when walking on the wing walk the metal is soft. corrugated support under skin is cracked. HOW TO RE

when getting into the plane (76 ARROW) it has 2 soft spots. It hasn't gotten worse but I'd like to get it repaired.

One of the spots is the wheel well corrugated support, That seems like an easy repair.

But the other one can just barely be seen when the inspection plate is removed. The 3rd 4th and 5th corrugated supports are cracked on both the inside and outside edges. I guess it's from years of getting in and out of the plane.

I made marks on the wing walk so people will step there (at the rib) and hopefully not put a foot through the skin.

Has anyone had a repair like this before and what's all involved. A shop quoted me 20hrs and a few grand to cut a section of the skin and corrugated stuff out and put a new corrugated piece in.
Another mechanic said the total correct way would be to remove the right wing then it's a easy repair after that.

Comments

  • I had the same problem three years ago. In my case, two areas had doublers installed costing about four hours in labor. Everything was accessible from the wheel well and no skin had to be lifted. It's still solid as a rock over four hundred hours later.
  • GM
    You said you had this same problem in 2 places and had 2 doublers installed and it was only 4hrs.
    That seems like the easiest way to to it.
    Can you please explain the process that they did? My spot is 3 of the corrugated sections are cracked on the inboard side about 4 inches and the outboard side about 2 inches and its up toward the leading edge. I don't see how a doubler plate can be installed and riveted. How does the plate fit through the inspection hole.

    My other spot is the corrugated piece that's in the wheel well. There's no cracks but it's a little soft when stepping on it.
  • This is the logbook sign off that mentions the location of my issue and repair information:

    Right wing walkway has a spongy spot where marked.

    Repaired cracked right wing aileron cable control cover by installing two doublers on the forward and aft outboard end. Fabricated doublers from 0.032" Y-3 ALCAD, alodined and painted to match. Installed doublers with MS204070-4, YA-4, and CR3213-4 rivets. All work was performed per AC 43.13-B Chapter 4 section 4.
  • Thanks for the reply, I think your soft spot was more aft and mine is more towards the leading edge. I wouldn't think the cables run close to the leading edge so that's why I think your was towards the rear.
    I will look tomorrow to see where the aileron cables are and see if the same corrugated material is the same.
  • I understand it's a pretty common area that fatigues. It was more mid section of the boarding and deplaning section when the door is open, about four inches from the outboard edge (they're all different) of my wingwalk material.
  • Thank you so much everyone for the repair definitions you've had.
    I'll give these to the mechanic and see what he says.
    Thanks again
  • Just a reply to my questions I had when i originally posted this.
    The part number from Piper is 62061-02 and the cost of it is $500 from Intermountain Air Piper and the tech there said it was about a 4 hour job fro a sheet metal mechanic.
    They said it was as simple as removing the old rivets and riveting in the new part (which has the top skin and underneath corrugated piece as one unit).
    About a $700.00 job total
  • Got the 62061-02 part in. I was curious to see the value of my plane so I listed it on Ebay a few weeks ago and someone contacted me and had the part brand new for $225.00
    I jumped on it and it just got here yesterday and will have it installed sometime in the future if I can find someone in the Tucson area to replace it at a decent price.
    There are no holes drilled in it and maybe the easiest way to line up the holes is to remove the old one and drill out the rivets and remove the corrugated skin and lay the new piece under the top skin and trace the holes then drill. WOULD THAT BE THE BEST WAY /
    Thanks again Bill for the killer deal on the part.
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