Surly Pilots don't just switch the fuel selector valve of mid flight
It is standard procedure if you are going to crash to reduce risk of fire. Also, with the type of fuel system the Piper Saratoga has, the engine will run for six minutes with the selector in the off position and cannot be selected to off accidentally.
Do you know for certain that it was, or are you just repeating unfounded rumors? What's your source for this information?
Most likely it was found in the off position because of impact forces. That's not uncommon. The NTSB report mentions that not only was it in the off position it was torn from the fuselage and the fuel lines to it were ripped off and the whole bottom of the valve body was torn away. The airplane hit the water in a steep angle and at high speed, roughly 1 hour after takeoff. NTSB figured it was in a 45 degree bank and beyond 10 degrees nose down...in excess of 4700 fpm rate of descent. Marks on the propeller plus all the engine controls as well as indications on the gauges indicate that the engine was operating at full power. Last recorded fuel flow an instant before impact was 22 gph. It wouldn't have been able to do that if the valve was off. In the roller coaster ride that the plane went through and the confusion he must have had before hitting the water I'm sure he didn't turn it off...he had all could handle trying to fly the plane. He became disoriented in reduced visibility and who knows what he thought was going on. The destruction was total.
Not to take away from JFK jr's piloting skills but the possibility exists that he failed to check to see if the fuel valve was on in the first place. I do not know how far along in the flight he was, but a typical piston engine plane can get you up and on your way with the fuel that is in the fuel system. Why I know this, my flight instructor while training one of his students died in a forced landing due to engine failure because the fuel valve was not turned on. My flight instructor would allow his students to perform the preflight on there on, of course after many hours of dual training. The plane was a piper four place, it made it to about 400 feet agl before the engine stalled from fuel starvation. The irony of his death was from complications on the operating table from a broken ankle and a blood clot that broke loose. Checking for the on position of the fuel valve is on the check list. During emergency landing procedures, one of the functions is to turn the fuel valve off to reduce the possibily of fire. This doesn't answer the question but is a possibility unless of course he was well into his flight before the accident, in which case he probably moved the fuel valve to the off position following emergency procedures.
