KF IV Support Tube Break

[Av8r3400]

In the second photo there is a round mark on the lower piece that looks like a "rosette" to me. Could this possibly be a repair from a previous owner or something like that?

[P Morel]

In the second photo there is a round mark on the lower piece that looks like a "rosette" to me. Could this possibly be a repair from a previous owner or something like that?

I wish it were that simple but the answer is no. I'm the original builder. I'm searching for answers to this delima. I don't know if I'll ever get an answer good enought to make me feel 100% comfortable. But I'll be closer to some answers when I start the full inspection and repair.

Right now, I have the wings folded back taking weight/pressure off the longeron. With this tube broken, I can see some flexing on the gear attachments where this area of the fuselage is not rigid any longer. The Fuselage is on jack stands placed under the strut attachment point lifting the left gear just off the floor.

I plan to inspect as much of the fuselage as possible at all weld points to see if any welds were compromised.

[P Morel]

in your second picture the rear support for the landing gear looks like it has a squiggly line front to back. is that a crack?

Thanks for your input. No, that's not a crack, just a very poor job of covering and paint. I will be replacing the attach bolts also just for peace of mind.

I'll post my findings on this post hopefully with repair photos.