What happened
On April 1, 2020, a Diamond DA42, registration N311ER, was performing a simulated in-flight engine failure maneuver near Palm Coast, Florida. The student pilot was practicing a landing with the left engine set to approximately 12% power to simulate a feathered propeller.
During the final approach, the aircraft began drifting to the right of the runway. The student pilot reported difficulty maintaining control due to prevailing winds. Although the flight instructor instructed the student to apply more left rudder, the rightward drift continued. The student then initiated a go-around by advancing both engines to full power.
During the go-around, the aircraft drifted to the left. The instructor took control of the aircraft and applied full right rudder, but the plane continued to drift left and descended into vegetation. The impact caused the landing gear to collapse. There were no injuries to the occupants. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the empennage and rudder.
The investigation
At the time of the accident, the weather was VMC with a visibility of 10 statute miles. Winds were reported from 330 degrees at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots, which placed the crosswind component at between 6 and 10 knots from the right of the runway centerline. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions present that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft.