Wrong Fuel Setting causes Fuel Starvation & Emergency Landing

On September 20, 2010, Piper PA-32R-301 Saratoga II HP N9263R was approaching the Atlanta area when its engine lost power shortly before the intended landing. The pilot had moved the fuel selector from Right to Left during the descent, but after the power loss the selector was found in the OFF position. The aircraft was forced to land on Interstate 85. Investigators found fuel in both wings and no preimpact fuel-system anomaly that explained the loss of power. An engine test reproduced the shutdown when the selector was placed in OFF.

Power loss near the destination

The accident sequence places the engine power loss only about two to three miles from the runway. The pilot established best glide and prepared for a forced landing rather than attempting to stretch the glide back to the airport.

Investigators later found approximately 35 gallons of fuel in both wings. The engine itself did not show a preimpact failure that would explain the sudden power loss. Recorded engine data showed fuel flow and engine-temperature indications falling to zero as the engine stopped producing power.

The selector position

The critical finding was the fuel selector. Although the pilot had selected Left during the descent, investigators found the selector in the OFF position after the accident. Under FAA supervision, the engine was test-run and performed normally until the selector was moved to OFF, after which the engine shut down after approximately one minute.

The source's probable-cause statement attributes the engine failure to fuel starvation resulting from inadvertent misplacement of the fuel selector. That conclusion is much stronger than the generic claim that an 'incorrect tank' was selected: the selector's OFF position was the key finding in the investigation.

Forced landing

The pilot configured the aircraft for a forced landing and landed on Interstate 85 near Atlanta. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, but the single occupant survived without reported fatal injury. The incident demonstrates how a small selector-position error can interrupt fuel supply even when substantial fuel remains aboard.

Fuel management and the emergency

The incident also illustrates why a fuel quantity indication alone cannot replace proper fuel-system management. Tank selection, fuel flow and engine indications have to be considered together. The available source does not establish a more specific maintenance defect, so none is assigned here.

The event was a fuel-starvation emergency associated with an incorrect fuel-selector position. Once the engine began showing symptoms of interrupted fuel supply, the critical task was to restore fuel flow rather than continue diagnosing the problem through assumptions. The recovery followed correction of the selector position and restoration of engine operation.

“The sudden engine failure was traced back to fuel starvation, caused by the pilot's inadvertent misplacement of the fuel selector.”

Accident Facts

The accident time is recorded as 16:45 local; the later sequence is given without assigning unsupported exact times.

Sources

• NTSB: Final Report ERA10CA490