As part of a routine C-Check for a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, conducted at BEDEK MRO facility (part of IAI Aviation Group), an AD-mandated inspection was performed to detect cracks in the Pickle Fork frame fittings, which extend from the main deck to the aircraft landing gear bay. During the inspection, a crack was discovered on the lower section of the left Pickle Fork at station 663.75.
Due to this finding, the IAI team was required to remove and replace the Pickle Fork fittings on both sides of the aircraft for the first time, at IAI, on a Boeing 737 NG. The replacement procedure is complex and requires extensive engineering work (no formal instructions have been published by Boeing) and involves the joint effort of a very highly skilled sheet metal team, and B1 & B2 engineers. The work was successfully accomplished in full coordination with the Boeing Company.
