AN ACR B727 CREW RPTS THAT THEIR BRAND NEW SO INADVERTENTLY SHUT DOWN AN ENG BY TURNING OFF THE FUEL SHUTOFF SWITCH.

Narrative

DURING CLB PASSING FL220; #3 ENG FLAMED OUT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. DURING THE EMER ACTION CHKLIST; IT BECAME KNOWN THAT THE FE HAD MISTAKENLY TURNED 'OFF' THE FUEL SHUTOFF SWITCH JUST PRIOR TO THE FLAMEOUT. BECAUSE OF LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATIONS; I ELECTED NOT TO RESTART THE ENG; BUT TO RETURN TO PIT AND LAND. WE ADVISED ATC OF THE ENG SHUTDOWN. THE ENG #2 BUS TIE TRIPPED OPEN. BECAUSE OF THIS MALFUNCTION ON A DIFFERENT ENG; I DECLARED AN EMER APPROX 15 NM SE OF PIT. ATC ADVISED THE 'EQUIP WAS STANDING BY' AND CLRED US TO LAND ON RWY 32. LNDG UNEVENTFUL. THIS WAS A BRAND NEW FE; FLYING HIS FIRST MONTH ON THE LINE. HIS PROGRESS HAS BEEN SLOW; AND THIS ACFT IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF B727'S AT MY ACR THAT HAS A SIMPLE ON/OFF TOGGLE SWITCH WITH A SMALL METAL GUARD ON THE FUEL SHUTOFF SWITCH. THIS SWITCH IS IN CLOSE PROX TO IDENTICAL BOOST PUMP SWITCHES USED ROUTINELY TO BALANCE FUEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE SO GOT A WK TRAINING IN THE SIMULATOR AND ANOTHER WK LINE TRAINING WITH A CHK AIRMAN. HE IS STILL FLYING WITH THE ACR. THIS ACR HAS 5 DIFFERENT CONFIGNS OF B727'S WHICH KEEPS CREWS BUSY. THE CAPT THOUGHT ABOUT STARTING THE ENG; BUT HE REALLY WANTED THE SO OFF OF THE ACFT; SO HE CHOSE TO DIVERT/LAND. HE FLEW THE ACFT LATER THAT MORNING WITH ANOTHER SO. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 346034: ACFT B727-200 CLBING PAST FL220. FO WAS FLYING. #3 ENG FLAMED OUT. ALL OTHER ENG INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. I; AS SO; SWITCHED ESSENTIAL PWR TO #1 ENG AND WORKED WITH CAPT ON THE ENG FAILURE CHKLIST. WHEN WE CAME TO THE CHKLIST ITEM 'FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE-CLOSED;' I DISCOVERED THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE ALREADY IN THE 'CLOSED' POS. THIS OF COURSE WAS CERTAINLY THE CAUSE OF THE ENG SHUTDOWN. I IMMEDIATELY RPTED TO THE CAPT THAT THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE WAS ALREADY CLOSED. ONLY I COULD HAVE ACCIDENTALLY CLOSED THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE AND I DO NOT KNOW HOW I COULD HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT KNOWING IT. WHEN THE ENG SHUT DOWN; I WAS AS SURPRISED AS ANYONE AND DID NOT EVEN CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY THAT I HAD SHUT OFF THE FUEL. THE CAPT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF RETURNING TO PIT WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT SINCE WE KNEW FOR A FACT THAT THE ENG HAD SHUT DOWN BECAUSE THE SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POS; WE RESTART THE ENG AND CONTINUE THE FLT TO DEST. THE CAPT VERY STERNLY STATED THAT 'NO; WE HAVE AN ABNORMAL SIT;' AND THE LIGHT WAS ON (POINTING TO THE OIL PRESSURE LOW/OIL FILTER BYPASS LIGHT). WE WERE RETURNING TO PIT. AS WE LEVELED OFF AT 4000 FT (FOR LNDG AT PIT); THE #2 BUS TIE BREAKER OPENED WITH AN UNDER-EXCITATION FAULT. BECAUSE OF THESE MULTIPLE MALFUNCTIONS. CAPT DECLARED AN EMER AND WE LANDED ON RWY 32 AT PIT.