Flight Details
A flight instructor with 598 hours of flight time was providing a currency ride to a private pilot holding 143 hours. The aircraft was a single-engine airplane. During the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the private pilot announced he was performing a GUMPS check—an abbreviated pre-landing checklist covering Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Propeller, and Switches. He checked the fuel selector, noting it was set to the full forward position, which selected the right fuel tank. He then twisted the selector handle to the full back position, inadvertently moving it to the OFF position. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power.
Sequence of Events
The private pilot turned the airplane onto final approach and informed the flight instructor that the engine was not producing power. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane. The aircraft subsequently impacted trees and terrain short of the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the fuel selector revealed that it could be turned to OFF, LEFT, and RIGHT positions. When the selector handle was pointed full forward, the right tank was selected; when pointed straight up, the left tank was selected; and when pointed toward the rear of the airplane (full back), the OFF position was selected. The fuel selector cover included a placard with a safety button designed to prevent unintentional selection of the OFF position—requiring the pilot to physically depress the button to move the handle into the OFF position. The private pilot stated that he was unaware of this safety feature and that he did not depress the button when moving the selector during the accident flight. According to an FAA inspector who examined the airplane, the fuel selector handle was found in the OFF position; however, when moved through its full range of motion, the handle moved freely to the OFF position without requiring depression of the safety button.