Control Cable Inspection - Piper PA-32R-301 SARATOGA SP Maintenance Manual

FLIGHT CONTROLS (cont.)
A. General Information (cont.)

(3) 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-read-
ily 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 2A
shows a cable with broken wires that were not detected by wiping, but were found during a
visual inspection. The damage became readily apparent (Figure 2B) when the cable was
removed and bent using the techniques depicted in figure 4.14c.
PIPER AIRCRAFT
PA-32R-301/301T
MAINTENANCE MANUAL
A
B
Control Cable Inspection Technique
Figure 2
2B1
27-00-00
Page 27-3
Reissued: July 1, 1993