[Henry Helmet]

Having just taken my plane in for a 50hr and some other work (identified in pre-purchase report), I am frankly horrified to have discovered that the company who maintained it for the previous few years have done little more than change the oil.

My engineers of choice discovered:

Core filter totally jammed with carbon (several years worth)
Fuel filter described as "the worst I've ever seen, obviously not been done for many years"
Several very obvious (and serious) AD's totally ignored
Sheared inlet bolts
Fuel leaks
and... Prop not lock-wired!!

This firm have done 50hrs, annuals, everything, for the previous owners. I can' t believe a maintenance company can get away with doing things like this these days. They're quite well known, but I hesitate to mention the name directly. Absolutely disgraceful.

[Gertie]

So how come the engineers that did your pre-purchase examination missed all that? Can you sue them for the costs of rectification?

[Rupert S]

If what you say is indeed the case and can be backed up with evidence, then please do tell us who they were. Would hate to think I might be using the same people.

[Timothy]

Ready, Ian?

[G-BLEW]

Yup

[Rupert S]

I don't geddit.

[Flyingfemme]

I don't geddit.

Libel

[Stephen Morley]

It's not libel if it is true.

I have had a similar experience and am sorting it out without mentioning it here.

But, of course, I reserve the right

Henry. PM me if you want to know what I did.

[Irv Lee]

It's not libel if it is true.

I have had a similar experience and am sorting it out without mentioning it here.

But, of course, I reserve the right

Henry. PM me if you want to know what I did.

which end of the libel were you? how much would you expect to get for being called tall dark and handsome?

[Stephen Morley]

Oi! Less of the handsome!

[wsmempson]

What a worrying tale - would those concerned mind dropping me a PM to let me know where said maintenence outfits are based, just so that I can be sure that I don't accidentally use them, if works needs doing away from home?

[Henry]

So how come the engineers that did your pre-purchase examination missed all that? Can you sue them for the costs of rectification?

The costs of rectification? It's in for a 50hr. The majority of those discoveries were made in the process of doing the jobs as they should have been done in all the previous checks and annuals, so there is no any additional cost. If a maintenance company has stamped up the logs to say this stuff has been done, it would be nice if they were telling the truth! Checking filters etc. is not the purpose of a pre-purchase report. People don't tend to like you completely ripping their plane to pieces before you hand over the money, so in reality there is only so much you can check before you jump in with both feet.

I also feel sorry for the previous owners who I'm fairly sure are unaware of the shortcuts taken by their maintainers and have been handing over good money for work that simpy hasn't been done over many years. Sure, everyone forgets things from time to time, but to forget numerous things, the same things, that happen to be tricky jobs, time after time, is unacceptable.

[AfricanEagle]

I may be naive.

If the previous maintenance company signed off having done certain jobs and having applied certain ADs that upon physical verification have obviously not been done can't you get them to pay for the expenses you substain to get things done properly?

Or tell your insurance: they should care because if you fall out of the sky and everything is signed off they will have to dish out big time.

Or call the CAA to come and exam the aeroplane and get them to pull the maintenance outfit's licence.

I still don't own an aeroplane but I already have a verified list of good and bad maintenance shops ...

[Keef]

If the previous maintenance outfit signed off the logbooks that the work had been done, and it hasn't, then that's fraud. It's probably also close to "endangering an aircraft".

I would follow the good advice given above - first, involve the CAA (this just shouldn't happen, and they do take an interest: I've been there!). Second, tell the firm you will be having the missing work done (you have no choice) and will be suing them for the cost of it. You won't get the money out of them, I'm sure, but the threat/promise will help your mood.

[Stephen Morley]

That would only apply if you had been charged for work that had not been done.

If, as so often happens, the organisation just misses the AD you will not have lost anything when you do get it done unless the omission wore something out.

I would recommend giving the organisation a chance to put their house in order. There are few enough of them as it is.

If they don't then, of course, they should be shopped.

That is what I am doing anyway.