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At one point, the F.A.A. observed Spirit mechanics using a hotel key card to check a door seal, which was “not identified/documented/called-out in the production order,” according to a document describing some of the audit findings.
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At another point during the audit, the F.A.A. saw Spirit mechanics apply liquid Dawn soap to a door seal “as lubricant in the fit-up process,” the document describing some of the audit findings said. The agency also saw the door seal get cleaned with a wet cheesecloth to remove the soap and debris, according to the document, which said that instructions were “vague and unclear on what specifications/actions are to be followed or recorded by the mechanic.”
Yeah we’re not talking load-bearing dish soap. On those planes there are probably bigger fish to fry like extended service lives beyond what should be considered safe, poor QC and improper maintenance.
An aunt of mine died in a plane crash in the 90s. The maintenance crews left silver duct tape on the silver fuselage to protect some sensor ports while pressure washing. They forgot to remove the tape and shortly after takeoff the flight systems went haywire, namely the airspeed sensors. The pilot receiving mixed messages between the airspeed, ground speed and altitude gauges climbed, stalled then dipped the nose straight into the ocean