FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B
Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices
Aircraft Inspection and Repair
AC 43.13-1B | 7. Aircraft Hardware, Control Cables, and Turnbuckles | 8. Inspection and Repair of Control Cables and Turnbuckles | 7-149. Cable System Inspection
AC 43.13-1B CHG 1
9/27/01
f. Nylon-jacketed cable with any cracks
or necking down in the diameter of the jacket
shall be replaced. Usable cable life is over
when these conditions begin to appear in the
nylon jacket.
g. External wear patterns will extend
along the cable equal to the distance the cable
moves at that location and may occur on one
side of the cable or on its entire circumference.
Replace flexible and nonflexible cables when
the individual wires in each strand appear to
blend together (outer wires worn 40 to 50 per
cent) as depicted in figure 7-17. Actual in
stances of cable wear beyond the recom
mended replacement point are shown in fig
ure 7-18.
h. As wear is taking place on the exterior
surface of a cable, the same condition is taking
place internally, particularly in the sections of
the cable which pass over pulleys and quad
rants. This condition (shown in figure 7-19) is
not easily detected unless the strands of the ca
ble are separated. This type of wear is a result
of the relative motion between inner wire sur
faces. Under certain conditions, the rate of this
type of wear can be greater than that occurring
on the surface.
FIGURE 7-17. Cable wear patterns.
Page 7-36
FIGURE 7-18. Worn cable (replacement necessary).
i. Areas especially conducive to cable
corrosion are battery compartments, lavatories,
wheel wells, etc.; where a concentration of
corrosive fumes, vapors, and liquids can ac
cumulate. Carefully examine any cable for
corrosion, when it has a broken wire in a sec
tion that is not in contact with a wear-
producing airframe component, such as a pul
ley, fair-lead, etc. If the surface of the cable is
corroded, relieve cable tension and carefully
force the cable open by reverse twisting and
visually inspect the interior. Corrosion on the
interior strands of the cable constitutes failure,
and the cable must be replaced. If no internal
corrosion is detected, remove loose external
rust and corrosion with a clean, dry, coarse-
weave rag, or fiber brush. Do not use metallic
Par 7-149