Had a panel meltdown at YYZ last month that changed my whole pre-flight check

Was working a CRJ900 in Toronto when a passenger service unit started smoking after we powered up. Found a loose ground strap that had been arcing for god knows how long. Now I check every single bonding strap with a multimeter before I button anything up - you guys do the same?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_white1mo ago

Wow, yeah that's exactly the kind of thing that sticks with you. I had a similar thing happen at ORD a few years back with a flap actuator cable on a 737-800 looked good on the walkaround but when we pulled the fairing it was all frayed inside the conduit. @victorb17 you're totally right about the hidden failures, those are the ones that keep me up at night. Now I run my fingers along the whole length of any cable I can reach just to feel for snags.

victorb171mo ago

Strap checks with a meter is smart. Had a similar scare on an E145 last year, found a bonding strap that looked fine visually but read open. Woulda been a real problem in flight. That kind of hidden failure is the worst. Good on you for catching it.