What happened
During a scheduled training session intended to practice emergency procedures, a flight instructor and a student pilot were conducting a simulated engine failure. The maneuver began shortly after takeoff during the initial climb phase. At an altitude of approximately 700 feet, the student pilot notified the tower and executed a turn into the wind. As the aircraft descended through 400 feet on short final, the crew attempted to configure the aircraft for landing by extending the landing gear and applying 10 degrees of flaps.
Upon realizing the aircraft would not reach the runway, both the instructor and the student attempted to initiate a go-around by advancing the throttle. However, the engine failed to respond to the power increase. While managing the emergency descent, the pilot maneuvered the aircraft to avoid a work crew positioned near the airport boundary. During this process, the left wing of the aircraft type struck a light standard pole, and the plane subsequently hit a fence, coming to rest in an inverted position. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries reported in the accident.
Findings
Post-accident investigations of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical discrepancies within any of the aircraft systems. The engine was subsequently placed in an instrumented test cell for functional evaluation. During this testing, the engine started normally and operated for 44 minutes across various factory-standard test points. Technicians performed multiple acceleration response tests, advancing the throttle to the full open position, and the engine responded without hesitation. According to Textron Lycoming, there were no identified issues that would have prevented the engine from producing the necessary power during the flight.