20031223034099A

(-23) On December 23, 2003, at approximately 11:00 eastern standard time, N432PA, a Piper PA-44-180 seminole was substantially damaged during an off airport landing in muddy creek township, Butler county, PA. The aircraft was operating in visual meteorological conditions and no flight plan had been filed. The flight had commenced from beaver county airport at approximately 10:37 EST and was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 as a local instructional flight. A certificated private pilot (multi-engine student) occupied the left seat and a certified flight instructor occupied the right seat. The flight instructor stated in a telephone interview with federal aviation administration (FAA) inspectors that during the flight he had planned to demonstrate single engine maneuvers, which included an engine shutdown and restart. After performing a shutdown of the right hand engine, the student pilot andsubsequently the flight instructor were unsuccessful in restarting the engine. The flight instructor was unable to maintain sufficient altitude to reach the intended airport, and informed the student pilot that he was going to land in a farm field below them. During approach to the field, the flightinstructor lowered the flaps to 25 degrees and extended the landing gear. The aircraft made contact with trees on short final to the field, and the flight instructor could not remember anything more until regaining consciousness after the aircraft came to rest. The aircraft came to rest upright in a nose down attitude just beyond a wooded area in a small clearing at the edge of the field. The aircraft impacted rising terrain near the bottom a a 40-foot hill, on a 30-degree slope. Elevation in the general area was 1,000 to 1,200 feet. The certified flight instructor and the certificated private pilot were seriously injured.