Air Tractor, Inc. Repairs Page 1 FUSELAGE FRAME REPAIRS ‘The most common cause of fuselage frame damage is a landing gear strike during spraying operations, or hitting an obstruction during take-off. A severe drag load is placed on the main gear leg and due to the leverage that exists, either the tubular structure is damaged or else the forward ‘clamp block bolt fails or strips out of the machined fitting that welds to the fuselage frame. If the tubular structure is severely damaged it is best to contact the factory with photos or sketches of the damaged tubes, and a repair cluster can be constructed at the factory which can be spliced in a convenient location with external sleeves. It is seldom necessary to place the fuselage frame in the original jig, as shop aids can be sent with the repair structure, and with careful measurements, the structure will be back to the original configuration. Repair clusters are designed so that gas welding can be used to install the new cluster. FORWARD CLAMP BLOCK BOLT FAILURE If the wheel strike has caused the forward clamp block bolt to break, itis likely that the gear {eg has folded back under the aircraft and broken the large inboard attach bolt and the aft clamp bolt. When the large inboard bolt fails, it usually damages the 1%” OD bushing that it was attached to, and as the gear folds back the sharp edge of the gear leg damages the 2%"" diameter tube that the bushing is welded to. The broken bolts can be removed from the attach fitting by the conventional practice of drilling into the broken off bolt shank and using an ‘Easy Out" tool to remove the bolt shank. Be careful not to damage the threads, but if there appears to be slight thread damage, use a 3/4 - 16° bottoming tap with a generous amount of cutting oil to re-work the threads, making sure that the tap is started exactly with the original threads. The damage to the 1%4"” OD bushing is usually confined to the rear lower side, where the 7/8" bolt has bent before failing. The factory practice is to use a heli-arc welding machine and with Weld rod bulld back the area on the inside of the bushing as shown on the enclosed drawing. Also, the ‘damage to the 2%” diameter tube can be filled with welding rod, and the diamond shaped plate of .125 4130N can be welded in place as shown. Since the 2%"" tube is 1/4” thick and the bushing is also heavy wall, conventional arc-welding is permissible if the operator is skilled, and a high-test rod is. used. Gas welding is possible, but due to the very thick parts involved, a large torch at high flame settings will be required. After welding, clean, sand, etch, prime and finish coat as described under ‘Painting Steel Parts” in the maintenance section. * Aircraft 0001 thru 0059 require a5/8- 18 tap. THREADS STRIPPED OUT IN FORWARD CLAMP BLOCK ATTACH FITTING If the wheel strike has caused the threads to fail instead of the bolt in the forward gear attach bolt location, it is necessary to drill out the old threads, cut new ones, and install a helicoil. This requires certain tools and coils which are listed below: For aircraft 301-0060 and up: (see next page for 0001 thru 0059) 11a, 49/64" drill bit with 1/2” shankRepairs Page 2 Air Tractor, Inc. 1 ea. CTF-12RUP-00 rough tap (Tridair industries) 1ea. CTF-12SRP-H3 finish tap (Tridair Industries) 1a. CIF-12 winding tool (Tridair Industries) 1 or more TNF-12C-0750 helicoils (Tridair Industries) These tools are on stock at the factory and with Air Tractor dealers. In addition, it is necessary to have anew p/n 40003-1 attach block since the old block will bend as the bolt is being stripped out. Also, a new set of main gear bolts is necessary. ‘The procedure for installing the helicoil is as follows: 1, Take the new 40003-1 block to the drill press and enlarge one of the 3/4”” holes to 49/64”. The reason is that the block will be used for a drill guide for drilling out the old threads in the fuselage frame. 2. Hoist the aircraft as described in ‘‘Hoisting”’ in the maintenance section and install barrels with boards under each wing tie-down fitting to steady the aircraft. Attach the 3/4"” hole in the 4003-1 block to the rear of the fuselage fitting so that the 49/64” hole is opposite the damaged threads that are to be drilled out. 3. Aslow turning powerful 1/2" electric drill motor is required. Helicoll Tools for serial number 301-0001 Thru 0059: 1/ea. 41/64" drill bit with 1/2” shank 1a. CTF-10RUP-00 rough tap (Tridair Industries) 1/ea. CTF-10SRP-H3 finish tap (Tridair Industries) 1.ea. CIF-10 winding tool (Tridair Industries) 4 or more TNF-10C-0625 helicoils (Tridair Industries) ‘These tools are on stock at the factory and with Air Tractor dealers. In addition it is necessary to have ‘anew p/n 4063-1 attach block since the old block will bend as the bolt is being stripped out. Also, a new set of gear bolts is necessary (See page 8 Maintenance Section). ‘The procedure for installing the helicoil is as follows: 1. Take the new 40063-1 block to the drill press and enlarge fwd of the 5/8” holes to 41/64”. The reason is that the block will be used for a drill guide for drilling out the old threads in the fuselage frame. 2. Hoist the aircraft as described in ‘‘Hoisting” in the maintenance section and install barrels with boards under each wing tie-down fitting to steady the aircraft. Attach the 5/8” hole in the ‘40063-1 block in the rear of the fuselage fitting so that the 41 /64’” hole is opposite the damaged threads that are to be drilled out. 3. Use same procedure as for the 49/64" drilling except substitute 41/64"" and use the 40063-1 block, and note that the 5/8" helicoll is shorter (6/8” long) and is positioned differently than the 3/4” coil. Before drilling is commenced, center the 49/64"" hole in the clamp block exactly over the damaged threads and use a large “‘C’" clamp to hold the block solidly in place. Torque the aft bolt to help hold the block and prevent it from moving. 4. Use generous amounts of cutting oil on the drill bit tip (have someone apply it with a brush every few seconds during drilling). The drill will try to “‘grab’” every few revolutions and It isAir Tractor, Inc. Repairs Page 3 best to trigger the switch on and off as you go to prevent the bit from being broken as this can very easily happen and you will be out of business until another bit can be obtained. 5. Insert the 49/64" drill bit into the clamp block being used as a drill guide, position the drill motor with your body to provide a straight hole, and cautiously start the drilling operation as described above. It is not necessary to drill through the lower longeron tube, so when the drill reaches that point, pull it out. 6. Now you have the 49/64” hole through the forward end of the fuselage fitting. Remove the clamp block and start the rough tap by hand into the hole, using plenty of thread cutting oil applied with a small hand pump can. The rough tap will center itself with the hole, but it is adviseable to start it as straight as possible. 7. After the rough tapping operation is complete, blow out any shavings and start the finish tap, Picking up the exact threads and again using plenty of thread cutting oil. Back out the tap every few turns, removing shavings and applying cutting oil. When the finish tap is removed, blow out all cuttings and inspect the hole. 8. Determine how far the helicoil is to be inserted into the fitting. The insertion depth can be determined by placing the 40003-1 block against the fuselage fitting with all of the shims to be used between the two parts. Then apply the MS20002C12 washer under the bolt head of the NAS152DH40 bolt and place the bolt on the side of the block and fuselage fitting to determine ‘the point inside the fuselage fitting the threads on the bolt will be located. It is adviseable to have the helicoil located two or three threads deeper inside the fitting so there is no chance the helicoil will bottom out on the bolt shank before the bolt is fully torqued. Mark this position on the outside of the fitting which represents the start of the helicoil when it is installed. Since the helicoll is 3/4" long when installed, measure another 3/4’ past your mark to determine the deepest position of the helicoil. Now measure from the deepest mark to the surface of the fitting and install the helicoil on the winding tool and adjust the stop on the winding tool to correspond to that measurement. Proceed to install the helicoil with the winding tool and if the setting is correct the winding tool will place the helicoll in the correct location when the stop is reached. Remove the winding tool and re-check the helicoil position. Test the position by installing the bolt, shims, block and applying full torque to the bolt (2,500 inch-pounds). The helicoil is held in place by spring tension and will not back out. WING DAMAGE If the wheel strike knocks the gear leg out of the supporting structure the aircraft will have ‘some wing damage when it comes to rest on the remaining gear and the wing tip. Usually this damage is confined to the wing tip skin (trailing edge, the outboard boom hanger, and the rib assembly that attaches the outboard aileron hinge. The initial impact is on the boom hanger, which rips out the forward attaching eyebolt, then bends sideways causing damage to the alleron attach arm of 1/4" aluminum plate, and breaking off the outboard aileron hinge which is made from aluminum angle. The aileron will have some skin damage, but not usually of a severe order. To make the aircraft flyable so that it can be flown to a shop with proper facilities, the land- ing gear must obviously be repaired as described in previous sections. Then the aileron attach armRepairs Page 4 Air Tractor, Inc. of 1/4"" aluminum plate can be bent back into position, but the broken hinge inside the aileron must bbe replaced and attached to the attach arm. A temporary hinge could be made from .063 thick steel, formed on an angle and bolted to the aileron spar. Cut a small hole in the lower aileron skin to reach the nuts at the hinge location. Repair parts required consist of the following (usually): No.rqd P/N {L/Hwing] P/N [R/H wing] Description Yea. 201191 2019-2 Rib assy-outboard aileron attach Yea, 20203-501 20203-502 Skin-Iwr-outboard repair tea. 2089-1 20089-2 Hinge-Aileron-Aluminum Yea. 2083-501 2083-502 Main Aileron skin repair segment (Specify length) 2ea.* — 80031-2 80031-2 Boom Hanger tea, — 20204-1 20204-2 Skin-Tip-Trailing Edge 1 lot - - Assorted rivets Usually the two outboard boom hangers are bent. For permanent repairs, the lower wing skin between the front and rear spars is trimmed off Just outboard of the rib flange that is located 45.8" from the wing tip, and is drilled off the spar flanges and ribs. The new 20203-501 or -502 skin will then lap over the trimmed edge and will pick up the rib flange using the original holes as well as provide a skin splice at that point. The new skin has the slot routed for the aileron attach arm and the inspection plate hole and the fuel vent line hole installed. Since the 1/4” thick aileron attach arm has bent, the entire 20119-1 or -2 rib assembly is replaced. This rib assembly is positioned at the rear spar by attaching the aileron to all three hinge points, clamping the 20119 rib assembly to the rear spar, and moving it up or down as dictated by the alleron clearance to the top wing skin. When the clearance appears correct, and the aileron will move through the entire travel without chafing the top skin, remove the aileron and sight through the three hinges to see if the outboard attach arm bearing lines up with the center and inboard bearings. A small amount of mis-alignment (up to 1/8") Is permissible although a small movement of the 20119, rib assy on the spar may still allow the aileron to position OK with the skin and yet put the attach arm In better alignment with the other two arms. Then drill through the angle on the 20119 rib assy .159 to match the holes in the rear spar and attach with MS20470ADS rivets. Make the attachments to the front spar and drill the new 20203, ‘skin to-match the’spar flanges. Drill the 20119 rib flanges to match the skins and rivet. Replace the trailing edge tip skin in a conventional way, using CR163-4-2 rivets in areas where a bucking bar cannot be used. Finish as called out in.“Stripping and Repainting” procedures of this manual.S650 | Sant YVa9 NIVIN oe waowo | amaov S Serine anon ones ulvda4 13M un Fame L201 d vam a een “era vAINHM _ OOF | cmows| O21 Sd 7m Tina “00 ONIWAaNIONA MONS Tie ziolt $4 Ta aan GN anon Ok suune tv anon cianassv xa Taw aR AaRIESY 80010 oe aa az nouawoss) Se] aaenne ava wewnwanws |" OTvo! uivdau [4 | 1-s6eo1 13ssn9o I=66¢01 2 ‘G3TIVLSNI N3HM SG7aM TV S¥v370.937 Yyv39 Buns ae ‘QNNOYV 11V G13M “LaSSNS 2<) TAVISNI NSH GOW LH ION G13MXO ONISN COYV-IT3H) G73M HLIM wove.) Gini ONIHSNG Oo HOVLIV UVI9 NIVW W oO oO W a sown Tinuoaaas [wasn Tones ovo [| Gave ousha aos [| Sawoniw ae aw Sava CI] 3ougvas ons MON LF] 30vN siuva 360 04 v0 [f]