Accident Summary
A training flight conducting recurrent training, including emergency procedures, ended with the airplane striking a light standard pole and fence before coming to rest inverted. The purpose of the flight was to perform recurrent training with a certified flight instructor (CFI) and a student.
Flight Details
The CFI initiated a simulated engine failure after takeoff during the initial climb. The student advised the tower and turned crosswind at 700 feet AGL. The student configured the airplane for landing, lowering the landing gear and adding 10 degrees of flaps. On short final, descending through 400 feet AGL, both the CFI and the student realized they would not reach the runway. Both pilots advanced the throttle to arrest the descent and perform a go-around, but there was no corresponding response from the engine. During the final stages of the emergency descent, the pilot maneuvered to avoid a work crew at the airport boundary fence, and the airplane collided with the light pole and fence.
Engine Examination
An airframe and engine examination discovered no discrepancies with any system. The engine was removed and installed in an instrumented test cell for functional testing. It started without hesitation and operated for 44 minutes at various factory new engine acceptance test points. During acceleration response tests, technicians rapidly advanced the throttle to the full open position, and the engine accelerated without hesitation. A second acceleration response test produced the same results. According to Textron Lycoming, there were no discrepancies that would have precluded the engine from producing power.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Also causal was the inadequate supervision of the flight by the CFI for allowing a simulated emergency maneuver to continue below an altitude which would not allow for recovery contingencies.