INSTRUCTOR WITH SPI HAS ENG FAILURE. EMER LNDG SET UP BUT DISCOVERS IGNITION SWITCH OFF. RESTART.

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ME AND MY STUDENT TOOK OFF FROM HYW TO A NIGHT FLT IN THE LCL PRACTICE AREA. WE'RE LEVEL AT 2000 FT JUST STARTING TO SET UP FOR MCA WHEN THE ENG QUITS. MY INITIAL REACTION WAS THAT THIS IS NOT HAPPENING; IT CAN'T BE TRUE; BUT I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. MY FIRST PHYSICAL ACTION WAS TO TAKE THE CTLS; PULL OUT CARB HEAT CHK MIXTURE; AND FUEL; AND I TOLD MY STUDENT TO TAKE UP THE CHKLIST AND GO THROUGH THE RESTART PROCS WHILE I'M FLYING THE AIRPLANE AND START LOOKING FOR A FIELD. I THEN CALLED UP OUR UNICOM AND TOLD THE INSTRUCTOR WHO WAS ON DUTY THAT WE HAD AN ENG FAILURE. INITIALLY HE DID NOT BELIEVE ME; SO I CHANGED TO 121.5 AND ASKED IF MYRTLE BEACH APCH COULD HEAR ME -- NO CONTACT; SO I SQUAWKED 7700 AND SWITCHED BACK TO OUR UNICOM. I TOLD HIM AGAIN THAT THIS WAS NO JOKE; AND THAT WE WERE GOING FOR A FIELD. THEN I SWITCHED BACK TO 121.5 AND TRIED TO GET CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY -- (MAY DAY CALL) -- THEN MYR APCH CTL CAME ON AND ASKED IF I HAD AN EMER. I VERIFIED THAT; AND TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE GOING DOWN FOR A FIELD W OF HYW. (THAT WAS THE LAST I REMEMBER OF COM). NOW I REALLY STARTED TO REALIZE THAT WE WOULD END UP WITH AN OFF ARPT LNDG. AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER WE WERE NOW DOWN AT APPROX 600 FT. I CALLED OUT AGAIN TO MY STUDENT TO CHK THE PRIME; AND IGNITION AND I CHKED THE CARB HEAT; MIXTURE; AND FUEL. NO START. NOW I WAS ON BASE TO FIND LEG AND I STARTED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG. I PULLED THE MIXTURE; TOOK THE FUEL SELECTOR TOWARDS THE OFF POS AND TURNED ON THE IGNITION SWITCH. SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE. IT PROBABLY TOOK A FEW SECONDS BEFORE I REALIZED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS IN THE OFF POS. I REACHED OVER AND TWISTED IT BACK FOR BOTH; PUSHED THE FUEL BACK ON; AND THE MIXTURE IN. THE ENG STARTED AND I INITIATED A CLB. MY ALTIMETER WAS INDICATING AROUND 400 FT. GOT BACK ON THE RADIO AND TOLD MYR APCH THAT WE GOT RESTART; EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE OK AND THAT WE WOULD SQUAWK 1200 AND GO BACK TO HYW. MYRTLE APCH ACKNOWLEDGED; AND AFTER A FEW MINS FLYING AROUND GATHERING THE THOUGHTS WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLT LESSON WHICH DID NOT CAUSE FURTHER COMPLICATIONS. WHAT CAUSED THIS 'EMER'? MY STUDENT PROBABLY MUST HAVE HIT THE IGNITION SWITCH WITH HIS KNEE; CAUSING IT TO TWIST AROUND TO THE OFF POS. AFTER I CALLED OUT TO MY STUDENT TO PICK UP THE CHKLIST AND GO THROUGH THE RESTART PROCS I TOOK IT FOR GRANTED THAT HE WOULD PERFORM THE CHKLIST. LATER WHEN I CALLED OUT FOR HIM TO CHK THE PRIME AND IGNITION SWITCH; WHICH I PHYSICALLY DID NOT CHK MYSELF; I COULD SEE HIM REACHING OUT FOR THE ITEMS; BUT I DID NOT REALIZE THAT HE JUST TOUCHED THEM; NOT ACTUALLY VERIFYING THEM TO BE IN THE RIGHT POS. I LEARNED MY LESSON. THOUGH THE STUDENTS TO VISUALLY CHK ALL ITEMS ON CHKLIST; NOT JUST CALL IT OUT AND TOUCH WITHOUT EVEN BOTHERING TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING.