That time I found a wrench inside a Cessna's wing after 3 years of flying

I was working on a 1978 Cessna 152 at the FBO in Wichita and pulled the inspection plate on the left wing to find a 9/16 combo wrench just sitting in the spar gap. The logbooks showed the last major control surface job was done in 2020, so it probably rattled around for 3 years without anyone noticing. Has anybody else found random tools left behind in weird spots, and how long do you think it was there?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren9762d ago

Found a 10mm socket in the oil return line of a Cherokee Six once. Previous owner swore up and down he'd never lost one, but there it was, wedged in there like it grew there. Had to be in there for at least two years based on the crud built up around it. Then there was the time I pulled a panel off a Mooney and found a whole roll of duct tape just sitting in the belly, looked like it'd been there since the 90s. Never got the full story on that one, mechanic probably just stashed it and forgot lol. Best one was a buddy who bought a 172 and found a bag of old beef jerky in the wing root. He said it was so old it turned to dust when he touched it.

bettymurphy2d ago

That beef jerky story reminds me of something people don't talk about enough. You can find old snacks stuffed anywhere in these planes and it makes you wonder how many mechanics are just using the airframe as a storage closet. Makes me REAL nervous about what else might be hiding in there that you can't see.