ASRS 2006270
ACN 2006270 · 2023-06 · PA-20 Pacer/PA-22 Tri-Pacer
PA22-150 Pilot reported mistakenly moving the fuel selector to off, causing fuel starvation and engine shut down in cruise. The pilot made a forced landing on a golf course and was later able to take-off and continue the flight.
Pilot narrative
Verbatim, de-identified by NASA. Placeholders: ZZZ,
X, Y.
Was departing the airport when I looked down and thought the fuel selector had moved to off by my leg. Switched to the left tank, but inadvertently turned off the fuel. Shortly after, the engine lost power. I switched the selector back and started the turn back towards the airport where I knew there were two par 4 golf holes just behind me that was somewhat flat. I was able to land on the golf course without incident or getting near any people. There was no damage so I restarted the engine and taxied down the cart path away to ensure plenty of distance to take-off from. I then preformed a short field take-off well clear of any people and departed.
NASA classification · Anomalies
- Aircraft Equipment Problem
- Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural
- Inflight Event / Encounter
NASA classification · Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Aircraft · Human Factors · Procedure
- Primary Problem
- Human Factors
ASRS reports are voluntary, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective; they are not investigated and cannot be used to infer prevalence. Authoritative source: asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗