Warning: don't assume your crimp connections are good just because they feel tight

Was rewiring a nav light on a King Air up in Spokane last Wednesday. Pulled on the pin and it slid right out of the connector shell. The contact wasn't fully seated even though the crimp looked perfect and felt solid. Has anyone else had that happen with D-sub connectors on older aircraft wiring jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_dixon9d ago

Oh man, you hit the nail on the head with that one. I had a similar thing happen on a Cessna 310 a few years back - a crimp on a cannon plug felt rock solid in my hand but the pin just wasn't locked into the shell right. It's like the retention tang didn't fully spring out, you know? I've gotten into the habit of giving every pin a little tug with a pick after I seat it, because "feels tight" and "actually locked in" are two totally different things with these old connectors. The plastic gets brittle with age too, so the tangs don't always grab like they should.

danielr949d ago

Ever had a pin just spit out on you mid-flight?