We had mechanic that replaced the cambelt on an Audi Quattro and started it up without fitting the complete crank pulley and although it initial ran he stood there and watched the cambelt literally peel itself off the pulleys .He quickly refitted the belt and carried out a compression test and all okay until be got to number 5 cylinder and it had zero compression . Obviously the boss went mad but we luckily got away with just removing the head and replacing the bent valves . My all time favourite is the now defunct local TVR garage that toke a Dodge Viper in PX and just could not shift it and eventually drastically dropped the price and found a buyer but he insisted on it having oil service and checkover while he waited for it in the reception .Once completed the mechanic toke it out for a quick roadtest and unaware of their unforgiven reputation he floored the accelerator and he immediately lost control and smashed it into a million pieces . Best of all the buyer was so miffed he insisted the garage find him a replacement for the same low price that he had just paid .
An apprentice at Heathrow, where I used to work, decided the best way to paint a metal iron railing fence was to spray paint it.... into the wind
I was part of a three member ground crew team doing a before flight service on a tornado f3 fitted with side winder missile. We’d completed the service and the pilot and navigator arrived to take the jet We strapped them into the aircraft and powered everything up Gave the pilot permission to start the engines and went through the preflight checks on the control systems As part of the service all bungs,engine covers pito probe covers etc have to be removed they all have flags on saying remove before flight. On the front of the missile there is a big yellow rubber cap with magnets inside that hold the head inside the missile steady and straight ahead when there’s no power applied. It’s nicknamed the noddy cap and also has a dangly red and white flag on saying remove before flight. It’s our responsibility to remove all bung and covers etc before the aircrew arrive and the pilots responsibility to do a walk round check and ensure they have all been removed. Apart from the noddy cap that was my responsibility to remove once the pilot and navigator were strapped into the ejector seats and the systems were up and running. The next point of checking is done by air traffic control before the aircraft is allowed to take off. Anyway we did all the checks us as the ground crew were happy the pilot was happy The aircraft was handed over to the pilot and off he taxied and we headed back to the main building on the squadron to get a brew and something to eat as the jet wasn’t due back for a fair while. 30 mins later the phones ringing apparently the pilots radioed in and was not happy at all He was reporting a technical fault with the missile that it wouldn’t manoeuvre or lock on target and he was bringing the jet straight back. So we head back out to the aircraft pan along with the armorers other techs and a sergeant Im stood out on the pan and the aircraft has landed and is taxiing back I start to Marshall the jet in and notice a very bright and shiny almost new looking noddy cap on the missile. Oh fooooook my heart sank I’d somehow forgot to remove it and even worse the flag was missing. I look across at the corporal leading by the team and he’d seen it as well and I knew I was in deep deep trouble. If that flag and the metal parts that connected it to the noddy cap had gone down the intake I was responsible for destroying a lot of moneys worth of RR RB199 jet engine. The pilot and navigator were in a foul mood and stormed into hq to debrief and have a go at the techs for the fault on the jet. We did the after flight service and I was told I was screwed when I got back inside and the best approach was to own up and just take what was coming to me. Career over I thought and was bricking it. I got strips tore off me but because it wasn’t just me that missed it but the rest of the team and also air traffic control they would have had to charge everyone along the line from me. And thankfully the engine hadn’t injested the flag. Apparently it took the armorers a few hours to remove the cap it was that stuck on there that tight after the flight. That’s the worst cock up of my life and could have cost other people their life. Thank goodness it just ended up as a memorable story. I believe the pilot was told that the fault couldn’t be replicated at ground level.
Great story and it just shows mistakes can happen at all levels .Did the Roual Navy lose an F35 recently due to something being left on ?
I put a new stator, timing chain and chain guides into the back of my CX engine, after taking it out of the bike. Did a good job, put it all back in, only to find on replacing the rear cover, I had accidentally knocked the gear selector spring off inside the rear of the engine. No gears. Out it came again.
