2003-06 · NASA ASRS report 585896
AN AERO COMMANDER 500 IN TKOF CLB AT 1000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO LOSS OF R ENG PWR. CAUSED BY INADVERTENT ACTIVATION OF FUEL CUTOFF SWITCH.
OPERATING ON IFR FLT PLAN; SCHEDULED PART 135 CARGO; ENRTE FROM ZZZ TO CPS TO PICK UP CARGO. PREFLT/RUN-UP NO PROBS. FO WAS FLYING; I WAS READING/CALLING OUT CHKLIST. DEPARTED RWY 12R AT ZZZ. WHILE CLBING THROUGH 1000 FT AGL; CHK INCLUDES FUEL BOOST PUMPS (AUX) OFF; VERIFY FUEL PRESSURE HOLDS. I CALLED THIS; PLACED FINGER NEXT TO OVERHEAD L ENG PUMP; FO TURNED OFF AND WE VERIFIED PRESSURE. REPEATED THIS WITH R ENG WITHOUT INCIDENT. APPROX 10-20 SECONDS LATER; R ENG APPEARED TO SURGE ON/OFF CAUSING ACFT TO YAW BACK AND FORTH. I PERFORMED ROTE ENG OUT PROC -- FULL MIXTURES; PROPS; THROTTLES; BOTH AUX FUEL PUMPS BACK ON; ALTERNATE AIRS ON. I ADVISED ZZZ DEP WE WERE HAVING ENG TROUBLE AND NEEDED TO RETURN FOR LNDG. ATC WAS GREAT; IMMEDIATELY GAVE US VECTORS BACK TO ZZZ AND ADVISED TO LAND ON ANY RWY. WE TURNED L BACK TO ZZZ AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON 30L. ON THE GND; THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF FIRE; CATASTROPHIC ENG FAILURE; FUEL CONTAMINATION; ETC. IT APPEARED FO MAY HAVE BUMPED FUEL CUT-OFF SWITCH; (WHICH IS DIRECTLY NEXT TO FUEL PUMP SWITCH) WHEN HE TURNED OFF FUEL PUMP. THE FUEL CUT-OFF SWITCH IS A TOGGLE; GUARDED ONLY WITH A METAL LOOP OVER THE SWITCH; NOT THE TYPICAL RED-PLASTIC FLIP-GUARD. THE FO WAS UNAWARE HE MAY HAVE DONE THIS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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