Originally Posted by
Cubdriver
Whew, looks like no loss of life this time thank goodness.
I am thinking the Navajo's crappy fuel setup is part of this one. You have 4 tanks to juggle, and other than looking down at the floor to double check what you select there is no warning if you miss the proper valve position. Turning two tanks off on one side is easy which you learn when the engine quits on that side. That leaves the other side which has two tanks, which usually only one of is set in supply mode. If it's the aux tank it can run dry quite easily.
Ok, what?
I've got 875 hours in those Navajos, including the accident aircraft. Seems pretty stone cold simple: pull the handle all the way up and don't drop it until you hit the stop, then look down. If you're too lazy to look down after you switch, well, I dunno man.
It certainly can be done (heard about someone doing it on final to DEN with a checkairman onboard), but calling it a crappy fuel system is a big stretch.