CEN19LA304 · Piper PA-28D-180

The student pilot was departing on a local solo flight. Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power, and the pilot turned toward the closest available field and set up for landing. As she flared for landing, the engine momentarily regained power. The airplane climbed 100 ft, which allowed the pilot to turn left, clear a tree line, and continue toward the runway. The engine lost power again, and the pilot glided the airplane toward the airport, touching down in dirt and grass short of the runway. The nose landing gear separated, and the airplane slid across the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination revealed that both fuel tanks were full, and the throttle and mixture controls were still attached. Fuel drained from the carburetor bowl and gascolator was light blue and contained no debris or water. The electric boost pump operated normally. The fuel supply line to the engine was removed and fuel flowed normally when the left tank was selected. When the right tank was selected, only a small amount of fuel would flow. The right tank was the tank the pilot had selected for takeoff. The fuel selector valve was difficult to move. When it was moved, it traveled past the right tank detent, closing the valve to the right tank, and resulting in a loss of fuel flow. Although the selector handle indicated the right tank had been selected, the valve was misaligned, thus starving the engine of fuel and resulting in the loss of power.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset