What happened
During a local training session operating out of Amberley Airport, the crew was performing maneuvers when the instructor initiated a simulated failure of the left engine. During the final approach phase, the aircraft type experienced a loss of altitude while on short final. This resulted in the plane adopting a nose-down pitch and striking the ground with significant force.
Upon impact, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the left engine to partially separate from the airframe. The aircraft subsequently veered off the runway surface before coming to a stop. Although the incident resulted in zero fatalities and no injuries to the three crew members on board, the structural damage was severe enough that the plane was declared a total loss.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that power levels on the left engine had been decreased while the aircraft was at an altitude lower than what is permitted for such maneuvers. The loss of directional stability occurred when the trainee responded to the situation by applying maximum power to the right engine.