Narrative:

Aircraft right engine failed in-flight when the right fuel selector was selected to xfeed from left fuel tank. Aircraft landed safely without incident. Upon investigation it was determined that the left fuel xfeed shut-off valve was at fault which had been changed the day before this incident. The fault was caused by the control arm on the valve having been installed with the valve incorrectly indexed to the control arm when the valve was installed. With the valve improperly indexed this put the valve in a closed position when the control arm was against the open stop on the valve. This would not allow fuel to xfer to the right engine when the right fuel selector valve was selected to xfeed from the left fuel tank. The installed xfeed shutoff valve was a repaired unit and the control arm was not installed. The control arm was removed from the old valve being replaced and was installed on the repaired valve. The repaired valve had 2 holes drilled in the shaft to choose from for indexing the valve to the control arm. Normally a new valve comes with the control arm already installed and properly indexed. The aircraft was test flown after the valve had been replaced with no problems noted but the xfeed system was never used during the flight. The failure to properly perform the operational check on the xfeed system after installation of the repaired left xfeed shutoff valve resulted in the engine failure. Had the operational check been done the problem would have been discovered and corrected. To prevent this problem a proper operational check of this system should be done in accordance with the maintenance manual whenever maintenance is performed on the system. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated the maintenance manual does in fact have a procedure to verify fuel flow does exists after xfeed valve has been replaced. The operational check was not accomplished. Reporter could not verify if the 2 holes on the xfeed valve shaft noted in his report were standard for these type of xfeed valves. Reporter stated no master indexing exists on the xfeed shaft.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A CESSNA 402C ACFT EXPERIENCED ENGINE FAILURE WHEN RIGHT FUEL SELECTOR WAS SELECTED TO CROSSFEED FROM LEFT FUEL TANK WITH VALVE OPENED INDEX REVERSED.

Narrative: ACFT R ENG FAILED INFLT WHEN THE R FUEL SELECTOR WAS SELECTED TO XFEED FROM L FUEL TANK. ACFT LANDED SAFELY WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE L FUEL XFEED SHUT-OFF VALVE WAS AT FAULT WHICH HAD BEEN CHANGED THE DAY BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. THE FAULT WAS CAUSED BY THE CTL ARM ON THE VALVE HAVING BEEN INSTALLED WITH THE VALVE INCORRECTLY INDEXED TO THE CTL ARM WHEN THE VALVE WAS INSTALLED. WITH THE VALVE IMPROPERLY INDEXED THIS PUT THE VALVE IN A CLOSED POS WHEN THE CTL ARM WAS AGAINST THE OPEN STOP ON THE VALVE. THIS WOULD NOT ALLOW FUEL TO XFER TO THE R ENG WHEN THE R FUEL SELECTOR VALVE WAS SELECTED TO XFEED FROM THE L FUEL TANK. THE INSTALLED XFEED SHUTOFF VALVE WAS A REPAIRED UNIT AND THE CTL ARM WAS NOT INSTALLED. THE CTL ARM WAS REMOVED FROM THE OLD VALVE BEING REPLACED AND WAS INSTALLED ON THE REPAIRED VALVE. THE REPAIRED VALVE HAD 2 HOLES DRILLED IN THE SHAFT TO CHOOSE FROM FOR INDEXING THE VALVE TO THE CTL ARM. NORMALLY A NEW VALVE COMES WITH THE CTL ARM ALREADY INSTALLED AND PROPERLY INDEXED. THE ACFT WAS TEST FLOWN AFTER THE VALVE HAD BEEN REPLACED WITH NO PROBS NOTED BUT THE XFEED SYS WAS NEVER USED DURING THE FLT. THE FAILURE TO PROPERLY PERFORM THE OPERATIONAL CHK ON THE XFEED SYS AFTER INSTALLATION OF THE REPAIRED L XFEED SHUTOFF VALVE RESULTED IN THE ENG FAILURE. HAD THE OPERATIONAL CHK BEEN DONE THE PROB WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND CORRECTED. TO PREVENT THIS PROB A PROPER OPERATIONAL CHK OF THIS SYS SHOULD BE DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MAINT MANUAL WHENEVER MAINT IS PERFORMED ON THE SYS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE MAINT MANUAL DOES IN FACT HAVE A PROC TO VERIFY FUEL FLOW DOES EXISTS AFTER XFEED VALVE HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE OPERATIONAL CHK WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED. RPTR COULD NOT VERIFY IF THE 2 HOLES ON THE XFEED VALVE SHAFT NOTED IN HIS RPT WERE STANDARD FOR THESE TYPE OF XFEED VALVES. RPTR STATED NO MASTER INDEXING EXISTS ON THE XFEED SHAFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.