What happened
During a flight intended for pilot type endorsement training, an aircraft was performing maneuvers within a 5 NM radius of Green Island, Queensland. The crew had received clearance from Air Traffic Control to conduct upper level air work between 4,000 and 5,000 ft AMSL, followed by a cleared simulation of an engine failure and descent to 2,000 ft.
While executing the simulated engine failure, the pilot in command had reduced the power lever to the flight idle stop and the fuel condition lever to the low idle range. The trainee pilot established a glide attitude at approximately 79 KIAS. Upon instruction to feather the propeller, the pilot in command directed the trainee to advance the emergency power lever to simulate manual fuel introduction. However, the pilot in command observed that engine torque failed to increase, while engine gas generator speed and inter-turbine temperature decreased rapidly, accompanied by a heavy smell of fuel in the cockpit.
In an attempt to rectify the situation, the pilot in command cycled the ignition and starter switches and moved the fuel condition lever to the idle cutoff position to clear excess fuel. Despite increasing airspeed to 120 KIAS and reintroducing fuel, the fuel odor remained. As the aircraft descended to 1,500 ft, the pilot in command declared a MAYDAY, reporting an engine flameout and an intention to perform a forced landing. The crew subsequently feathered the propeller and shut down the engine before completing a successful ditching in approximately 2 m of water near Green Island. Both pilots evacuated the aircraft without injury.
Findings
The aircraft sustained minor damage during the ditching process, though it later suffered significant damage due to saltwater immersion. Following the incident, the engine and the engine trend monitoring data logger were removed for investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.