DURING AN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION; AN FAA INSPECTOR NOTED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR PLACARD DECAL ON A C182 WAS INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN. HOWEVER; THE ACCIDENT DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED PLACARD.

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ACFT IS CPR OWNED AND HAD UNDERGONE A COMPLETE REPAINT WITHIN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. ON THE DAY IN QUESTION; 5 FLTS WERE CONDUCTED IN SUPPORT OF A DISASTER RELIEF EXERCISE. 3.6 HRS WERE FLOWN DURING TRANSPORT TO/FROM THE ACFT HOME BASE AT HWO AND THE MISSION BASE AT EVB. AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 HRS WERE FLOWN ON MISSION SORTIES IN THE AREA OF DAB. RADAR FLT FOLLOWING WAS USED DURING ALL FLTS. ALL FLTS WERE CONDUCTED IN VMC AND NOTHING UNUSUAL OCCURRED. PRIOR TO THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY; THE ACFT WAS PREFLTED USING THE APPROVED CHKLIST. SUBSEQUENT FLTS DID NOT INCLUDE A COMPLETE PREFLT SINCE I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO FLEW THE PLANE. THE APPROVED CHKLIST WAS USED DURING ALL PHASES OF FLT. ON APR/XA/01; THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED IN A LNDG ACCIDENT AT LAL BY ANOTHER PLT. DURING THE INVESTIGATION; IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PLACARD ON THE FUEL SELECTOR WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN BY THE PAINT SHOP WHEN THEY WERE WORKING ON THE INTERIOR OF THE ACFT. THE PLACARD WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THIS CONDITION AT THE TIME OF MY FLT ON MAR/XB/01. THIS IS A SIT THAT I HAVE NEVER RUN ACROSS BEFORE IN SEVERAL THOUSAND HRS OF FLYING SINGLE ENG CESSNAS. A VISUAL CHK OF THE POS OF THE FUEL SELECTOR HAS BECOME A ROUTINE OP AND I CAN TELL BY FEEL ALONE WHAT POS IT'S IN. HAVING NEVER BEFORE SEEN A PLACARD INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN; I BELIEVE THIS WAS A CASE OF SEEING WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE AS FAR AS THE PLACARD WAS CONCERNED. ANY VIOLATION THAT OCCURRED DUE TO AN IMPROPER PLACARD WAS COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL. IF I HAD NOTICED THE DISCREPANCY; I WOULD HAVE CORRECTED IT PRIOR TO FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE IS THE STANDARDIZATION PLT FOR THE CLUB AND LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE HOW HABIT CAN CAUSE PLTS TO NOT REALLY LOOK AT THE CHKLIST ITEMS BECAUSE ROUTINE AND SIMPLICITY OF THE ACFT SYS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE FAA DID NOT TAKE ANY ACTION ON HIM OR THE OTHER PLTS THAT OPERATED THE ACFT AFTER LEAVING THE PAINT SHOP.