Used a cotter pin to secure a flight control cable 6 months ago... not anymore

I used to just grab whatever cotter pin was handy and bend it by hand until I saw a buddy's pin fail on a Cessna yoke cable after 200 hours... now I only use the correct diameter and turn it with pliers to the spec. Anyone else ever had a cotter pin work loose on you?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige_bell8111d ago

Whoa, I've gotta respectfully disagree with fionamurphy on this one! I've seen plenty of pins that were "tight" at install start backing out over time especially with vibration. Had a buddy's pin on an elevator cable work its way loose after about 400 hours even though he used pliers and thought it was snug. The trick for me is using the right size pin in the first place and actually measuring the bend so the legs sit flush against the castle nut. If there's any gap at all or the pin is too thin in the hole it'll wiggle loose no matter how much torque you put on it.

fionamurphy11d ago

Tight is tight, never had one back out in 20 years.

paulnguyen11d ago

Oh man, I gotta say I've had the exact opposite luck with those things! I tried that approach on a couple of jobs early on and regretted it both times. First time I thought I had it cinched down perfect, but after a few months the whole thing started shifting around and I had to go back in and redo everything. Second time I just took extra time from the start to set it up differently and honestly it's been solid ever since. I feel like it really depends on the material you're working with and how much movement there is. Some stuff just doesn't want to stay put no matter how tight you crank it.