b737mrg ExteriorInspection

by Captain Pat BOONE
Pictures from Jan PASHIDIS Renato ZACHELLO Krister EDLUND

and Chris BRADY author of www.b737.org.uk

Version 2.1 - Jan 20
th
, 2010
The Boeing 737
Exterior Inspection
The Boeing 737 Exterior Inspection
Slide 2

Reference : Boeing 737 FCOM
December 2009

Legend : (CL) = Classic
(NG) = Next Generation
This presentation covers
the Boeing 737 (Classic & Next Generation)
pre-flight Exterior Inspection
according the Boeing FCOM Normal Procedures
and Cold Weather Supplementary Procedures.
For training only, do not use for operation !
Always use your company publications
as sole official source !
Slide 3
This presentation requires Microsoft
PowerPoint 2003
or XP
.

Animation will be incorrect and part of the text will be unreadable when using
an earlier version of PowerPoint. You can download and install the free
MS PowerPoint 2003 Viewer

This free Viewer allows you to view all presentations created by PowerPoint 97
till 2003 without interference to another PowerPoint development program installed
on your PC.
The Viewer is supported by Windows 2000 SP3 Windows XP Windows ME
Windows 98 SE (requires computer restart) Windows Server 2003

If you have another PowerPoint development program installed on your computer,
this program will take precedence to the MS PowerPoint 2003 Viewer. Therefore,
you must :

1- download this presentation to your computer
2- from the Start Menu under All Programs, open the Microsoft Office PowerPoint
Viewer 2003 and open this presentation file.

Slide 4
This 40 slides presentation comes with
over 100 pictures and lots of extra information.
Whether you are a newbie to the 737
or an experienced Boeing 737 captain,
you will certainly discover interesting items
Dont run through this presentation
click-click-click-click-click-click
Instead, prior to viewing the next page,
challenge yourself what am I looking for
when Im doing the exterior inspection myself ?
and find-out that you may be overlooking
some important safety items !
Slide 5
This presentation is divided
into 4 chapters :
1- General Guidelines
2- The Walk Around
3- Cold Weather Operations
4- Top 10 Blunders
General guidelines
- Surfaces and structures must be clear, not damaged and not missing
- Fluids should not be leaking
- Tires should not be worn, not damaged and no loose treads
- Gear struts should not be fully compressed
- Engines inlet and tailpipe should be clear, access panels should be secured,
the engine exterior should not be damaged and the reverser must be stowed

General Guidelines
General guidelines
- Doors and access panels (that are not in use for servicing) should be latched
- Probes, vents and static ports must be clear and not damaged
- Antennas may not be damaged
- Light lenses should be clean and not damaged
General Guidelines
General guidelines
The Walk-around
Exterior Inspection Normal Procedures
Left Forward Fuselage
The Walk-Around Left Forward Fuselage
Probes, sensors, ports, vents and drains .. Check
Doors and Access Panels (not in use) Latched
Exterior Inspection
Aspirated and non-aspirated temperature probe..
Exterior Emergency Exit Lights
Additional Information
The exterior emergency lights
illuminate simultaneously with
the interior emergency exit lights.
Exterior emergency lights are
installed next to each entry/service
door, overwing exits and behind
the wing root (picture).
Now, what are you looking for
at this location ?

(we need 2 items here)
Especially on (CL) make sure the
pitot tubes and alpha vane are not
damaged by the passenger bridge.
On (NG) these probes are moved
forward.
An aspirated TAT probe delivers an
accurate temperature measurement
on ground. This probe is cooled by
APU bleed air from the left
pneumatic duct.
An unaspirated TAT probe (recognizable by its
perforation and a large hole at the rear of the strut)
indicates a valid OAT on ground only when probe
heat is OFF and after sufficient cooling time.
Nose
The Walk-Around Nose
Radome .. Check
Forward E&E Door .... Secured
Exterior Inspection
Noise vortex Generators ..
The radome is made of composite material
for operation of the WX radar.
Six diverter strips transmit static build-up
during normal flight. These strips also
decrease energy and prevent damage to the
ILS and WX antenna (located inside the
radome) in the event of a lightning strike.
As from January 2005,
Noise Vortex Generators are
installed on (NG) to reduce the
flight deck ambient noise level
by 3 decibel.
Lightning impact on the nose may puncture
or exceptionally destroy the radome.
After each lightning strike or bird strike, the
radome requires maintenance inspection.
Even with no apparent damage on the
outside, the composite material may still be
damaged (delaminated) on the inside !

What are you looking for
at this location ?

(2 items)
There are two E&E access doors. This pictures
shows the forward E&E door. The forward door
provides access to the WX radar and PSEU (NG).

The forward E&E door and the main E&E door
(located aft of the nose wheel well) are guarded
by a single EQUIP amber light on the flight deck.
Nose Wheel Well
The Walk-Around Nose Wheel Well
Tires and wheels ... Check
Gear strut and Doors Check
Exterior Light .. Check
Nose Wheel Steering Assembly . Check
Nose Gear Steering Lockout Pin . As needed
Gear Pin .. As needed
Nose Wheel Spin Brake (snubbers) ........ In place
Exterior Inspection
Nose Wheel Well Inspection Flood Light........... Check
(CL) Nose Wheel Down & Locked marking....... Check
Nose Wheel Steering cable assembly Check
As a general rule, 3 fingers (that is
5 cm or 2 inches) of polished portion
of the strut should be visible.
Some 737-800 are sensitive to
tail-tipping. You may notice up to
2 hands during off-loading.
Nose wheel
Shimmy Dampers
Nose Wheel
Ground Crew Horn
This is not the Inspection Flood
light, but the Dome Light.

(CL) The Inspection Flood light
(on the aft wall) is a NOGO
requirement for night flight !
The red line indicates the
maximum tow bar angle
(for tow truck drivers)
Picture (NG)
Picture (CL) showing both the Nose Gear Steering
Lockout Pin (lower left) and the Gear Pin (top) What are you looking for
inside and around
the nose wheel well ?

(7 items)
Right Forward Fuselage
The Walk-Around Right Forward Fuselage
Doors and Access Panels (not in use) Latched
Oxygen Pressure Relief Green Disc .... In place
Exterior Inspection
E&E Access Door ...Closed
E&E Outflow Valve ..Check Airflow
(CL only)
Forward Toilet Service Door
The Main Battery
The Light Switch is located here
The Crew Oxygen Bottle

Although located in the E&E, servicing
and removal are done via the forward
cargo compartment.
The GND SERVICE Bus
must be powered for the
EQUIP Cooling Normal
Exhaust fan to operate
at this location ?

(3 items)
Lets take a look inside the E&E (NG)
These avionics may not be touched
without carrying the ground wired
hand glove, which you find stored
near the E&E entry door !
The APU starter
converter unit
and P91 reset
Circuit Breaker
Verify that the F/O Window
Escape Handle is flush.
Dont call maintenance for a missing
screw or bolt
This tiny hole is the outlet for the water
drain flexible tube on the flight deck,
you know, that annoying tube on (CL)
when you close the sliding window
A diverter strip above each Service/Entry Door guides
away rain drops rolling down from the fuselage.
Right Wing Root, Pack and Lower Fuselage
The Walk-Around Right Wing Root, Pack and Lower Fuselage
Ram Air Deflector Door .. Extended
Pack and Pneumatic Access Doors ... Secured
Exterior Lights Check
Leading Edge Flaps . Check
Exterior Inspection
Antennas Check
Cargo Hold Lighting..Check Lens
(NG) Cargo Hold Access Panel
(CL) Auxiliary Fuel Tank Vent..
Ground Pneumatic Connection (into right
Pneumatic Manifold Duct). This connection
is located on the right-hand side of the
airplane because the ground engineer is
headset-connected on the same side.
Ground Pre-conditioned Air Connection (Pack) (into the
Main Distribution Manifold). The connection is located
on the left-hand side of the airplane, since the airports
air-conditioning system is integrated into the jetway.
Make also sure the inlet is free of FOD,
including clothing stowed away by
ground personnel on a hot summer day.
(NG) Retractable Landing Light
With hydraulic system B unpressurized, the
LE Krueger flaps may droop.
Never grasp a LE Flap with your hands,
because the flaps slam upwards if your fellow
pilot on the flight deck pressurizes system B !
Make sure there is no protective cover
on the static ports.
Protective covers are installed for
several reasons, including maintenance,
painting, washing or to protect the inlet
against insects during a stopover.
The ATC 2 antenna
These 4 flat antennas are
the Radio Altimeter 1 and 2
Transmitter and Receiver
Antenna VHF
(CL) COMM 2
(NG) COMM 3
A missing or cracked lens cover must be
replaced or the light bulb must be
removed, as shown here. (MEL 33.04)
However, the light in the forward and aft cargo
door openings come without a lens cover.
The Cargo Compartment Access Panel allows
you to enter the forward cargo compartment
from the passenger cabin. This panel is located
on the right hand side of the passenger cabin
near the 10
th
(737-6/700) 13
th
(737-8/900)
window cutout row E, below the floor carpet.

Do not enter the cargo compartment in case of
a (spurious) smoke/fire warning. The panel is
installed for the event that luggage is blocking
the cargo door handle.
(400) Auxiliary Fuel Tank Vent Inlet
along this side ?

(5 items)
Detail of the Ground Pneumatic Connection
(Pack) on the left-hand side
Before closing-up the cargo
compartment, make sure you
dont forget about him
The Walk-Around Airconditioning Bay
While we are here, lets take a brief look
inside the airconditioning bay.
The airconditioning bays are located
on each side of the wing roots, forward
of the main wheel well.

Airconditioning Bay
The right pack heat
exchangers.
The right pack heat
exchangers.
The air-cycle machine
Air conditioning Outlet
The Water Separator
Ram Air Inlets
Outlets
The Walk-Around Number 2 Engine
Access Panels Latched
Fan Blades, Probes and Spinner Check
Thrust Reverser ... Stowed
Exhaust area and Tailcone .. Check
Exterior Inspection
Generator Drive Oil system
Oil leakage....Check within limit
Number 2 Engine
T12 Total Inlet Temperature Sensor
You dont need to call
maintenance for missing bolts.
These holes are used to
detach the nose cone.
You will notice the top of a red locking
pin here if the reverser is dispatched
inoperative (locked).
A view into the engine from the rear
with the reverser deployed (open).
The oil level indication has a different
scale for the left and right engine
because of the wing dihedral
If you notice an engine oil leakage
during the pre-flight exterior
inspection, call maintenance.
The maximum allowed number of
drops per minute differs by engine
type and by engine section.
Caution for hot surfaces
after recent flight
at this location ?

(5 items)
A small puddle of oil in the engine
exhaust plug is acceptable.
A large puddle may cause heavy smoke
and exceptionally a tail pipe fire up to
10 minutes after engine shutdown.
Alignment of these black indicator
strips indicate proper stowage of
the left and right thrust reverser
sleeve.
If you focus on this frame
for 5 seconds, the engine
fan starts to rotate
The Walk-Around Right Wing and Leading Edge
Exterior Inspection
Wing Anti-Ice Exhaust .
Right Wing and Leading Edge
Access Panels Latched
Leading Edges Flaps and Slats . Check
Fuel Measuring Sticks .. Flush and secure
Wing Surfaces .. Check
Fuel Tank Vent . Check
(NG) Do you recall the Cold soaked Fuel Frost Limits ?

Lower Wing :

Upper Wing :
The defueling bay door cannot be
closed if the defueling valve is open.
This valve is manually operated
by a handle (shown here).
Dont call maintenance to
report holes in the leading
edge ! These holes serve
as wing anti-icing air outlet !
Defined cold-soaked fuel
frost area painting (NG)
Picture of cold soaked fuel frost on lower wing
surface. This picture is taken after descent
in VMC and landing at an airfield with ambient
temperature above 35 C / 95 F !!
Also notice there is no ice on the flaps !
Wing anti-icing
air supply duct
LE slats actuator

Max. 3 mm or 1/8 inch
Only on the wing itself, not on the
flight controls, LE/TE Flaps/Slats
and not on winglets.

Max. 1,5 mm or 1/16 inch
OAT > 0C or 32F
No visible moisture
Only within the painted area
Similar on both wings (!)
along the leading edge
of the right wing ?

(5 items)
Check that Flame Arrestor Pressure
Valve Poppet is flush with the wing
lower skin.
If the valve is popped wing inwards, it
must be reset by maintenance.
The Walk-Around Right Wing Tip and Trailing Edge
Exterior Inspection
Flight and Ground Spoilers
Right Wing Tip and Trailing Edge
Position and Strobe Lights ... Check
Static Discharge Wicks . Check
Aileron and TE Flaps . Check
MEL 33-11 is rather complicated due to
different plastic lenses (single or dual)
and winglets installed or not.
As a general rule at least one red and
one green navigation light must operate
for night flight.
This picture shows a 737-800 with a dual
plastic lens and blended winglets.
Any idea about the number of static
dischargers installed on each wing ?

Main Wing :

Main Wing (with blended winglets) :

Horizontal Stabilizer :

Vertical Stabilizer :

4

2

3

4
Picture (NG) : The deflection of
the flight spoilers deploy is less than
the ground spoilers.
On NG with the SFP (Short Field
Performance) option installed, the
deflection angle is further increased.
at this location ?

(3 items)
The Walk-Around Right Main Gear
Exterior Inspection
Brake Temperature.
Right Main Gear
Tires, Brakes and Wheels ... Check
Gear Strut, Actuators and Doors Check
Gear Pin .. As needed
Hydraulic Lines . Secure

Refer to your company manuals
and procedures for tire wear limits
or call maintenance.
Parking brakes must set in order to check
the brake wear indicator pins.
With one or both brake pins flush, the
brakes can still handle one rejected takeoff.

According to the Maintenance Manual AMM
32-41 you may not leave with a flush pin.
Check your company SOP.
If one brake wear indicator pin
is missing, the brake can stay
in service if operation of the
remaining pin is satisfactory.
If a pin is broken, just consider
it missing
at the right main landing gear ?

(4 items)
The aircraft can be dispatched with
one, two or all three main landing
gear doors missing. Refer to the
DDG-CDL for fuel penalties and
maintenance actions.
As a general rule, the strut should be
extended by 3 fingers with passengers
and fuel loaded.
(NG option)
Brake Temp display on the MFD
The Walk-Around Right Main Wheel Well
Exterior Inspection
Right Main Wheel Well
APU Fire Control Handle .... Up
(NG as installed) NGS light ... Check
Wheel Well .. Check
The FCOM does not specify what to check,
so here are some suggestions :
- General condition (no loose cables, no fluid leaks)
- Hydraulic System Quantity, Pressure and Filters
- Landing Gear Up-Lock system
- (CL) Landing Gear Viewing System
- (NG) Loose Thread Frangible Fitting

in the Right Main Wheel Well ?

(6 items)
Verify that both the Fire Handle and the
Bottle Discharge Switch are safety wired.
Verify that the operability green indicator
light is illuminated, unless the NGS is
dispatched inoperative.
When the hydraulic fluid return filter is
clogged, a red differential pressure
indicator will appear on top of the filter
(if OAT is above 2 C 36 F).
If you notice the red indicator, call
maintenance
The MLG uplock mechanism uses over-
center locking to keep the main landing
gear up and locked. Two springs hold the
uplock hook in the up and locked position.

It has happened that a spring disappeared
in flight (if you found it in your garden,
please return to company)
(NG) If the fitting is broken,
the associated landing gear
cannot be raised after takeoff.

This may look like a hydraulic fluid
leak

However, what you see here is an
anti-corrosive protection compound
Anyway, if there is any doubt,
call maintenance.
The flight can be dispatched with both
main wheel well (dome) lights inoperative
However, on (CL) an inoperative inspection
flood light is a NOGO for night flight !
(two installed one for each gear)
The Walk-Around Right Main Wheel Well

A short guided tour inside
the Main Wheel Well :
Inside the Main Wheel Well
The Spoiler Mixer, mounted
on the forward wall.
(NG) This is the center
tank boost pump.
You can find six of these
mounted in the forward
wall.
The F/O Flight Control spoiler quadrant,
through cables connected with the F/O
flight deck control wheel
The CAPT Flight Control aileron quadrant,
through cables connected with the Captains
flight deck control wheel
Hydraulic system B
Pressure Module
Hydraulic system B
reservoir pneumatic
air pressure indicator
The TE Flaps hydraulic motor and the
alternate electric motor are integrated
in the same housing on the aft wall of
the wheel well. Both motors drive the
TE flaps through common orange/black
painted shafts.
The accumulator brake
pressure indicator
The Standby hydraulic system reservoir
is located on the center keel beam.
This picture is (NG).
Mounted on the forward part of
the keel beam, this is the PTU.
This is the system B EMDP
(Electric Motor Driven Pump).
The system B EDP (Engine
Driven Pump) is located in
Engine 2 of course.
This is the Thrust Reverser Control Valve
for Engine 2.
This is the system A EMDP
(Electric Motor Driven Pump).
The handle on the forward side should be
wired and pointing upwards. The handle is
for maintenance only. If the handle is rotated,
the engine reverser is de-activated
(NG) TE Flap Transmission : this unit
transmits power from the orange/black
torque shaft to the TE flaps for that side.
So, there are two of these beasts
installed in the wheel well.
There is a relatively large empty space
next to and aft of each flap transmission.
It can even hide a stowaway. Always
worth a double check
The Walk-Around Right Aft Fuselage
Exterior Inspection
Toilet Waste System..
VHF Comm Antenna..
Right Aft Fuselage
Doors and Access Panels . Latched
Negative Pressure Relief Door .. Closed
Outflow Valve . Check
APU Air Inlet Open
(CL) APU Fire Bottle ..... Check

along the aft fuselage ?

(6 items - NG) (7 items CL)
The water service panel is located on
the right side (NG) left side (CL) of
the airplane. This picture is (NG).
The toilet service panel is located on
the opposite side, with an extra toilet
access panel in the front (CL).
On recent delivered (NG) the main
outflow valve comes with teeth to
reduce aerodynamic noise.
(NG) Aft Cargo Compartment

Behind this bulkhead is the toilet
waste tank and the compressor.
Antenna VHF
(CL) COMM 3
(NG) COMM 2
(CL) Verify that the Squib Discharge disc (yellow)
and the Bottle Overpressure disc (red) are in place
Verify the cargo compartment entry
for any dents
The Walk-Around Tail
Exterior Inspection
Tail
Vertical Stabilizer and Rudder .... Check
Horizontal Stabilizer and Elevator .. Check
Elevator Feel Probes Check
(400-800-900) Tail Skid ... Check
Static Discharge Wicks .... Check
Strobe Light Check
APU Cooling Air Inlet and Exhaust Outlet . Check

around the tail ?

(8 items)
APU Cooling Air Inlet
APU Exhaust Outlet
The Walk-Around Tail
Logo Light
Horizontal Stabilizer-to-Body Sliding Seals
Antenna HF and VOR

Tail
Location of the VOR/LOC antenna
Location of the HF antenna
(NG) The logo light is powered from
Main Bus 1. Hence the logo lights
do not illuminate with the CAB/UTIL
switch in OFF!
If the upper or lower seal is
missing, call maintenance.
When dispatched with the
seal removed, apply the
performance weight penalties
from the DDG / CDL.
Now, lets take a look, where you have
never been before, inside the tail cone :
Stabilizer Trim system ..
APU Inlet Door system .
APU Fire Extinguisher system .
Other

The famous Stab
trim jackscrew
The Stab trim control cable drum.
The cables are connected to the
flight deck manual trim wheels.
The electric Stab trim actuator
The APU inlet door as seen from the
inside. This here is the electric door
actuator.
The rudder steering cables,
connected to the flight deck
rudder pedals.
The aft pressure bulkhead is
hemispheric on 737-100 thru 800
and flat on the 900
The Walk-Around Left side
Differences with Right Side
Left side
Left Aft Fuselage :
(NG) Waste Compressor Vent . Check

Left Main Wheel Well :
Fire Discharge Bottles .... Check
What additional items
will you be checking
on the left side of the airplane ?

(2 items - NG) (1 item CL)
During the exterior inspection
you may notice the sound of
the vacuum compressor
when the cabin crew flushes
the toilets.
A malfunctioning air/waste
separator may direct waste
to the air outlet i.s.o. towards
the waste tank

So here is a good advice :
stay away from this hole !
As a general rule both pressure
indicators should point upwards.
They may tend slightly to the left
on cold days and slightly to the right
on hot days as pressure inside the
bottles changes with OAT.
Entry / Service Door Floor Drains . Check

When you return to the flight deck,
take a look at these drains. Very often,
the drains are clogged !
These drains guide away rain water that
has entered the cabin through the
associated door. A clogged drain may
cause rain water to seep into the E&E,
causing damage to electronics.
Cold Weather Operations
Exterior Inspection Supplementary Procedures
Pay extra attention to the following items :
Surfaces Check
Control Balance Cavities Check
Pitot Probes and Static ports . Check
Air Conditioning Inlets and Exits Check
Engine Inlets . Check
Fuel Tank Vents ... Check
Landing Gear Doors .... Check
APU Air Inlets ... Check

Ice formation in the engine inlet
Clear ice on the leading edge
Ice formation on the pitot tubes
Some Pictures :
Ice formation on the engine fan
after a short taxi time
Top 10 Blunders !
In fact, we can as well start with
this classic one :
Tools or an oil can accidentally
left behind in the main wheel well
by maintenance personnel.
Number 10
General condition OK ?
How about these 3 tools?
Top 10 Blunders
Number 9
A large dent in the fuselage may
easily go unnoticed
Top 10 Blunders
Number 8
Dont tell me
I didnt warn you !
Top 10 Blunders
Number 7
(NG) The main gear frangible fitting
may never be used to attach the fuel
truck ground wiring cable !
OK, whats wrong here ?
Top 10 Blunders
Number 6
Top 10 Blunders
There is no potential danger that the door opens
in flight when the Z-Handle is not correctly stowed.
However, you will probably experience additional
ambient noise in flight
Number 5
OK, whats wrong here ?
This rod is broken, so you will be flying with
the right nose wheel well door open
Top 10 Blunders
Number 4
During the walk-around in heavy rain,
you may perhaps not be looking upwards
and these missing access panels from the
Horizontal Stabilizer may go unnoticed

Furthermore, always pay extra attention to
access panels when the airplane is being
returned from maintenance.
Top 10 Blunders
Number 3
(CL) While the gear pin may have
drawn your attention, you should also
have noticed that the red painting
is missing and/or covered with
lubricating oil This is a NOGO !
Anything wrong here ?
Top 10 Blunders
Number 2
This engine looks in good shape ?
You caught a bird into the N2
compressor during landing.
This may go unnoticed, especially
during a night time walk-around
without carrying a flash-light
Top 10 Blunders
Number 1
And our Number 1 winner
today is ???

The (smaller) main wheel of a Boeing 737-500
mounted on the Boeing 737-400
So, always take a look to the wheels !

Top 10 Blunders
the end
-
for more information
www.B737MRG.net
www.B737.org.uk

Slide 40
Have a safe
flight !

b737mrg ExteriorInspection

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

b737mrg ExteriorInspection

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

by Captain Pat BOONE

Pictures from Jan PASHIDIS Renato ZACHELLO Krister EDLUND

You might also like