We all know as aircraft mechanics, that one of the most important jobs during inspections is to remove FOD to prevent catastropic failure. Sometimes the FOD we find is not only suprising, but sometimes very gross. It never fails to give us a chuckle as we continue onto our tasks.
10. It's not uncommon to find the personal affects of the passengers or pilots. Sometimes the funny part is the location or situation. One example is a hair tie soaked in oil under the floorboard of a Cessna 172.
9. While mechanics are not typically trained on biohazards, we still run into situations where we have to use common sense to dispose of or protect ourselves from them. A form of biohazards was used bandages under the Copilot's seat in a Falcon 2000.
8. As an A&P mechanic, I hate seeing aircraft that are not well maintained. In general aviation, sometimes our job involves aircraft that have sat for years. An interesting find was vines growing in the exhaust baffling of a Cessna 182.
7. While not an uncommon find, it's still humorous every time I see it. Our feathered friends can't resist making a home in any covered space they can get to. A Bird's nest in the tailcone of a Cessna 172 has got to be the most adorable FOD I've ever seen.
6. Working on aircraft, we offer our blood, sweat, tears, and occasionally a hair sample. Though I cannot confirm it belonged to a mechanic, a wad of hair under the brake master cylinders covered in hydraulic fluid and stuck to the floor in a King Air B200 was a questionable moment.
5. If you've ever worked on a commercial passenger aircraft, you know just how messy these aircraft can get. The real question is, how did melted M&Ms get under the passenger floorboard of an Embraer 145?
4. During our inspections, their are a variety of liquid substances that can be found under the floorboards that typically drain out the bottom of an aircraft. Occasionally, a drain does not function as it should. Finding a sticky mess of Coca Cola under the forward auxiliary tank in a Challenger 601 is a prime example.
3.One of the least favorite tasks working on passenger aircraft is usually working in the lav. Not only is the smell overwhelming, but it never fails to see evidence of the solution utilized to contain the excrements all beneath the toilet. However gross, used toilet paper covered in blue juice in a Falcon 50 under the main floorboard in the lav was found. I am still baffled how it got there.
2. Though passengers are guilty of making quite the mess, some of the dirtiest areas found are located in the cockpit. Finding used snuff in a King Air B300 on the carpet under the Pilot's seat was interesting, but not surprising.
1. The coolest item and a bit jarring to find was shotgun shells in a Robinson 44 used for aerial hog hunting in the access panels. Some of these shells were found dangerously close to controls, so special care is taken to ensure full removal of every single one.
