Update: That bleed valve I brushed off last week... yeah that bit me

Last Tuesday I was doing a pressure check on a 737 out in Phoenix. Skipped checking a bleed valve because it looked fine from the outside and I was short on time. Turns out the seal had a hairline crack and we lost pressure on the first test. Spent 2 hours backtracking to find it. Anyone else ever get burned by something that looked okay but wasn't?

2 comments

2 Comments

wrenh7915h ago

You ever get that sinking feeling when you realize you skipped something small and it bites you? I've learned the hard way that "looks fine" usually means I'm about to waste twice the time digging for a fix I could have caught in five minutes. Take a quick second look next time, it's saved me more than once.

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taylor_moore15h ago

Actually @wrenh79 I'd push back a little on the "looks fine" part. In my experience, "looks fine" is usually me being tired or rushing, not actually checking. The real trick isn't just taking a second look, it's having a specific checklist for that second pass. Like, I force myself to verify one specific thing each time instead of just scanning again. Your mileage may vary, but generic double checks have burned me way more than targeted ones. The times I've actually caught stuff were when I knew exactly what I was looking for, not just hoping to spot a problem.