Fuel Selector Forgotten
A single fuel tank, a careless preflight, and an engine-out over Tampa Bay — the DA20's simplicity becomes a trap
The scenario
Departing Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St. Petersburg, FL — Runway 07, climbing out on a 062° heading. Elevation 7 ft MSL. It is a clear, calm morning in early spring: OAT 16°C, winds light and variable, visibility 10 SM. A textbook VFR day.
You are a Private pilot with 180 hours total time, current and proficient in the Diamond DA20. This is a familiar airplane — you have 45 hours in type. The DA20 is a light, efficient composite trainer with a fuel-injected Continental IO-240 (125 hp), fixed gear, fixed-pitch prop, and a single fuel tank with an ON/OFF selector. No left/right tank management. No carburetor heat — fuel injection means no carb ice. The simplicity is part of the appeal.
You filed a VFR flight plan to a nearby field 35 nm away. Fuel planning: the DA20 burns roughly 5.5 gal/hr at cruise. You have a 24-gallon usable tank. The flight is 35 minutes at 60 knots ground speed — call it 3.2 gallons one way. You depart with the fuel selector ON and the tank full. No auxiliary tanks, no complexity. Straightforward.
At 400 ft AGL, climbing through 73 KIAS (Vy, best rate of climb), heading 062°, the engine begins to lose power. The tachometer is unwinding. The engine is not rough — it is simply dying. You are over Tampa Bay. The runway is behind you. You have roughly 30 seconds of useful decision time.
Aircraft: Diamond DA20-C1, solo, full fuel (24 gallons usable), within limits. Fuel selector is in the ON position — or is it? You did not physically verify the selector position during the preflight. You assumed it was ON. The engine is now telling you something is wrong.
- {'label': 'Field', 'value': 'KSPG · Albert Whitted'}
- {'label': 'Runways', 'value': '7/25 · 18/36'}
- {'label': 'Elevation', 'value': '7 ft'}
- {'label': 'Aircraft', 'value': 'DA20'}
- {'label': 'Dominant phase', 'value': 'Landing / Takeoff'}
The decision
Before we get into the decision tree — what do you know about fuel management in the DA20? (Pick all that apply; this records your baseline.)
What the record shows
What the NTSB files show
NTSB ERA12FA002 (2011): A Temco GC-1B Swift experienced total loss of engine power over the Chesapeake Bay and ditched in the water after a controlled glide. The accident resulted from the pilot's improper fuel management in that he did not verify the fuel selector position before flight or after the power loss, resulting in fuel starvation. The pilot survived the ditching.
NTSB ANC17LA043 (2017): A Cessna T207 on a Part 135 scheduled commuter flight lost all engine power during approach due to fuel starvation and made a controlled ditching near Coghlan Island, Alaska. The accident resulted from total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, with contributing factors including unreliable fuel quantity indicators and a company history of fuel management issues. The crew survived.
NTSB LAX97LA278 (1997): A Cessna 150G on a banner towing operation lost engine power and ditched in the Pacific Ocean off California. The accident resulted from fuel starvation caused by the pilot's mismanagement of the aircraft's fuel supply, specifically forgetting to switch to the auxiliary tank as required by operating procedures.
NTSB LAX98LA168 (1998): A Cessna T210M ditched in the Pacific Ocean 2 miles south of Santa Barbara after engine failure on final approach. The accident resulted from the pilot's mismanagement of fuel through improper fuel tank selector positioning.
The consistent thread across all these events: fuel selector mismanagement is a preflight and in-flight discipline problem. The DA20's simplicity — a single fuel tank with an ON/OFF selector — makes it easy to assume the selector is ON without verifying it. The NTSB cases show that pilots who do not physically verify the fuel selector position during preflight, and who do not immediately check it when the engine fails, pay with their lives or a ditching. The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at Albert Whitted Airport. KSPG has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns), but these specific events happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to KSPG to make the off-field environment real and consequential for you as a student here.
The lesson is simple and non-negotiable: physically verify the fuel selector position during preflight. Do not assume it is ON. If the engine fails in flight, the fuel selector is the first thing to check. In the DA20, with a single tank and an ON/OFF selector, fuel starvation is entirely preventable through discipline.
Key lesson — The DA20's fuel system is simple: one tank, ON/OFF selector. That simplicity is a trap. Fuel selector mismanagement — either a preflight oversight or a failure to check it when the engine fails — is the cause of preventable ditchings. Physically verify the fuel selector position during preflight. If the engine fails, check the fuel selector immediately. Off Runway 07 at KSPG, the off-field environment is Tampa Bay: a delayed response means a ditching, not a field landing.
Debrief — teaching points
The DA20's fuel system is simple — and that simplicity is a trap.
One fuel tank, ON/OFF selector, no left/right management. The simplicity is appealing, but it creates a complacency risk: pilots assume the selector is ON without verifying it. The NTSB ERA12FA002 pilot did not verify the fuel selector position before flight or after the power loss. The LAX98LA168 pilot mismanaged the fuel tank selector on final approach. Both ditched. In the DA20, fuel starvation is entirely preventable through discipline: physically verify the fuel selector position during preflight, and check it immediately if the engine fails.
Physically verify the fuel selector position during preflight — do not assume it is ON.
The fuel selector must be checked as part of the preflight walk-around. Look at the selector. Confirm it is in the ON position. Do not rely on memory or assumption. The NTSB cases show that pilots who skip this step pay with a ditching. Make it a habit: touch the selector, confirm the position, move on.
If the engine fails in flight, check the fuel selector immediately — it is the first thing to diagnose.
Engine failure in a DA20 is rare. Fuel starvation from a selector in the OFF position is entirely preventable. If the engine loses power, the fuel selector is the first thing to check. If it is OFF, turn it ON. The engine will catch within seconds. The NTSB ERA12FA002 and LAX98LA168 pilots did not check the fuel selector until it was too late. You have 30 seconds of useful decision time at low altitude — use it to check the fuel selector first.
Best glide speed in the DA20 is 73 KIAS — establish it immediately if the engine fails.
Best glide at 73 KIAS maximizes glide distance and gives the most time and distance to manage the emergency. At 400 ft AGL over Tampa Bay, establishing 73 KIAS immediately maximizes your options — whether that means reaching the airport or setting up the best possible controlled ditching.
At KSPG Runway 07, an engine failure on departure is a ditching.
The off-field environment off Runway 07's departure end (heading 062°) is open water — Tampa Bay. There is no alternate landing surface. If the engine quits on the Runway 07 departure and altitude is insufficient to return to the airport, the outcome is a ditching. This is not a worst-case scenario; it is the geographic reality. Best glide is 73 KIAS. Doors unlatched before water contact. Fuel selector OFF (to prevent fire). Master off just before impact. Flaps for slowest possible touchdown speed — impact energy rises with the square of touchdown speed, so the slowest possible speed matters most. Know this before you line up on Runway 07.
After any in-flight engine anomaly, ground the airplane and investigate with the mechanic before the next flight.
If the engine fails and you restore power by checking the fuel selector, the cause is diagnosed and the risk is understood. But if you do not know why the selector was OFF, the risk is unresolved. The NTSB cases show that pilots who continue flying without understanding the cause of an engine anomaly are setting themselves up for a second failure. Ground the airplane, investigate with the mechanic, and understand the cause before the next flight.
Built from the real accident record
Scenario built from NTSB ERA12FA002 (2011 Luscombe fuel starvation / ditching, fuel selector not verified), ANC17LA043 (2017 Cessna T207 fuel starvation / ditching, unreliable fuel gauges), LAX97LA278 (1997 Cessna 150G fuel starvation / ditching, auxiliary tank omission), and LAX98LA168 (1998 Cessna T210M ditching, improper fuel tank selector). Localized to KSPG.
NTSB reports: ERA12FA002 · ANC17LA043 · LAX97LA278 · LAX98LA168
ACS tasks: PA.I.F — Weather Information · PA.I.G — Cross-Country Flight Planning · PA.II.B — Engine Starting / Systems Preflight · PA.IX.C — Emergency Approach and Landing · PA.I.H — Human Factors
Relevant FARs: §91.3 · §91.13 · §91.185
Step through the full decision tree, make the calls, and see where each choice leads — then debrief it with your CFI.
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