19960110001269I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtrmo SONERAI2 · Hemet, CA · January 10, 1996

Date: January 10, 1996 · 11:00 local
Place: Hemet, CA
Airport: Hemet-Ryan Airport
Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N99YF
Reported as: Amtrmo SONERAI2
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,000 total4 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

N99YFRegistration cancelled Oct 2, 2000 · Olds George R SONERAI II LS/N 092994466 Airframe modelOlds George R SONERAI II L

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on a local flight, the pilot attempted to switch from the front fuel tank to the rear fuel tank, but inadvertently switched the selector to the off position. Pilot did not look at the tank selector to verify its new position. When the engine quit due to fuel starvation, the pilot attempted to switch back to the front fuel tank, but switched back to the off position. The pilot did not visually verify the position of the selector this time, either. The pilot then executed an emergency landing next to a road. The airplane sustained minor damage during the landing rollout. The pilot was counseled to visually verify the position of the fuel tank selector whenever making a change to its setting. The pilot is also modifying the fuel tank selector to include positive stops at the off setting to preclude this situation happening again in the future. This incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON A LOCAL FLIGHT, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH FROM THE FRONT FUEL TANK TO THE REAR FUEL TANK, BUT INADVERTENTLY SWITCHED THE SELECTOR TO THE OFF POSITION. PILOT DID NOT LOOK AT THE TANK SELECTOR TO VERIFY ITS NEW POSITION. WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH BACK TO THE FRONT FUEL TANK, BUT SWITCHED BACK TO THE OFF POSITION. THE PILOT DID NOT VISUALLY VERIFY THE POSITION OF THE SELECTOR THIS TIME, EITHER. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING NEXT TO A ROAD. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT. THE PILOT WAS COUNSELED TO VISUALLY VERIFY THE POSITION OF THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR WHENEVER MAKING A CHANGE TO ITS SETTING. THE PILOT IS ALSO MODIFYING THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR TO INCLUDE POSITIVE STOPS AT THE OFF SETTING TO PRECLUDE THIS SITUATION HAPPENING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.