Accident Overview
On Sunday, January 27, 1985, at approximately 0849 Mountain Standard Time, a Beech Duchess, registration N1850S, on lease to the University of North Dakota, crashed after takeoff from the Grand Forks Airport in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The aircraft was conducting a training flight in multi-engine operations. The student pilot and certified flight instructor were not injured. Two passengers in the back seats received serious injuries. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
Flight History
The flight originated from Runway 34R. At an altitude of approximately 150 feet above ground level, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure by retarding the left throttle. The student pilot was slow to react to the simulated failure, and the airspeed dropped below the minimum control speed (VMC). The flight instructor then took control of the aircraft and attempted to regain flying speed by increasing both engines to full power. However, the instructor was unable to regain sufficient airspeed before the aircraft impacted the ground.
Aircraft and Occupants
The aircraft was a Beech Duchess, a twin-engine airplane. It was on lease to the University of North Dakota. The occupants included a student pilot, a certified flight instructor, and two passengers seated in the back. The student pilot and instructor were not injured; the two passengers sustained serious injuries. The extent of damage to the aircraft was not specified in the source.
Investigation Status
The preliminary investigation revealed that the flight was a training exercise. The sequence of events involved a simulated engine failure initiated by the instructor, the student's delayed response, and the instructor's subsequent unsuccessful attempt to recover airspeed. No probable cause was stated in the source.