Wind shield cracks

[cole505]

Hi Guy's

I have a 2012 ser# 051  P-2008 the original factory windshield cracked in three different places, it was replaced under warranty ......... That windshield cracked in three places several months later......... In May-2016 I replaced it again so far it's perfect......... In case any of you have this problem an have to have yours replaced ....... Make very sure you round the edges, an trim it to fit if you don't an the edge contacts the edge of the fuselage it will crack again... I spent about 40 hours replacing mine ...... It is one of the most maintenance intensive projects you will ever do! Let me know if you need help I have the answers.. Here are some pictures of the project......

Attachments:

[timb]

Hi Cole, I also have a 2012 P2008 #68, and Mark Gregor had told me when I was looking at a 2010 P2008 with a small windshield crack at the top that most all P2008's prior to 2012 get cracks. So far so good on mine but I did have a problem when I first bought mine with fuel fittings leaking up in the wings, they told me it was because Tecnam was using stainless lines with very little flex at that time, they fixed mine with a section of aluminum fuel line or at least that what they said?

Were you using those suction cup visors before the crack?? I tried them but didn't like the movement in bumpy air, I don't know if they could put enough torque on the windshield to cause that problem over time??

Tim

[cole505]

Hi Tim,

I did think of that on the suction cup sun visors...... All of the cracks that did happen occurred long before I thought about using the sun visors..... Have not heard about the fuel line problem yet? Hoping I do not have to cross that bridge ....... Your input is much appreciated! So glad we have this forum.... Now we can pool the information instead of starting from scratch eveytime .... Do you still have the original factory brakes on your airplane?? And are they working well? Just curious ..🐾✈️😎🇺🇸🇺🇸👍🏻 Thanks again for your input!

Ray😎

[MarkGregor]

The early 2008s with the cracked windshields all originated from two tiny little holes that were molded in the upper left and upper right of the windshield for some reason. Subsequent windshields do not have these two small holes and have not had any problems.

After these were replaced, if the installer did not properly trim the windshield and it rested directly against the fuselage with no sealant to absorb the vibration it would create a "hot spot" that eventually cracked the windshield again. I believe that's what happened to cole505s windshield.

Also don't ever try to close a 2008 door by reaching through the vent window and pulling it shut.   


Mark

[Cluemeister]

Aug 14, 2016 23:07:21 GMT MarkGregor said:

Also don't ever try to close a 2008 door by reaching through the vent window and pulling it shut.   


Mark

Is that the voice of experience talking? 

[MarkGregor]

Yes, about a thousand dollars worth!

[montanapilot]

I just had a windshield crack develop during a flight from Billings to Missoula. I made a precautionary landing at a very remote mountain field (although a good paved runway) and contacted Mark Gregor and Shannon, both of whom gave me excellent (as always) advice as to what to do. Both of these guys are a gift to our group - they both answered their phones at about 7:00 on Friday evening, during Miller Time at Oshkosh. Somebody at the field dwhere I landed had a drill, so I stop drilled it. He also had some industrial-strength tape - the type that's used to stop leaks in fuel bladders - and we applied that to the inside and the outside of the windshield. I flew back to home base at a reduced TAS as recommended by Mark and Shannon. There was no additional cracking. We're trying to figure out what caused it, and I'll be speaking with Mark during the coming week. We'll probably never know for sure, but I'm going to do as much as I can to at least develop some possibilities so that maybe I can prevent it from happening again. I'm going to make the long cross country from Montana to Minnesota to let Mark's crew install the new windshield. Installing a new windshield in an Astore is not trivial, you need to know what you're doing, and so I'm going to the best, and that would be Mark Gregor.

[Ed Midgley]

I replace my pilots door window and that was a bugger. Removing the old window and mastic took most of a day.
i hope I never have to do the windshield.
Ed

[cole505]

Hi All,

Well I will be ordering a fourth windshield. I originally started this thread a few years ago and posted pictures of my windshield removal and replacement. And yes, this is by no means an easy task! I highly recommend you let Marks team complete the repair. My third windshield cracked about a year ago, I have stop drilled the three new cracks and have not had any new ones I guess it’s happy and settled in now. Just extremely frustrating to put this much time and effort into a repair and have the exact same problem repeat over and over........

I did contact Mark and made every effort to install the new windshields with all the new tech data I could get my hands on............ it still made no difference even with Marks inputs and his team inputs.......... they have no Answers or explanation on the problem....

[montanapilot]

I'll be flying to Mark's team's shop in Minnesota - all the way from NW Montana (about 1,200 miles) - to have the windshield in my Astore replaced. I could have had my shop do it, but there is no question that you need somebody who knows what they're doing, that you trust, and who has done it before. That would be Mark's team.

Has anybody else had a windshield cracking problem in an Astore? Hearing all of the problems you've had, Ray, is discouraging, and if it's endemic, we should work with the factory through Josh at Tecnam US to determine why it's happening and what can be done to correct it. I've owned 20 airplanes over 57 years, and I've never had a windshield crack until it happened in my Astore. What's worse is that there was no known cause - somebody bracing themselves on it for some reason, or ? It happened in flight.

[cole505]

Hi Montana Pilot,

If you read my initial post and what Mark from Tecnam said there were problems in the original windshields. They had tiny holes along the edges which they say was the cause. But the last two windshields installed had no such holes which was supposed to correct the issue, But made no difference............ when I originally spoke with Mark he made sure that I beveled the edges and made sure there were no contact points from the fuselage to the edge of the windshield creating hot spots. I took extreme care to comply with all his specific instructions. (20 Yr Air Force F-16 Mechanic )

Absolutely no change about a year after the install of the last one same thing. One of the cracks actually happened in flight the others happened while parked in the hanger and one after I had taken the airplane out of the hanger an observed that one with my own eyes......

I had contacted Tecnam first before speaking with Mark they came up with some completely unrelated related problems an absolutely NO HELP AT ALL they referred me back to Mark for answers. They were the ones that suggested I change the entire nose wheel strut assembly because of nose wheel vibration later fixed after the Bringer wheel and brakes assembly’s were replaced. ( Thanks to Mark😊 ) That problem was gone for good. So you see a little of my frustration dealing directly with Tecnam......... I have even contacted Mark recently and asked him if he and his team replaced my windshield would they warranty it for a couple of years he so absolutely Not................

But I highly recommend letting his team do the work they have done quite a few and will make sure it’s done right! 👍🏻✅ it’s not a cheap fix either your probably looking in the neighbor hood Of about $3000.00 OUCH! Parts and labor I paid about $1700.00 for the windshield, sealant, and primer. His labor will be about $2000.00 it took me 40 hours and I am being very conservative with this number.....

So I feel your frustration, let me know if I can assist you in any way would be glad to help......

Rayb😎✈️✅😊🇺🇸👍🏻⭐️

[Flocker]

Aug 14, 2019 4:10:41 GMT cole505 said:

One of the crack actually happened in flight the others happened while parked in the hanger...

What exactly happened in flight?  Did you have to land immediately?

[cole505]

Hi Flocker,

No, no inflight emergency....... when I landed I stop drilled it and applied silicone sealant....... very simple 5min fix, the cracks are on the top and sides and do not effect the
Structural integrity....... just very annoying to be drilling wholes in a new windshield ....

Ray

[montanapilot]

Concerned that that the windshield problem might be endemic, I asked Josh at Tecnam if they've been replacing quite a few windshields. He said that as best as he can rememember, they've only replaced 5 LSA windshields since 2015. As I noted in my last post, in all of the years I've been flying (58) I've never heard of a windshield cracking on any other airplane, so 5 sounds like a lot to me. In addition, I'd bet that aside from the 5 they've replaced, there are people who've just stop drilled the cracks and not replaced the windshield. I'm making my flight to Minnesota on Sunday to have mine replaced. These people are the best of the best (the shop that does Mark's work), so if it cracks again, there's a fundamental problem with these windshields.

[Flocker]

Any pics of the cracks? Curious as to how bad they were...