That hangar in Tucson with the stairwell access taught me a lesson

Took a contract gig back in March at a small repair station out by Tucson International. Third day there, I needed to run coax to the tail section of a 737. The only route was this narrow stairwell with a door at the top that weighed about 80 pounds. I figured I could prop it open with a rubber chock like everybody else did. Sure enough, a gust of wind slammed it shut while I was halfway up, and the cable got pinched clean through in two spots. Had to re-terminate everything and lost the better part of an afternoon. Now I always carry one of those little magnetic door stops in my tool bag, even on the bigger hangars. Has anyone else had a site layout bite them in a way they never expected?

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tessa_hill863d ago

Wind loading on hangar doors is the silent killer. People think about the door weight but not the pressure differential when the building HVAC kicks on, that can suck a heavy door shut way faster than any breeze. We had a similar thing at an old National Guard facility, the stairwell door had a spring closer set too aggressive and it would grab your tool pouch if you weren't paying attention. Check if your stairwell has a pressure vent or if the door frame is slightly out of square, that changes everything about how you rig up a stop.