After a Tip-Over or Hard Landing: What to Check Before You Fly Again

Every RC pilot has had one.

Maybe the landing was a little harder than planned. Maybe the airplane caught a wheel in the grass and nosed over. Perhaps the landing gear found the only hole on the entire runway. Or maybe that beautiful approach ended with a bounce, followed by another bounce, followed by something that could only generously be described as a landing.

You walk out, pick up the airplane, and at first glance everything looks fine.

So, back to the flight line and up again?

Not so fast.

Even a relatively minor tip-over or hard landing can cause damage that isn’t immediately obvious. Taking a few minutes to inspect the airplane can prevent a small problem from becoming a much bigger one on the next flight.

Start With the Propeller and Spinner

If the propeller touched the ground, even briefly, give it a careful inspection.

Look for cracks, chips, nicks, or other damage. With wood or composite propellers, some damage can be difficult to see, so don’t rely on a quick glance.

If there is any doubt about the condition of a propeller, replace it. A damaged propeller spinning at several thousand RPM isn’t something worth gambling on.

Check the spinner as well. Make sure it hasn’t cracked or shifted and that the spinner backplate is still running true.

Check the Motor or Engine

A prop strike can transfer a surprising amount of force directly into the motor or engine.

On an electric model, check the motor shaft for any sign that it has been bent. Rotate the motor slowly by hand with the battery disconnected and watch the prop adapter or shaft. Any noticeable wobble deserves further investigation.

For glow and gas engines, check the crankshaft and propeller hub for anything that doesn’t look or feel right.

Also check the motor or engine mounting screws. A hard impact can loosen mounting hardware even when everything appears normal from the outside.

Don’t Forget the Firewall

This is an easy one to miss.

The propeller, motor, or engine may look perfectly fine while the force of the impact has damaged the firewall behind it.

Look closely for cracks, separated glue joints, loose blind nuts, or movement between the firewall and fuselage. Give the motor or engine a gentle check for movement that wasn’t there before.

A loose firewall usually isn’t going to improve during the next flight.

Look at the Landing Gear

Obviously, a hard landing can be tough on landing gear.

Check for bent gear, loose mounting screws, cracked mounting blocks, damaged wheel pants, and wheels that no longer line up correctly.

If your airplane has retracts, cycle them several times and make sure they operate smoothly and lock properly in both directions.

Also check the surrounding wing or fuselage structure. Sometimes the landing gear survives perfectly well while the structure holding it doesn’t.

Inspect the Wings and Tail

Now step back and look at the entire airplane.

Does everything still look straight?

Check the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and vertical stabilizer for cracks or movement. Pay particular attention to wing attachment points, bolts, rubber bands, struts, and any area where loads are transferred into the fuselage.

A wrinkle in covering can sometimes be your first clue that something underneath has shifted or cracked.

Check Every Control Surface

Move the ailerons, elevator, and rudder by hand and look closely at the hinges, control horns, clevises, pushrods, and linkages.

Then turn on the radio system and operate every control through its full range.

Listen to the servos.

A servo that suddenly sounds different, chatters, skips, or doesn’t center correctly may have damaged gears. A control surface that feels stiff may have a bent pushrod or damaged hinge.

This isn’t the time for, “It’ll probably be okay.”

Electric Flyers: Check That Battery

A hard landing can send a flight battery moving around inside the airplane, even if it was properly secured.

Make sure the battery hasn’t been dented, punctured, swollen, or otherwise damaged. Also check the connectors and wires.

Also inspect the battery tray, straps, hook-and-loop material, and whatever else you use to hold the battery in place.

If a LiPo battery has suffered physical damage, don’t put it back into service just because it still powers the airplane.

Glow and Gas Flyers: Check the Fuel System

A hard impact can also move things around inside a fuel-powered airplane.

Check accessible fuel lines and fittings and make sure nothing has been pinched, disconnected, or damaged.

If the impact was substantial, it may be worth checking the fuel tank and clunk, too. A problem inside the tank may not show itself until the engine quits shortly after takeoff.

That’s not the best time to discover it.

Check the Receiver and Wiring

Take a quick look inside the airplane.

Make sure the receiver is still secure, and that servo plugs, extensions, switches, antennas, and other wiring haven’t come loose or been damaged.

If the battery or another component moved during the landing, it may have tugged on something else along the way.

Before the Next Flight

Once the visual inspection is complete, do a proper operational check.

With the model safely restrained, run the motor or engine and look for unusual vibration. Check the controls again with the power system operating. Make sure everything moves in the correct direction and returns properly to center.

If the airplane suffered a significant impact or you’ve repaired something involving the radio system, a range check isn’t a bad idea either.

Most importantly, don’t let the desire to get “just one more flight” convince you to ignore something that doesn’t look right.

There’s nothing wrong with taking an airplane back to the pits—or even taking it home—for a better inspection.

The Walk of Shame Is Bad Enough

Every RC pilot eventually makes that walk out onto the runway to retrieve an airplane that didn’t quite arrive the way we intended.

Sometimes you get lucky. You pick it up, brush off a little grass, and everything really is fine.

Other times, the damage is hiding.

Taking five or ten minutes to look things over is a lot cheaper than losing an airplane because a cracked propeller, loose firewall, damaged servo, or disconnected wire went unnoticed.

Besides, the walk of shame back from the runway is bad enough.

Doing it twice with the same airplane because you rushed the inspection is worse.

So after that next tip-over or less-than-perfect landing, take your time, check the airplane carefully, and make sure it’s truly ready before sending it back into the air.

Your airplane—and probably your pride—will thank you.

Happy and safe flying from the York Area Radio Control Club!