Uncle Ron 1,492 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Yo, All,...As you might recall, I found a very unusual situation a few weeks ago...I found a nugget down about 10" deep that cleaned up to about 3/4 Ozt. ... And just a 8+/- inches above it I found a machined, chromium screw... This raised all kinds of questions in my mind, because the proximity between the two suggested the two were related...But Jim P. responded to my post about it with the info that in the '60's a fighter jet from Luke AFT had blown up in the area and that the screw might be part of that...I thought the idea that a screw from a blown up aircraft landing on top of the only coarse nugget on a hillside was darn near improbable to impossible... However...Today I was about 1,000 feet away from the spot I found the nice nugget, walking down a big flat after beeping a couple of small gullies and found this amazing target that seems to confirm Jim's take on the situation...It is some sort of cover off an aircraft hydraulic system and shows evidence of some violence...Anyhow, it clears up for me how the screw ended up so close to my nugget...Cheers, Unc 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GotGold 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ah, Unc..... Hummm :hmmmmmm: Jim P. are you guys confusing us with a whirly-gig "lawn sprinkler"? From the pics, that thing looks like a C to C Alien I have and am currently using in my front yard. Dang thing didn't Crash though, I had to "buy" it a OSH and it spits out parts / screws etc. beyond any point of recovery I wish to tend to.....! Well I was funnin' a bit but.....hold on to your britches here for a minute.....you guys got me going here, what the heck is the pic to the far right all about? Unc / Jim.....fess-up!? Gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tony Teixeira 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Uncle Ron, That sure makes you stop and wonder how that got there for sure, like the machined screw, are the threads SAE or METRIC? is the head slotted, philips, torx or allen? Maybe that will give a clue to the date.....????? As far as that aircraft hydraulic system gizzmo, would'nt that be something to have found the source that brought the jet down? That is some really neat finds. Hope you find and post more. Tony Teixeira Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dakota Slim 1,141 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Brilliant deduction Inspector Unc! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
~LARGO~ 17 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hey Cuz, You definitely find all the cool and interesting stuff! That nugget is a beauty and I am Soooo jealous! My time is coming soon, I hope. It is quite a thrill to find a nugget that size. A few years back, I saw a weird looking something standing up, off in the distance out in the otherwise barren desert floor, so I drove over to check it out, and discovered it was the tail section of a plane that had augered in quite a long time ago. I found out later that it was a military plane, and the easy parts were picked up and the rest was left stuck in the ground. You never know what you will find, if you wander the country long enough. Thanks for sharing your awesome finds! Cuz Gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
El Dorado 965 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Always great to have a good story with a nice find. Pretty interesting and thanks for sharing. I'll bet that the screw is phillips Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,492 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Yo El D & all...Yep the screw is a phillips and it also has a "+" sign on one quadrant of the head...Cheers, Unc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim P. 36 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Even a broken clock is right twice a day. :hmmmmmm: I'd much rather see you post a nugget that size, but it's still an interesting find. Later...Jim P. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
El Dorado 965 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Having a past career in Aviation, it is an aircraft screw. The + on the head and the lack of rust are also dead give a ways. A little screw humor: Once upon a time, a young lad was born without a belly button. In its place was a silver screw. All the doctors told his mother that there was nothing they could do. Like it or not, he was stuck with it . . . He was screwed. All the years of growing up were real tough on him, as all who saw the screw made fun of him. He avoided leaving his house . . . and thus, never made any friends. One day, a mysterious stranger saw his belly and told him of a swami in Tibet who could get rid of the screw for him. He was thrilled. The next day, he took all of his life's savings and bought a ticket to Nepal. After several days of climbing up steep cliffs, he came upon a giant monastery. The swami knew exactly why he had come. The screwy guy was told to sleep in the highest tower of the monastery and the following day when he awoke, the screw would have been removed. The man immediately went to the room and fell asleep. During the night while he slept, a purple fog floated in an open window. In the mist floated a solid silver screwdriver. In just moments, the screwdriver removed the screw and disappeared out the window. The next morning when the man awoke, he saw the silver screw laying on the pillow next to him. Reaching down, he felt his navel, and there was no screw there! Jubilant, he leaped out of bed . . . . and his butt fell off. The moral to this is: 'Don't screw around with things you don't understand -- You could lose your ass.' Congress is noted for screwing around with things they don't understand - like the economy. That's why we are all losing our asses! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GotGold 0 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Unc and Jim P, I must appologize for my "off the wall" reply I made earlier. I also worked on aircraft as well in my younger years. The pic size was to large for me handle so I scaled it down a tad and took a closer look. Considering the instructions and the handle.....? What does the other side look like?? Gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
frank c 969 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 ELDORADO.......LOVE that story. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nugget Shooter 4,622 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Very cool Ron! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SanDomingoJim 459 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Uncle RonI know this is an old post, but looking closer at your pictures of the aircraft part. I can see that it reads "utility system" That system supplied hydraulic pressure to the landing gear,and brakes. The primary system runs the flight control surfaces. I worked aircraft hydraulics in the Air Force and as a civilian at Luke AFB. starting in 1969 to 2000.. That jet crash part was older than the ones I worked on. You discovered a real piece of history! Congrats! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Uncle Ron 1,492 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Yo SDJ, I was hoping someone would pop up with a bit of knowledge in this ... I've found a few other parts, including what appears to be a titanium tank cap and a few other bits.... I did find online a story that showed what happened there and even had a photo of helicopters lifting out big parts, like engines, etc., that had the terrain I'm familiar with in the background ... The story behind it is a student pilot and teacher in two different jets that bumped in air ... Instructor went straight down and the student got over near Tonopah and crashed...Interesting! ... Cheers, Unc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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