Fleet upkeep
Repair or scrap
What gets replaced, what condemns a part, and why there is no third answer.
The rule that is not negotiable
A structural part is never re-welded and never straightened. A repair weld requires requalifying the whole part, which costs more than the part; straightening an aluminium chord work-hardens it in a way nothing reveals. The part gets its shape back and not its capacity.
What gets replaced
Spare parts →- Replaceable
Worn pin, clip or cone
Wear parts, not structure. They are replaced with original parts, and this is by far the most common repair.
- Replaceable
Illegible label
Re-issued if the laser marking still identifies the batch. If it does not, the part falls under the last line of this page.
- Replaceable
Surface scratch
With no material loss and no crack initiation, a scratch is cosmetic. It goes in the register so the next inspection looks at it again.
What goes to scrap
Return a part →- Scrap
Dented, gouged or bent chord
Scrap. Straightening work-hardens the aluminium invisibly: the part gets its shape back and not its capacity.
- Scrap
Cracked weld
Scrap, and never re-welded in the field. A repair weld requires requalifying the entire part, which costs more than the part.
- Scrap
Corrosion with material loss
Scrap. Pitting removes wall thickness exactly where stress is highest, and what is left cannot be measured with a caliper.
- Scrap
Fire or heat exposure
Scrap. The alloy loses its heat treatment well before it changes appearance: a part that looks intact after a fire is not.
- Scrap
Fall, overload or crushing
Out of service immediately, and scrapped unless assessed. The part may show nothing: it is the event that condemns it, not its appearance.
- Scrap
Unidentifiable batch
Scrap. A part with no batch cannot be tied to a certificate, a load chart or a safety notice. It has no history left.