Detent: Pilot’s Tiny Misstep Leads to Tragedy

As a general principle, tank switches should be gotten out of the way early in the approach sequence.

Peter Garrison

Wednesday, July 02, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Tank switches should be gotten out of the way early in the approach sequence, while you still have altitude. [Illustration: David Weaver]

Key Takeaways:

A family's flight in a Piper PA-32 Turbo Lance ended tragically in a crash near Nashville after the pilot executed a go-around and subsequently reported engine failure.
The NTSB concluded the probable cause was the pilot's failure to properly position the fuel selector during the approach, resulting in fuel starvation and total engine power loss.
The fuel selector was found positioned between "LEFT" and "OFF," despite a protective detent designed to prevent accidental shutdown, and the pilot did not attempt to switch tanks back when the engine began to sputter.
The incident underscores the critical importance of meticulous fuel management and adherence to checklists during all phases of flight, especially during approaches and landings, and highlights the increased risks of night flying.

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At midday on a Monday in March 2024, a family of five, with children aged 12, 10, and 7, set out from Brampton, Ontario, in a Piper PA-32 Turbo Lance. They were bound for Nashville, Tennessee. Perhaps to calm the impatience of his children, the father, who was the pilot, broke the 540 nm trip into three segments. The first leg, of just one hour, brought the family to Erie, Pennsylvania. The distance is less than 100 nm, which the Lance would normally cover in 40 minutes, but they may have made a dogleg rather than fly directly across Lake Erie.

At Erie he added 22 gallons of fuel, and they continued to Mount Sterling, Kentucky, a 300 nm hop. At Mount Sterling he added 52 gallons and departed in the twilight for Nashville, 175 nm distant. An hour and a half later, they approached Nashville in darkness. The sky was clear; the wind was 150 at 8.