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The cowling latch that popped loose on a Cessna 172 in Tulsa, and what my flashlight caught
Two weeks ago I was doing a preflight on a 172 at a small field outside Tulsa, just a routine turn before a student solo, and I noticed the top cowl latch felt a little soft when I checked it. I jiggled it and it seemed fine, so I signed it off and went back inside for coffee. About twenty minutes later the student came running in saying the cowl was flapping up near the windshield on his runup. Turns out the latch cam was worn flat and it slipped open under vibration. I grabbed my led flashlight and a mirror and got a good look at the wear on the cam face, it was shiny and grooved, nothing like the other three. We grounded the plane, ordered a new latch kit for $80, and had it swapped on by that afternoon. Watching it open on the ramp instead of in the air was the best outcome I could have asked for. Has anyone else run into those latch cams wearing down before you can see it from the top?
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