When I was in the USAF at Edwards AFB and working part-time as an A&P at the Base Aero Club, a TEST PILOT / SR-71 pilot came in to fly the Club’s T-34A one night. He refueled the airplane, took off and headed for George AFB (a no-no according to Club night flight rules … even for test pilots!) and crashed.
Subsequent investigation revealed that he failed to properly replace the fuel cap on the R wing (you have to start out using the L tank because the engine has a pressure carb and excess fuel is only returned to the L tank). After an hour, he decides there was a fuel imbalance so he switched tanks WITHOUT looking at the fuel gauges first. Well … he didn’t notice the fuel was disappearing from the R tank, switched to it and the airplane flamed out. Then, after switching to a tank and having the engine stop, he decides he’s had an engine failure but doesn’t try going back to the tank that was working. He then ignores the emergency checklist and puts the gear down for a night landing in the desert. Scratch one T-34A. We had to go retrieve it using an Army Chinook to pick the wreck up and bring it back to base. If anyone has watched “The Right Stuff,” there’s about a 5 second snippet of this airplane sitting against a hangar early in that movie. And this guy was zooming around in an SR-71 !!! We nicknamed him “Terrible Tommy” after that.
So even experienced USAF pilots screw up. What would the FAA do about this? I can imagine the draconian AD they’d come up with. At some point, STUFF HAPPENS! If you do something and don’t get the expected result … GO BACK TO WHAT WAS WORKING !!
I’ve owned a PA28-180 and a PA28-140 with first generation fuel selectors for more than 20 years and never ever switched the fuel selector to ‘off’ OR moved it any time I was in the pattern or low to the ground. Maybe the FAA needs to give a 703 ride to anyone who does this instead of requiring thousands of PA28 owners to buy new excutcheon plates that don’t yet exist in the Piper supply system. Say … maybe this is a conspiracy to sell over priced pieces of plastic?
I say again … PA28 owners … make a comment on the Federal Register before it’s too late !