What happened
The accident occurred during a local flight involving a certified flight instructor (CFI) acting as the pilot in command and a student pilot. While climbing from a go-around maneuver at approximately 400 feet above ground level, the CFI intentionally shut down the left engine by closing the mixture control. This action was performed for training purposes, allowing the student pilot to feather the left propeller.
After the propeller was feathered, the CFI attempted to unfeather it by moving the propeller control out of the feather position. However, the propeller remained in the feathered state and would not return to normal operation. The CFI subsequently attempted to restart the left engine but was unsuccessful. With only one engine operating, the aircraft could not climb at the best single-engine rate of climb speed. Instead, the aircraft maintained a minimum descent rate of 50 feet per minute.
Unable to maintain altitude or reach an airport, the crew executed a forced landing in an alfalfa field. The landing was performed with the wheels retracted (wheels-up) across furrows in the ground. The impact resulted in damage to the aircraft.
Safety message
The flight manual contains specific warnings regarding engine shutdown during flight. Pilots are instructed not to feather a propeller if there is reason to suspect that starting characteristics are not normal or that restarting in the air may be difficult or impossible. Additionally, pilots should not feather a propeller in conditions of temperature, altitude, weight, or turbulence that may prevent single-engine flight at altitudes well above local ground elevation. Feathering should also be avoided when terrain or other conditions might prevent reaching an airport if the dead engine cannot be restarted.