# MD80 Wiring Explained



## FLYBOYJ (Apr 15, 2008)

From an article in "Landings." This makes me sick!







This is a photo of the wiring bundle that has grounded so many AA flight the past several days. The FAA came out with a maintenance directive over a year ago that stated the wire ties must be one inch apart. The AA maintenance managers determined that our MD80's were close enough to 1 inch as shown in the photo and did not change the spacing of the wire ties. 

Some MD80 did come from the factory with wire ties spaced 4-8 inches apart and that prompted the FAA directive that warned of possible chaffing and a potential fire hazard. The deadline to comply with this directive was last week. 

The FAA says no way to the above spacing and grounded our entire MD80 fleet. 

We operate over 300 MD80's and have canceled 700-1000 flights a day! 

The FAA was really beat up in a congressional hearing last week by several FAA inspectors who told congress that they were forced by their supervisors to ignore discrepancies they found on Southwest Airlines B737's. The inspectors were from the same regional office that inspects American Airlines and so now the FAA is proving that NOTHING will get by their inspectors. 

So, the FAA inspectors are grounding planes that have spacing of anything more than +/- .125!!! 

I honestly do not think this is a safety issue but simply revenge from the FAA from being so embarrassed on Capital Hill. There is just no way that the spacing of the wire ties in the above photo would be more of a fire hazard than wire ties spaces 1' apart but................ Hope this give a little perspective to the problem.. Larry


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## syscom3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I feel the same way.

Its one thing to hammer an airline regarding its inspection records.

Its another to nearly push a major carrier to bankruptcy over a 1/8" tie wrap spacing issue.

I wonder what the +/- spec the directive said.


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 15, 2008)

syscom3 said:


> I wonder what the +/- spec the directive said.


I'm going to try to find out but I do know that wiring diagrams are normally pretty wide with tolerances. A 3 place dimension for a wiring tolerance is absurd.


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## FLYBOYJ (Apr 15, 2008)

AD 2006-15-15 mentions a service bulletin (Boeing Alert Service Bulletin MD80-29A070) which I am told say to space each tie 1" a part. I don't know if a tolerance is given. I've read on several sites that there has been one reporting incident of wire chaffing as a result of this AD.


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