Safety wire

[Frank Brunot]

Does anyone know what type of wire is used to "safety" the Emergency Gear Release handle in a PA-30? It needs to be breakable by hand, and the Brass safety wire at Aircraft Spruce says it is NOT breakable by hand. Is it a very fine copper wire? If so, what AWG # is it?

[N3322G]

New news to me that it requires safety wire. Don't see any on my 39 - what am I missing?

[Frank Brunot]

My mechanic always put a safety wire on, I guess so there was no chance of the handle popping loose.

But that said, and thinking about it, I'm wondering if the handle CAN'T come up far enough, with the cover locked in position, to let the gear drop.

Back to the measuring stick!

[N3322G]

Frank,

Why don't you post a photo so folks can see where your mechanic has been putting safety wire. I sure haven't seen anything in the service manual suggesting this course of action. Perhaps he can point to the section of the service manual that he is using.

[Kristin Winter]

Piper doesn't safety wire it, so your mechanic is free-lancing as an engineer, and likely an unqualified one at that. If he does that and someone is prevented from putting doing an emergency extension and belly's it in, it will be his legal responsibility to repair the aircraft or pay its full market value.

I would seriously consider whether this is someone you want to continue to hire to do maintenance. Mechanics who make stuff up out of whole cloth, contrary to what is in the service manual, would make me a bit wary.

[Ed Asmus]

When I started flying my friends 59' 250, I noticed the emergency release had a very fine safety wire to seemingly prevent an inadvertent release. I doubted my ability to break that by hand so my flight bag included a wire cutter in the event I needed to perform an emergency release. When I brought the aircraft to Heritage in Rockford, IL for the annual and full gear AD compliance last May, the airplane was returned with no such safety wire. I've heard varying opinions on this and I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what Piper intended. My flight bag will always have the wire cutter in it in case I run into a Comanche that has this. I suppose the service manual would have the answer. My guess would be that Cliff and his crew at Heritage know what they are doing so my money is on their technique.

Ed

[N3322G]

My twin is at annual so I took a couple of photos of the handle in place and removed so you could see the clips that hold it firmly in place. Hope this helps. In 44 years, no movement.

[Frank Brunot]

The safety wire was on the RELEASE handle, NOT the 1" diameter straight tube handle.

The wire looked to be made of copper, and very fine. I never had any trouble with it breaking free when we did the annual emergency gear drop.

But I'll take your advice and leave it off.