2010 20:50, nimbus wrote:
We inspected every millimeter with Dye Check test inspection.
No cracks means no cracks..

Well, the good news with that is that when they decide on a test
procedure, you shouldn't have anything to worry about unless they mandate
something like removing wing skins to inspect...

My guess is that with a problem of this magnitude, removing the wing skins
to replace the structure or to modify the structure is exactly what is going
to be required.

If I was an enterprising manufacturer, I would be designing a new wing kit
to sell to people with these grounded gliders. *I would design it to use as
many parts from the old wing as possible.

It sounds to me as if the engineers of this glider really screwed the pooch,
with this mess. *No way a well designed wing should be having this serious
of a problem, IMHO.
--
Jim in NC

IIRC, this is what they attempted to do over twenty years ago as
L-13's approached their initial life limits in the early-mids 1980's.
Return to factory for spar cap replacements. Some suspected it was a
make work attempt. Pressure was such that a 500 hour inspection
scheme was initiated in some countries. The troubling thing is that a
wing came off a 2300 hour glider in Austria. That said, the right
wing broke off an L-13 over Aspen, Colorado in August 1975 also with
two fatalities. The sketchy NTSB report cites severe turbulence at
cloud base and no fitted g-meter.

This latest EASA AD is still only suggesting that fatigue MAY be the
cause. Exceeding the flight envelope frequently is certainly another
possibility leading to wing failure or accelerated fatigue.

Frank Whiteley