Piper Comanche PA-24 Service Manual page 254

5-4a. Control Cable Inspection
Aircraft control cable systems are subject to a variety of environmental conditions and forms of
deterioration that, with time, may be easy to recognize as wire/strand breakage or the not-so-readily
visible types of wear, corrosion, and/or distortion. The following data may help in detecting the presence
of these conditions:
A. Cable Damage
Critical areas for wire breakage are sections of the cable which pass through fairleads and around
pulleys. To inspect each section which passes over a pulley or through a fairlead, remove cable from
aircraft to the extent necessary to expose that particular section. Examine cables for broken wires by
passing a cloth along length of cable. This will clean the cable for a visual inspection, and detect
broken wires, if the cloth snags on cable. When snags are found, closely examine cable to determine
full extent of damage.
The absence of snags is not positive evidence that broken wires do not exist. Figure 5-2, View A,
shows a cable with broken wires that were not detected by wiping, but were found during a visual
inspection. The damage became readily apparent (View B) when the cable was removed and bent
using the techniques depicted in View C.
B. External Wear Patterns
Wear will normally extend along cable equal to the distance cable moves at that location. Wear may
occur on one side of the cable only or on its entire circumference. Replace flexible and non-flexible
cables when individual wires in each strand appear to blend together (outer wires worn 40-50
percent) as depicted in Figure 5-3.
V - SURFACE CONTROLS
PIPER SENECA SERVICE MANUAL
Figure 5-2. Control Cable Inspection Technique
1F18B
04/01/09