Aircraft Cleaners

 

 

             Simple Green and other cleaners that are not listed in the Technical Manuals are taboo for a very good reason - they hurt the metal used to build the machine.

             It has been brought to the attention of the U.S. Army Aviation Missile Command (AMCOM) Depot Maintenance Engineering Team that numerous units are using the commercial product SIMPLE GREEN as an aircraft wash. STOP! This product has been through Department of Defense (DOD) testing and was determined to be highly corrosive on aircraft aluminum and also a catalyst for Hydrogen Embrittlement in high strength aircraft alloys.

             Hydrogen Embrittlement brought down Chinook 89-00173 on 10 October 1992, near Fort Richardson, Alaska.

             While a highly effective cleaning agent for floors and non-aluminum / non-high strength alloy vehicles this product is not approved for aviation usage. If your unit has been using SIMPLE GREEN on a regular basis, it is recommended that a thorough fresh water wash with the approved cleaners per the appropriate airframe maintenance manuals be accomplished as soon as practicable. This should be followed up with a corrosion inspection / treatment and application of approved Corrosion Prevention Compounds (CPCs).

             The next two photographs show the effects of using the wrong cleaning solutions on aircraft. The white powdery looking stuff used to be metal and is the result of corrosion.

 

         
CH-47 Chinook bilge corrosion.
   
         
CH-47 Chinook bilge corrosion.

 

             Save your life and that of your buddy. Please ensure that no unauthorized cleaning products are being used on your aircraft or in the shops as a component cleaner.

 

 

          The CH-47 - 40 years old and still circling the world.

         

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