Scott D. wrote in message In the statement made by the pilot, he
stated...

Would you incriminate yourself? The costs of cleaning up the lead left from
the fuel on the highway and surrounding soil and sewer to EPA standards was
huge. The interstate was closed for most of the day which brought
repercussions from the DOT. Not to mention the airplane was totalled. What
is the incentive to admit liability?

There is no other facts supporting the notion that he had taken off with
both on crossfeed.
Now you could make the assumption that the pilot was lying, but
because there was no other evidence to show that he was, you can not
say that this was the cause of the accident. The FAA sure didn't feel
comfortable saying it, because it wasn't even mentioned as a
possibility.

In a court of law, the evidence presented is weak. However, can you explain
why the aircraft failed to remain airborne? It wasn't an overweight issue. I
have flown Senecas, I through IV. The fuel selectors are not too hard to
manage effectively. One just has to remember to manage them.

If fatalities are not involved, the NTSB sometimes chooses to find an easy
way to finish the paperwork. I know this firsthand as do a select few others
in this group. Read between the lines of the report and you will know the
cause. Talk to a Piper engineer off the record and you will know the cause.
Ask the same engineer the same question in a courtroom and a different
answer will be elicited, something akin to the answer received by Mr.
Mecucci.

I am curious as well as why. I fly for a company part time that has a
Seneca II and I have also taught many students in a Seneca II and not
once has that question been poised to me nor have I really thought
about it. But it does make for an interesting question.

Here's some more interesting questions. Why do some single-engine Cessnas
equipped with bladder tanks run out of gas prematurely? Why do some Mooneys'
electric landing gears retract during the roll-out? The AFMs don't tell you.
Here's one for you to ponder- Why do Senecas have a preponderence for
nosegear failures? Piper won't tell you that they do, but they will sell you
a reinforced drag link bolt.

D.
D.

D.