LAX04LA053 · Cessna 172P

During an airplane check-out flight, the certified flight instructor (CFI) required the recently certificated second pilot to perform a simulated forced landing. During the maneuver, the airplane impacted a berm in desert terrain when the CFI attempted to terminate the demonstration at too low an altitude. The CFI initiated the instructional lesson about 3,500 feet above ground level by directing the second pilot, who had about 80 hours of total flying experience, to close the engine's throttle. The pilot complied with the CFI's instructions. The engine's throttle was cleared several times during the descent, and the engine's speed increased without incident. Upon descending between 400 and 500 feet agl, full engine power was applied to terminate the simulation. However, immediately after the second pilot applied engine power, the CFI fully retarded the engine's throttle, indicated that he desired to continue the descent to within 20 feet of the ground, and took the airplane's controls. When the airplane was approximately 15 to 20 feet agl, the CFI increased engine power. There was a momentary delay before the engine's power was reacquired during which the CFI banked the airplane to the left. During the turn, the airplane's left wing, nose gear, and fuselage impacted the ground hard. The president of the company that operated the airplane reported that company policy required engine-out simulations, such as the one that was performed by the CFI, to be terminated no lower than 500 feet agl. Also, there should always be a suitable field nearby in the event a forced landing becomes necessary if engine power is not reacquired during the simulation.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset