The aircraft impacted terrain approximately 900 feet from the end of the runway during a simulated engine failure. The pilot had just finished a flight review when he requested to simulate an engine failure in the pattern with the instructor. The pilot said, 'I pulled the power back to idle after we passed the end of runway 18. As I was turning to runway 18 I...lowered the landing gear...When we both came to the conclusion that we were not going to be able to make the runway without power, I advanced the throttle. The engine coughed a couple of times and never developed power.' A Federal Aviation Administration inspector interviewed the instructor. When asked if he saw the pilot pull the propeller control full aft, he responded, 'Yes.' When asked if he saw the pilot return it to full forward at any time, he responded 'No.' The pilot maneuvered the aircraft away from a road and runway approach lights ultimately coming to rest in a plowed farm field. A post accident functional test of the engine showed that the engine produced power at idle and low power settings.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

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