The new owner of Thurston TSC-1A Teal N713CC (c/n 13),
Capt. Stephen M. Albers, reports that his Teal is now under an extensive
renovation at Glen's Terryair in Huron Airpark (CYCE), Ontario, Canada. The
renovation is done under the supervision of Teal Guru Tom Martindale.
Upon removal of the fuselage fuel tank, a significant amount of saltwater
corrosion was found. Upon discussing this with designer Dave
Thurston, Capt. Albers discovered that apparently during the early 1970s,
when the aircraft was owned by Carroll Investment Fund, two airline pilots
landed the aircraft in Honolulu Harbor, Hawaii, with the landing gear
down. Due to strong headwind and low ground speed, the aircraft did
not turn over, but the windshield was crushed and the cockpit was filled
with seawater. The Teal was eventually repaired and sold to Canada.
The corrosion location behind the fuel tank is not a
place that is normally inspected. This leaves the distinct
possibility that other Teals out there might have corrosion in the same
area, if they have fuselage tank installed. Capt. Albers will get
back with more details and recommendations later.
Capt. Albers is a
retired FedEx pilot living in Alabama and he purchased N713CC from Mr. Ken
Richter in September 2004. The ownership change was officially
registered on ther FAA Aircraft Registry on 29 November 2004.
[Photo: © Luc Brousseau. N713CC at Centralia /
Huron Airpark (CYCE) - Ontario, Canada, September 9, 2005]
