Narrative:

I was on my first post rating, no instructor on board, ferry flight to get the heater fixed. We had departed lock haven after getting the heater fixed (thank god). Upon reaching cruising altitude of 6500 ft MSL, I switched the fuel from the mains to the auxs. While switching the right engine fuel selector through the off position (I hate this design), the selector started moving too easily. I muttered 'uh oh' apparently loud enough that my pilot non-multi rated friend sitting beside me heard it. He inquired. It had appeared that the fuel selector system had broken for the right engine. The question 'how bad is that?' was asked. The answer: 'it depends, if it broke in the off position, we will be losing the right engine shortly.' 5 mins went by and I thought we had it made. 10 mins went by and the right engine started surging. This caused a control problem, not unmanageable, but different from anything we had experienced in training. I immediately switched both engines back to the mains. I had planned to switch back to the mains in 5 more mins anyway, because I would have burned 3/4 of the fuel from the auxiliary tanks. I thought I may have run the tanks dry and the left engine would be dying soon. Back on the mains the right engine revived. 5 mins later it started surging again. This time I turned on the xfeed and now knew the fuel selection had, in fact, broken. I started doing a 180 degree, because we had passed chambersburg airport less than 5 mins ago. I had instructed my friend to get me the bearing, frequency, and elevation of the airport. Shortly, he reported back. We landed without incident only to find no services. Yes, it is on the chart, but I had been there before and there was at least fuel. A check of the left tanks verified that we had enough fuel to reach hagerstown. So we departed running both engines off the left main. I landed at hagerstown after getting priority handling from the tower due to unknown fuel status. I probably did not need it, but I was not going to be vectored around and risk another failure. Once parked I tried to get a mechanic. They had gone home 15 mins ago. I probably could have snagged one if we had not stopped at chambersburg. I had considered it initially, but I thought hagerstown was further than it really was. Thinking this over long and hard, and considering doing some repair on the airplane myself, I decided we could make the remaining 45 min flight on the left main tank without messing with the airplane. The owner would have been very upset had I pulled the cowling and positioned the valve. The left main gave us 35 gals useable for 2 engines that would be burning 9 gph. I would use half of the fuel in 1 tank, leaving us with about 1 hour reserve. I had the fueler fill the left main and auxiliary tanks and fill the right main for balance. We took off and headed for culpeper, our home base. This was done at 10500 ft. I was now very glad the heater worked. We landed without further incident. The positive aspects of this were: 1) I was aware that something might happen. 2) I remained calm and focused. 3) the problem was resolved quickly and according to the checklists, both times. The negative aspect of this was my decision to leave hagerstown and continue to culpeper, va. Had anything else gone wrong I would have faced landing the plane on a highway in the dark. I made every attempt to make sure that did not happen. I flew high to give me options. The absolute safest solution would have been to stay on the ground in chambersburg, but there was a desire to get the plane to a place it could be fixed, and then to get home. A little get homeitis was a factor. Would I do that again, probably not.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA23 DIVERTS TO ALTERNATE ARPT WITH BROKEN FUEL SELECTOR IN ZNY AIRSPACE.

Narrative: I WAS ON MY FIRST POST RATING, NO INSTRUCTOR ON BOARD, FERRY FLT TO GET THE HEATER FIXED. WE HAD DEPARTED LOCK HAVEN AFTER GETTING THE HEATER FIXED (THANK GOD). UPON REACHING CRUISING ALT OF 6500 FT MSL, I SWITCHED THE FUEL FROM THE MAINS TO THE AUXS. WHILE SWITCHING THE R ENG FUEL SELECTOR THROUGH THE OFF POS (I HATE THIS DESIGN), THE SELECTOR STARTED MOVING TOO EASILY. I MUTTERED 'UH OH' APPARENTLY LOUD ENOUGH THAT MY PLT NON-MULTI RATED FRIEND SITTING BESIDE ME HEARD IT. HE INQUIRED. IT HAD APPEARED THAT THE FUEL SELECTOR SYS HAD BROKEN FOR THE R ENG. THE QUESTION 'HOW BAD IS THAT?' WAS ASKED. THE ANSWER: 'IT DEPENDS, IF IT BROKE IN THE OFF POS, WE WILL BE LOSING THE R ENG SHORTLY.' 5 MINS WENT BY AND I THOUGHT WE HAD IT MADE. 10 MINS WENT BY AND THE R ENG STARTED SURGING. THIS CAUSED A CTL PROB, NOT UNMANAGEABLE, BUT DIFFERENT FROM ANYTHING WE HAD EXPERIENCED IN TRAINING. I IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED BOTH ENGS BACK TO THE MAINS. I HAD PLANNED TO SWITCH BACK TO THE MAINS IN 5 MORE MINS ANYWAY, BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE BURNED 3/4 OF THE FUEL FROM THE AUX TANKS. I THOUGHT I MAY HAVE RUN THE TANKS DRY AND THE L ENG WOULD BE DYING SOON. BACK ON THE MAINS THE R ENG REVIVED. 5 MINS LATER IT STARTED SURGING AGAIN. THIS TIME I TURNED ON THE XFEED AND NOW KNEW THE FUEL SELECTION HAD, IN FACT, BROKEN. I STARTED DOING A 180 DEG, BECAUSE WE HAD PASSED CHAMBERSBURG ARPT LESS THAN 5 MINS AGO. I HAD INSTRUCTED MY FRIEND TO GET ME THE BEARING, FREQ, AND ELEVATION OF THE ARPT. SHORTLY, HE RPTED BACK. WE LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ONLY TO FIND NO SVCS. YES, IT IS ON THE CHART, BUT I HAD BEEN THERE BEFORE AND THERE WAS AT LEAST FUEL. A CHK OF THE L TANKS VERIFIED THAT WE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO REACH HAGERSTOWN. SO WE DEPARTED RUNNING BOTH ENGS OFF THE L MAIN. I LANDED AT HAGERSTOWN AFTER GETTING PRIORITY HANDLING FROM THE TWR DUE TO UNKNOWN FUEL STATUS. I PROBABLY DID NOT NEED IT, BUT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE VECTORED AROUND AND RISK ANOTHER FAILURE. ONCE PARKED I TRIED TO GET A MECH. THEY HAD GONE HOME 15 MINS AGO. I PROBABLY COULD HAVE SNAGGED ONE IF WE HAD NOT STOPPED AT CHAMBERSBURG. I HAD CONSIDERED IT INITIALLY, BUT I THOUGHT HAGERSTOWN WAS FURTHER THAN IT REALLY WAS. THINKING THIS OVER LONG AND HARD, AND CONSIDERING DOING SOME REPAIR ON THE AIRPLANE MYSELF, I DECIDED WE COULD MAKE THE REMAINING 45 MIN FLT ON THE L MAIN TANK WITHOUT MESSING WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE OWNER WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY UPSET HAD I PULLED THE COWLING AND POSITIONED THE VALVE. THE L MAIN GAVE US 35 GALS USEABLE FOR 2 ENGS THAT WOULD BE BURNING 9 GPH. I WOULD USE HALF OF THE FUEL IN 1 TANK, LEAVING US WITH ABOUT 1 HR RESERVE. I HAD THE FUELER FILL THE L MAIN AND AUX TANKS AND FILL THE R MAIN FOR BALANCE. WE TOOK OFF AND HEADED FOR CULPEPER, OUR HOME BASE. THIS WAS DONE AT 10500 FT. I WAS NOW VERY GLAD THE HEATER WORKED. WE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THIS WERE: 1) I WAS AWARE THAT SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN. 2) I REMAINED CALM AND FOCUSED. 3) THE PROB WAS RESOLVED QUICKLY AND ACCORDING TO THE CHKLISTS, BOTH TIMES. THE NEGATIVE ASPECT OF THIS WAS MY DECISION TO LEAVE HAGERSTOWN AND CONTINUE TO CULPEPER, VA. HAD ANYTHING ELSE GONE WRONG I WOULD HAVE FACED LNDG THE PLANE ON A HWY IN THE DARK. I MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO MAKE SURE THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. I FLEW HIGH TO GIVE ME OPTIONS. THE ABSOLUTE SAFEST SOLUTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO STAY ON THE GND IN CHAMBERSBURG, BUT THERE WAS A DESIRE TO GET THE PLANE TO A PLACE IT COULD BE FIXED, AND THEN TO GET HOME. A LITTLE GET HOMEITIS WAS A FACTOR. WOULD I DO THAT AGAIN, PROBABLY NOT.

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.