Aircraft: Cessna 172. Injuries: None. Location: Bardstown, Ky. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The CFI and student pilot had practiced various maneuvers during the training flight and were returning to the airport. The airplane was about 2,500 feet AGL and within gliding distance of the airport when the flight instructor turned the fuel selector to the “OFF” position so the student pilot could practice engine failure procedures.
The student pilot trimmed the airplane for best glide speed, initiated a turn toward the airport, and reviewed the pertinent emergency procedure guidance in the pilot operating handbook. The student could not locate the airport until the CFI directed him.
When the student was unable to restart the engine, the CFI took control of the airplane and tried to restart the engine. His efforts to restart the engine were also unsuccessful, and believing it was too risky to try to reach the airport, he selected the best available field for a forced landing.
During the landing, the nose landing gear hit the ground and the firewall was substantially damaged.
The student pilot, who was also a mechanic, reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal engine restart and operation.
Although no regulations prohibit turning the fuel selector to the OFF position while practicing engine failure procedures, the practice results in an actual, not a simulated, loss of engine power, and is therefore inherently more risky than a reduction in engine power to idle, especially when initiated at a low altitude.
Probable cause: The flight instructor’s decision to turn the fuel selector to the off position and his delayed remedial actions to restart the engine, which resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent forced landing.
NTSB Identification: ERA12CA546
This August 2012 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Stupid Flight Instructor tricks! I had an examiner that did this to a student of mine on his Private Pilot check ride. Needless to say, I never used this examiner again.
There have been a lot of strange and stupid things student and licensed pilots have tried, but for a CFI to pull this stunt and risk their lives, he should have his common sense certificate reviewed, sad, very sad!!!!
Don’t turn the fuel off and don’t pull the mixture off either. It just isn’t necessary. I pulled the mixture off to shut down an engine while on the ground one time and the mixture control came all the way out into the cockpit. The cable broke near the carbureator. Don’t pull the mixture out except to properly lean the engine in cruise flight at altitude and/or when shutting down the engine.
I know a flight instructor who did the same thing to a guy while doing a biennial flight review. I think there were some threats of severe bodily harm to be done if he ever pulled a stunt like that again.
I have only run a tank completely dry in the 172 I have owned since ’84 twice.
When I switched to the other tank the engine was running before I could get my hand off the fuel selector valve.
Good old gravity works pretty well.
There is a reason they don’t have fuel pumps.
They don’t need one.
How they screwed around so long and couldn’t get it started is a mystery to me.
Maybe this clever CFI reached over and turned off the mags, too?
Still, I’d say it was pretty dumb to do that unless you were WELL within gliding distance.
Like only at high key and then only when it’s been practiced at idle power until it can be done almost blindfolded. This CFI should have his certificate revoked for doing such an incredibly stupid stunt. If a CFI ever did anything like that to me on a BR, I guarantee you he would seriously reconsider ever doing that again.
I agree with you, Paul, should have his certificate yanked for gross stupidity. If done to me think I’d be so inclined to rearrange his nose as soon as we got on the ground.
In an earlier century I had an instructor (also a friend) do this to me. At night. In an almost brand new 152. He distracted me by having me look for something out my side of the airplane while he did it, hoping to elicit a panic reaction. I had been expecting something of the sort so I glanced at the altimeter and took my time running through the checklist.
I thought I saw 3,000′ on the altimeter, but it was actually 2,000′ with the ground at 800′. After a minute or so the instructor asked if I knew what happened. I said “yeah, you shut the fuel off.” He said “you wanna turn it back on, we’re gettin’ kinda low”. I looked at the altimeter again and saw that we were through 1,500′ so I turned it back on. Engine came right back. No worries. He tried to scare me and I ended up scaring him.
That was the only time he ever shut off the fuel and I hadn’t heard of it happening with other students. Normal practice in those days was to pull the mixture.
In the intervening years it has become common practice to “simulate” failures by retarding the throttle and checking it frequently, rather than securing a perfectly good engine.
Sometimes progress happens.
Well, that just seems pretty…how to phrase this tactfully…stupid. Why would you ever [1] shut down a perfectly fine engine in flight, and [2] if you feel it is necessary to run that risk, why would you let the engine exhaust all of the fuel in the gascolator and however much fuel line is in front of the fuel selector instead of just pulling the mixture control? It’s a Cessna 172 for crying out loud. There’s no fuel pump. This idiot was counting on gravity feed to refill the line and [I presume] carburetor bowl in time to get a restart? We’re trying to convince the FAA we need less regulation and oversight to fly GA airplanes and then some of us do stunts like this. Not helping.