Patent ID: 6866442

Claim:
In a pit lid assembly for an aircraft servicing subsurface pit enclosure buried beneath a ground surface across which aircraft travel while on the ground, and having a pit lid support located atop said subsurface pit enclosure defining an access opening to said pit enclosure surrounded by an inwardly projecting lid supporting rim with a lip defined therebeneath, and a pit lid having an upper surface and a hinge leaf hinged to said pit lid support, whereby said pit lid is alternatively movable to a closed position seated upon said lid supporting rim and an open position exposing said access opening, the improvement comprising: a pit lid latch assembly mounted in said pit lid remote from said hinge leaf and including: a latch mount with a passageway defined therein which is inclined downwardly away from said upper lid surface and outwardly away from said hinge leaf, a latch member disposed for longitudinal, reciprocal movement within said passageway and having a proximal end with a grip thereon accessible from said upper surface of said pit lid and an opposite, distal end, and a biasing mechanism urging said distal end of said latch member away from said upper surface of said pit lid and away from said hinge leaf, whereby said biasing mechanism, unless overcome by an opposing force, forces said distal end of said latch member beneath said lip when said pit lid is in said closed position.