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Race--

First of all, thanks for all your hard and visible work pursuing the truth in there in Mass. Keep up the good work.

Now, for this thread...

I do not believe anyone is saying the doublers failed. I do not know the name for the structural members that failed, but think of them as a 'spar', just vertical. As I understand it, the doubler, flange, nuts and bolts are all just fine. The composite structure 'beyond' that is what seem to have failed.

I thought from what I had read that the failed structure was up inside the VS, just above the flange. Vordas (fellow FReeper) says the failed part(s) is in the empennage/fuselage. No matter. It appears one or more vertical 'beams' failed and left the broom-straw evidence of failed composite.

I yield to your superior, experience-based knowledge of composites.

FReegards.

From what I'm reading I'm being left with the impression (nobody is saying it outright, it's just how these things are coming together in my brain) that possibly the doubling and extra rivets created additional preasure in the area near this repair (not the repaired area itself). Like I said, nothing that anybody has said outright, just the feeling I'm getting that this repair cause a shift in how stressing forces were absorbed by the tail that weakened areas other than the actual repair.

Vertical sections in the tail I believe would be called SPARS, (The equivilent of a rotor blade SPAR),

sections that were aligned horizontal (parallel to the ground) would be called Ribs.Think of your ribs, sibs on an aircraft would be aligned in rows, like your ribs, but on a fusalage they would appear to be verticel, going from the front of the aircraft to the rear.

Any relatively flat, I-Beam like piece that connects the Ribs would be BEAMS. Beams would make floor pieces or ceiling pieces within the fusalage.

Right angel pieces that ran perpendicular to the RIBS would be stringers.(And for the life of me, I forgot how they would be attached! I think riveted from RIB to RIB as individual pieces)They are basically a lightweight aluminum angle that provide stiffening for the skin bewteen each rib.

RIBS and BEAMS would be riveted to the outer skin, the SPAR would be possibly bolted to the RIBS or Riveted.<P. From the photo I see here, it looks like the vertical spar was sheared somehow. However, I am used to rotary craft, so this is a logical guess for me, not a declaration.