Incident Overview
On August 6, a pilot reported that he parked his airplane with the right wing over the dock, placed the fuel selector valve in the 'LEFT' position to prevent cross-feeding during refueling, and requested the lineman fill the right wing tank. He recalled seeing the right tank fuel gauge read full, and the left tank gauge read 1/8 to 1/4 (approximately 5 to 10 gallons) at departure. The pilot stated he always performs a 'GUMPS' (Gas-Undercarriage-Mixture-Prop) check before takeoff.
However, company documentation submitted to the NTSB on May 10, 1999, indicated that the pilot did not remember placing the fuel valve to the 'LEFT' position during fueling.
Sequence of Events
After approximately 45 minutes of flight, including one water landing and takeoff, the engine quit while the airplane was at 800 feet MSL, climbing toward rising terrain. The pilot turned on the electric fuel pump, but the engine did not restart. He observed the fuel selector valve in the 'LEFT' tank position, then turned it to the 'BOTH' position and initiated a 180-degree turn toward lower terrain. The engine did not restart, and the airplane subsequently contacted trees and marshy terrain.
Post-Accident Investigation
Examination revealed fuel present in the right wing tank, no fuel in the left wing tank, and approximately one teaspoon of fuel in the intact fuel lines leading to the engine. According to charted fuel consumption data, 45 minutes of flight at a cruise power setting of 2,300 rpm and 23 inches of manifold pressure would consume 9.4 gallons.
The airplane's BEFORE TAKEOFF checklist includes the following steps: '(6) Fuel Selector Valve - BOTH ON, (7) Fuel Quantity Indicators - CHECK QUANTITY.'
The pilot stated during interviews with the NTSB, FAA, and Alaska State Troopers on August 6 and 7 that he believed the rear seat passenger must have kicked the fuel selector valve to the 'LEFT' position. To test this, the NTSB investigator-in-charge, FAA coordinator, and company representative sat in the rear seat of a representative Cessna 185 on August 8 and attempted to move the fuel selector to the 'LEFT' position with their feet. None of them were able to move the valve further than 1 inch (12 degrees) to the left of the 'BOTH' position.