Power Loss on Climb — Fuel Selector Trap

Departing Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ), Runway 22, on a personal VFR flight to a nearby field. Elevation 30 ft MSL. The morning is clear, light winds, 78°F, dew point 68°F. Visibility 10 SM. KSRQ is Class C airspace (ceiling 4,000 MSL); the tower is active. You are climbing out on a heading of 218° (the reciprocal of Runway 04) after a normal takeoff.

You are a Private pilot with roughly 180 hours total time, mostly in Cessnas. This is your first flight in a Piper Cherokee 180 — a low-wing, fixed-gear, fixed-pitch airplane with a carbureted Lycoming O-360. You rented it from the FBO at KSRQ this morning. The airplane was fueled to tabs (both tanks full) before you arrived. You performed a standard preflight and run-up. Everything checked out.

The Piper's fuel system is different from the Cessnas you know: there is NO BOTH position on the fuel selector. It is LEFT / RIGHT only. You must actively switch tanks during flight. The left tank holds 37.5 gallons; the right tank holds 37.5 gallons. Total usable fuel: 75 gallons. You took off on the LEFT tank, as is standard procedure.

You are now 400 ft AGL, climbing at 74 KIAS (Vy, best rate of climb), heading 218°. The engine is running smoothly. Off the Runway 22 departure end, the off-field environment is low-density development, open water, and parks — mostly water and scattered structures. If the engine quits now, you are over water or marginal terrain. The airport is behind you.

At 450 ft AGL, you reach for the fuel selector to switch to the RIGHT tank — a routine part of your climb procedure. Your hand finds the selector. But in the moment, distracted by the radio frequency change to departure control, you move the selector to an intermediate position — not fully to the RIGHT, but partway. The selector is now between LEFT and RIGHT, blocking fuel flow from both tanks.

NTSB WPR24LA178 (2024): A Piper PA-28 on a personal flight lost engine power due to fuel starvation when the pilot placed the fuel selector in an intermediate position. The accident resulted from the pilot's incorrect movement of the fuel selector valve. The Piper Cherokee's LEFT / RIGHT selector has no BOTH position; an intermediate position blocks fuel flow from both tanks.

NTSB CEN24LA191 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on a cross-country personal flight lost engine power due to fuel starvation when the pilot failed to switch fuel tanks while distracted crossing a mountain range. The accident resulted from the pilot's inattention to fuel management procedures. The pilot was distracted; the fuel selector was not actively managed.

NTSB CEN24LA189 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on an instructional flight lost all engine power when the student pilot positioned the fuel selector valve between port positions during descent. The accident resulted from the student pilot's improper fuel tank selection and inadequate instructor oversight. An intermediate position blocks fuel flow.

NTSB ERA24LA116 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 experienced fuel starvation during the second approach to landing after the student pilot failed to switch fuel tanks despite instructor reminders. The accident resulted from the student pilot's lack of fuel management and the flight instructor's inadequate monitoring, leading to fuel starvation and forced landing on a highway.

NTSB CEN24LA108 (2024): A Piper PA-28-180 on an instructional flight experienced fuel starvation when the student pilot inadvertently positioned the fuel selector toward the OFF position during a fuel tank change. The flight instructor performed a forced landing to a field. The accident resulted from the student pilot's improper movement of the fuel selector to the OFF position.

NTSB DFW05FA028 (2004, FATAL): A Piper PA-28-180 on a Part 91 night cross-country flight lost engine power due to fuel starvation from improper fuel tank management and impacted terrain. The accident was attributed to the pilot's in-flight mismanagement of the available fuel supply by failure to switch fuel tank position, with low ceilings and dark night conditions as contributing factors.

NTSB NYC03LA096 (2003): A Piper PA-28-180 on an instructional flight experienced partial engine power loss on initial climb after takeoff and made a forced landing in a field. The accident resulted from an inadequate 100-hour inspection that failed to detect a loose fuel line connection.

The real accidents cited above occurred at other airports and in other aircraft — NOT at KSRQ. KSRQ has its own accident history (see field dominant patterns: LOSS_OF_CONTROL_GROUND 19.2%, FORCED_LANDING 15.4%, RUNWAY_EXCURSION 11.5%), but these specific fuel starvation events happened elsewhere. The scenario is localized to KSRQ to make the off-field environment real and consequential for you as a student here.

The consistent thread across all these events: the Piper Cherokee 180's LEFT / RIGHT fuel selector is unforgiving. An intermediate position blocks fuel flow from both tanks. A loose fuel line connection can cause starvation even when fuel is available. Distraction during a tank switch is the classic failure mode. The fix is simple: move the selector firmly to the full LEFT or full RIGHT position, and never leave it in an intermediate position. At 450 ft AGL on departure, the decision window is measured in seconds — not minutes.