Another Piper AD. This time on the fuel selector.

murphey

murphey

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murphey
Another proposed Piper AD. This time on the fuel selector.

Discussion on AOPA

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/...A-seeks-to-expand-Piper-fuel-selector-AD.aspx

2013-CE-012-AD

Replace the fuel handle & fuel cover. Hardware cost: $600. Labor cost: 90 min or so.

And the proposed solution doesn't solve the problem as described in the AD. But SB 355 does solve the problem.

Talk among yourselves.

And make comments to the NPRM at

https://www.federalregister.gov/art...8/airworthiness-directives-piper-aircraft-inc
 
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The fuel selector on my 150B bound up in flight...was about 5 years ago, I always thought it was dangerous. Closest I ever came to having the fan stop inflight.
 
I have had mine rebuilt twice in the last three years. They do get hard to move. I just had it done, so it kind of sucks that I have to deal with it again
 
Never had an issue with them in 177. When I did remove them and install new O-rings just cause, I found the dentent holes full of dirt. The valves worked like new for $1 in O-rings and 4 hours of labor
 
John221us said:
I have had mine rebuilt twice in the last three years. They do get hard to move. I just had it done, so it kind of sucks that I have to deal with it again
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Arrrgh... I just replaced my fuel selector. Can't figure out if I'm in compliance or not. Need to talk to my A&P Monday....
 
PilotAlan said:
Arrrgh... I just replaced my fuel selector. Can't figure out if I'm in compliance or not. Need to talk to my A&P Monday....
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It's not real yet, only proposed. Go comment. And the proposed fix could be even more of a safety issue and mistake. You're making an emergency landing, need to turn off the fuel and can't because of the fix that prevents you from accidentallly turning the selector to off!
 
bnt83 said:
Never had an issue with them in 177. When I did remove them and install new O-rings just cause, I found the dentent holes full of dirt. The valves worked like new for $1 in O-rings and 4 hours of labor
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The problem is with low-wing Pipers. There's no BOTH on the selector, only left, right and off. In fact it's off, left, right, off. Yes, two offs. If you tun the selector too far in either direction, there's an off. In 12 years of owning the cherokee, I've never mace that mistake, maybe because I look at the lever when I switch tanks.
 
murphey said:
The problem is with low-wing Pipers. There's no BOTH on the selector, only left, right and off. In fact it's off, left, right, off.
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Fortunately there are a few low-wing Pipers which don't have this "feature." From the list of aircraft it looks like just the hersheys.

The 'kota has left, right, and off with a mechanical latch to prevent inadvertent selection of off.
 
IIRC, the original PA-28 fuel selector was just a small red handle with no detents and only very minimal markings.

On the PA28-181 I often fly the fuel selector is large and has big red collar with easy to read markings.

Is this proposed AD mandating that the hershey bar PA28's install these larger easier to read fuel selectors?
 
Clark1961 said:
From the list of aircraft it looks like just the hersheys.
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It appears to be only the two-tank models (i.e., -235 excluded) up through the 1971 model year. The new-style selector came out in the 1971 models, so maybe they identified a problem with the early installations.
 
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Do any low wing aircraft have a BOTH selection?
 
us AAirways said:
Why don't the PA28s have a 'BOTH' setting?
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Think of it this way. With tanks above the engine, gravity will pull the fuel down. More importantly, if one tank goes empty, gravity will continue to pull the fuel from the tank with fuel.

With low tanks pulled by a pump (and a BOTH setting), the fuel will come from the tank with the least resistance. Once that tank is empty (and the other is still full), the pump pulls air and no fuel.
 
Pilawt said:
Very few low-wing types do. When fuel flows from tanks to engine via a pump (as it must with low wings) it's difficult to assure consistent flow from both simultaneously. In a high wing, gravity does the job.
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Yep, certification requires that in order to have a both option fuel must flow even if one tank is empty. If the fuel pickup is under suction then it would draw air from the empty tank rather than fuel from the full one.
 
Re: Another proposed Piper AD. This time on the fuel selector.

Piper owners & drivers....only 5 weeks left to comment. When you read the details, the proposed solution doesn't solve the problem.

And if you haven't read the accident report that initiated this, a quick recap: The pilot had just been signed off to fly the low-wing, and had less than TWO hours of flying the cherokee of which all of it was training. All his other flying was in a high-wing.

And I quote from the FAA inspector's interview with the pilot:

"[FONT=&quot]The CFI told him to switch tanks every fifteen minutes or so, but gave no instructions on how to switch the tanks. The CFI did not have the pilot physically move the fuel tank lever. The pilot reported that when he switched the fuel selector valve from the left tank to the right tank during the accident flight, he did not look to confirm what position the lever was in.[/FONT]"

And he switched it to OFF.

Another nail in the coffin? Estimated weight was more than the legal gross of 2400 pounds.

And the FAA wants to issue an AD because the pilot didn't know what he was doing?
 
Re: Another proposed Piper AD. This time on the fuel selector.

murphey said:
And the FAA wants to issue an AD because the pilot didn't know what he was doing?
Click to expand...

pretty much. It's part of the government program designed to penetrate every element of our lives to save us from ourselves . ..
 
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