The look a pilot gave me when I found his wiring error still sticks with me

This was about 2 years ago at a small FBO outside of Boise. I was tracing a comm issue on a Cessna 172 and found the previous guy had wired the mic jack shield straight into the signal pin. The pilot just stared at me, said 'I did that myself last month,' and walked off. He didn't say another word the whole time I fixed it. Has anyone else had a pilot or owner admit they messed with their own avionics and then just leave you to clean it up?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennybailey5d agoMost Upvoted

Had a similar thing with a Baron owner who hardwired his own GPS antenna and blamed the "garbage Garmin" when it wouldn't lock. Just nodded, swapped out his splices with proper connectors, and never brought it up again. Most guys who wire their own stuff either leave you a mess or act like you're overcharging them for ten minutes of cleanup.

troyc175d ago

Man that's the way to handle it though. Just fix the real problem quietly and let them think they were right all along, saves you an argument and gets the job done faster. Those DIY splices always cause issues down the road but owners never want to admit their wiring is the weak link.

lilyt235d ago

Is it though? I mean half the time those DIY splices hold up for years until someone comes along and messes with em. Seen plenty of planes fly just fine with some janky wiring that nobody ever touches. Not saying its right but sometimes the "problem" is more about principle than actual safety.