This past weekend my wife, assisted by Ramzey and I were underneath degreasing the bird. As she worked out to the wings, next to the pitot tube she saw a hole - not not the kind you would normally see. Being just inbord of the pitot tube, it seemed to have an impact angle suggesting it was a rock sent into orbit from the propeller - but the angle doesn't seem to match it comming from the prop because the impact is at a very shallow angle, but imparted enough force to blow through the paint and drive down through the core.
Fast forward a few days.
To recap from this evening:
I removed the wingtip to have a look inside. I could see clear down to the tip to the wing tank, and on both sides of the wing spar. The spar covers up the damaged portion of the skin. I did a coin tap and couldn't find any evidence of delamination.
However, 3 mechanics came over - their first reaction: "Were you shot at?"
Which brings up an interesting point - even a lead core low velocity .22 or NATO .223 would penetrate and then just discintigrate - not even into fragments but just powder. Granted I cannot see the damaged area b/c of the spar, but in looking at the point of entry, it seems to have come from below and not at a shallow entry angle like I first thought.
We're all stumped. Granted it was at a military base all last week and i'd balk at the idea of getting pinged - but the location being where it is, the normal suspects don't make sense. No one could've backed into it with another aircraft without leaving a streak or taking out the pitot tube. There isn't a scratch around the impact area.
A rock bouncing up from underneath it from the prop - good luck. Rock from another plane - impact angle and then having enough energy left over for penetration is the problem.
I'm fairly certain we would've caught a hole like this during the annual back in December.
I'm out of ideas.
