Weld failure on Kirby Morgan KM17B 505-055 neck clamp
- Safety Flash
- Published on 30 July 2007
- Generated on 25 November 2025
- IMCA SF 06/07
- 1 minute read
A Member has reported that a weld on an eight-year-old Kirby Morgan neck clamp arrangement has failed.
What happened?
Kirby Morgan Dive Systems has indicated to the company that this may have been caused by either inadequate bead build-up on the weld or crevice corrosion.
In either case Kirby Morgan Dive Systems stated that underwater, this failure would not cause a catastrophic failure resulting in injury or death.
It also stated that this deficiency would be detected during the daily pre- or post-dive checks providing proper pre- and post-dive checks were being done and that there was no sure way to prevent failures of any component. However, proper maintenance and inspection would in most cases identify problems before they become dangerous.
Two relevant bulletins issued by Kirby Morgan Dive Systems in 2000 and 2003 are attached.
These notices with other safety-related information are also available on the company’s website at kirbymorgan.com
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