Accident Details
A training flight involving a flight instructor and a private pilot ended in a forced landing following a simulated loss of engine power. The accident occurred during maneuvers intended to practice engine failure recovery.
Sequence of Events
Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 300 feet above ground level (agl), the flight instructor reduced the throttle to idle to simulate an engine power loss. The private pilot responded by applying full power at about 200 feet agl, successfully recovering the aircraft.
When the aircraft reached around 500 feet agl, the instructor again closed the throttle to idle. The pilot attempted a full power recovery at approximately 200 feet agl, but on this occasion the engine did not develop power. The pilot then initiated a forced landing toward a dirt road, but the aircraft lost too much altitude to reach it.
During the subsequent landing, the airplane's right wing struck an iron pipe used for irrigation, located in a cotton field adjacent to the road. The aircraft came to rest upright in the cotton field.
Conditions
Carburetor heat was not used during the simulated loss of engine power maneuvers. At the time of the accident, the temperature was 70 degrees Fahrenheit with a dew point of 66 degrees. According to the carburetor icing probability chart, these conditions placed the airplane in the serious icing range at glide power.