During an accident investigation, an FAA inspector noted that the fuel selector placard decal on a C...

Attributes
ACN	507145
Time
Date	200103
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : hwo.airport
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : hwo.tower artcc : ztl.artcc
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : instructor
Qualification	pilot : atp pilot : cfi pilot : multi engine
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 27 flight time total : 4205 flight time type : 250
ASRS Report	507145
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 10 flight time total : 1000 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	507221
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe maintenance problem : improper maintenance non adherence : far non adherence other
Independent Detector	other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Maintenance Human Performance

Narrative:

Aircraft is cpr owned and had undergone a complete repaint within the past 2 months. On the day in question, 5 flts were conducted in support of a disaster relief exercise. 3.6 hours were flown during transport to/from the aircraft home base at hwo and the mission base at evb. An additional 2.5 hours were flown on mission sorties in the area of dab. Radar flight following was used during all flts. All flts were conducted in VMC and nothing unusual occurred. Prior to the first flight of the day, the aircraft was preflted using the approved checklist. Subsequent flts did not include a complete preflight since I was the only person who flew the plane. The approved checklist was used during all phases of flight. On apr/xa/01, the aircraft was damaged in a landing accident at lal by another pilot. During the investigation, it was found that the placard on the fuel selector which had been installed upside-down by the paint shop when they were working on the interior of the aircraft. The placard would have been in this condition at the time of my flight on mar/xb/01. This is a situation that I have never run across before in several thousand hours of flying single engine cessnas. A visual check of the position of the fuel selector has become a routine operation and I can tell by feel alone what position it's in. Having never before seen a placard installed upside-down, I believe this was a case of seeing what I expected to see as far as the placard was concerned. Any violation that occurred due to an improper placard was completely unintentional. If I had noticed the discrepancy, I would have corrected it prior to flight. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he is the standardization pilot for the club and learned from this experience how habit can cause pilots to not really look at the checklist items because routine and simplicity of the aircraft system. He further stated that the FAA did not take any action on him or the other pilots that operated the aircraft after leaving the paint shop.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING AN ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, AN FAA INSPECTOR NOTED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR PLACARD DECAL ON A C182 WAS INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN. HOWEVER, THE ACCIDENT DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED PLACARD.

Narrative: ACFT IS CPR OWNED AND HAD UNDERGONE A COMPLETE REPAINT WITHIN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. ON THE DAY IN QUESTION, 5 FLTS WERE CONDUCTED IN SUPPORT OF A DISASTER RELIEF EXERCISE. 3.6 HRS WERE FLOWN DURING TRANSPORT TO/FROM THE ACFT HOME BASE AT HWO AND THE MISSION BASE AT EVB. AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 HRS WERE FLOWN ON MISSION SORTIES IN THE AREA OF DAB. RADAR FLT FOLLOWING WAS USED DURING ALL FLTS. ALL FLTS WERE CONDUCTED IN VMC AND NOTHING UNUSUAL OCCURRED. PRIOR TO THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY, THE ACFT WAS PREFLTED USING THE APPROVED CHKLIST. SUBSEQUENT FLTS DID NOT INCLUDE A COMPLETE PREFLT SINCE I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO FLEW THE PLANE. THE APPROVED CHKLIST WAS USED DURING ALL PHASES OF FLT. ON APR/XA/01, THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED IN A LNDG ACCIDENT AT LAL BY ANOTHER PLT. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE PLACARD ON THE FUEL SELECTOR WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN BY THE PAINT SHOP WHEN THEY WERE WORKING ON THE INTERIOR OF THE ACFT. THE PLACARD WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THIS CONDITION AT THE TIME OF MY FLT ON MAR/XB/01. THIS IS A SIT THAT I HAVE NEVER RUN ACROSS BEFORE IN SEVERAL THOUSAND HRS OF FLYING SINGLE ENG CESSNAS. A VISUAL CHK OF THE POS OF THE FUEL SELECTOR HAS BECOME A ROUTINE OP AND I CAN TELL BY FEEL ALONE WHAT POS IT'S IN. HAVING NEVER BEFORE SEEN A PLACARD INSTALLED UPSIDE-DOWN, I BELIEVE THIS WAS A CASE OF SEEING WHAT I EXPECTED TO SEE AS FAR AS THE PLACARD WAS CONCERNED. ANY VIOLATION THAT OCCURRED DUE TO AN IMPROPER PLACARD WAS COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL. IF I HAD NOTICED THE DISCREPANCY, I WOULD HAVE CORRECTED IT PRIOR TO FLT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE IS THE STANDARDIZATION PLT FOR THE CLUB AND LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE HOW HABIT CAN CAUSE PLTS TO NOT REALLY LOOK AT THE CHKLIST ITEMS BECAUSE ROUTINE AND SIMPLICITY OF THE ACFT SYS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE FAA DID NOT TAKE ANY ACTION ON HIM OR THE OTHER PLTS THAT OPERATED THE ACFT AFTER LEAVING THE PAINT SHOP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

During an accident investigation, an FAA inspector noted that the fuel selector placard decal on a C182 was installed upside-down. However, the accident did not have anything to do with the improperly installed placard.