I copied this from the rec.aviation.homebuilt newsgroup.
Roland
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>From facemire@Software.ORG Wed Apr 28 08:09:28 1993
>From: facemire@Software.ORG (Jeffrey Facemire)
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1993 15:09:28 GMT
Subject: Bogus Bolts...
Organization: Software Productivity Consortium, Herndon, Virginia
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.homebuilt
This is being forwarded from the ultralight-flight group. Thought you
might find this interesting...
Jeff
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>From s.ms.uky.edu!ncrcom.daytonoh.ncr.com!postciss.daytonoh.ncr.com!mpeters
>Tue Apr 27 23:02:29 1993
To: ultralight-flight <ultralight-flight@ms.uky.edu>
Subject: Bogus Bolts
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The FAA Quarterly Newsletter (April) contained the following article:
FATALITIES FROM SUBSTANDARD BOLTS
A report of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committe
on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representative entitled "The
Threat from Substandard Fasteners: Is America Losing its Grip?" dated July
1988 stated the following under the heading "Saturn Corporation, Tennessee":
The Los Angeles Times printed a story under the headline "Counterfeits Now
Nuts, Bolts Issue" in January 1989, which included the following:
"Several people have died in crashes involving private planes that officials
determined were caused by defective fasteners... the nuts, bolts and screws
that hold together an aircraft. The National Tranportation Safety Board's
computer database indicated there were 61 aviation accidents between 1984
and1987 caused by bad fasteners. How many of those fasteners were
counterfeited is just now being investigated."
"And just last summer, three different military planes at Tinker Air Force
Base in Oklahoma experienced engine failure as a result of defective bolts
that may have been counterfeit..."
Persons maintaining aircraft should be made aware that counterfeit fasteners
have infiltrated this country's parts system. At this time, there is no
system of regulating the quality of parts supplied by independent vendors.
To assure the receipt of quality fasteners, persons maintaining engines,
airframes, propellers and appliances should be ordering replacement parts
through the prime manufacturer (that is the current manufacturer of the
engine, airframe, propeller andappliance parts system). The following
key will help to identify counterfeit bolts. Be wary of all Grade 5 and
Grade 8 fasteners of foreign origin that do not have any manufacturers head
marks. The Grade 8 head marks shown in the accompanying chart should be
eliminated from you hardware inventory. (They then shoe two heads, one
with the three lines indicating a grade 5 bolt and a grade 8 with 6 lines,
but neither have a manufacturer marking. Then there is a picture of bolt
heads with manufacturer markings that you should get rid of.)
Bogus Bolts?
Mark Manufacturer
____ ___________
A Asohi Mfg. (Japan)
NF Nippon Fasteners (Japan)
H Hinomoto Metal (Japan)
M Minamida Sicybo (Japan)
MS Minato Kogyo (Japan)
(Small
Triangle) Infasco
E Delci (Japan)
KS Kosaka Kogyo (Japan)
RT Takai Ltd (Japan)
FM Fastener Co. of Japan
KY Kyoei Mfg. (Japan)
J Jinn Her (Taiwon)
UNY Unytite (Japan)
A friend of mine works for the defence department and investigates fraud
etc..., and he had told me about this problem some time ago. He had
indicated that these AN look alike bolts have not gone through the testing
of so many per a thousand or whatever. So, they may be just fine, but you
are kind of playing a form of Russian roulette if you use them. I don't
know about you, but I'm going to check every bolt I own!
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