That time a QA guy made me re-torque 40 bolts

Last month a quality inspector pulled me aside after I finished a flap track job on a 737. He said my torque sequence looked good but my final check angle was off by 3 degrees on two bolts. Made me back them all out and start over. Took me an extra 2 hours but I'll be honest, now I double check my protractor placement every time. Anyone else ever get called out on something that small and it actually made you better?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai4635mo ago

That's rough but honestly kind of refreshing to hear. Did he actually watch you set the protractor or did he just see the final angle and guess? I've had quality guys flag stuff based on numbers alone without even looking at the tool setup, which is useless feedback. But a guy who takes the time to show you exactly where you slipped? That's gold. Makes you wonder how many times we got away with small errors because nobody checked close enough.

seandavis4mo ago

@kai463 you're right about that. It's a whole different level when someone actually watches your setup instead of just checking the final number. I had a quality guy on a hydraulic line job do the same thing with a torque angle gauge, he saw me zero it wrong and fixed it right there. That kind of feedback stays with you way more than a write up. Props to him for taking the time to show you.

richardh445mo ago

Yeah @kai463 hit the nail on the head. Guys who show you the mistake in person instead of just flagging a number are the ones you remember. I had a similar thing happen on a flap track job actually, the inspector watched me set my torque wrench and pointed out I was holding it off center by a hair. Felt stupid at first but now I catch myself checking that same thing without thinking. That kind of feedback sticks with you way longer than a paper write up does. Did that change how you set up your tools now too?