Incident Overview
A training flight involving a flight instructor with 6,250 hours and an airline transport pilot with 7,237 hours ended in a hard landing after a simulated forced landing maneuver. The aircraft was on a left downwind for runway 35 at 90 knots and 750 feet above ground level when the instructor reduced engine power to idle and directed the pilot to simulate an engine failure.
Flight Details
The pilot completed the loss of engine power emergency checklist while turning toward the runway. The aircraft established a descent rate of 600 to 800 feet per minute. At an altitude of approximately 75 to 100 feet above ground level and an indicated airspeed of 78 knots, the pilot advanced the throttle to maximum power to counteract the descent. The engine reportedly did not respond. Consequently, airspeed decayed, and the aircraft landed hard approximately 85 feet beyond the landing threshold.
Post-Accident Examination
The nose landing gear collapsed during the hard landing, and the aircraft exited the 60-foot-wide runway before coming to rest upright. Both pilots egressed the airplane unassisted. An examination of the engine and flight controls revealed no pre-impact anomalies. At the time of the incident, wind was variable at 6 knots, and density altitude was estimated at 3,000 feet.