Narrative:

The flight was a club chkout in an small aircraft. The student had logged over 1000 hours, but had not flown in over 3 years. There was a passenger in the back who was a friend of the pilots. In addition, the student was very large, and thus we were very close to maximum weight at takeoff. The preflight, runup, takeoff and climb out were uneventful. We climbed to approximately 3700 ft. We were about 6 mi northeast of the pae VOR, approximately equidistant from S88 and S43 airports. Flight visibility at the time was approximately 7 mi in haze, with a scattered to broken layer at 4500 ft. The left engine was intentionally shutdown and feathered. After spending approximately 5 mins doing air work, we began to restart the engine, using the checklist. At the time we were approximately 3000-3200 ft MSL. While engaging the starter, the student tried diving the aircraft to help the propeller unfeather. I told him that this was not necessary. The engine started to windmill and he took the mixture forward. I was fairly sure that the engine had started and so we let it warm up at just above idle. About this time another aircraft reported that they were OM inbound on the localizer 34 approach at S88. Just 4 weeks previous a very good CFI friend of mine had been killed in a midair collision in this vicinity. Not wanting to repeat this, I instructed the student to head off to the west to avoid the inbound traffic, thus taking us away from the airport. I noticed that the cylinder head temperature was not rising, and at the same time the student questioned whether or not the engine had actually started. I took the left throttle to full with no response. We were passing through approximately 2200 ft MSL (1600 ft AGL). This did not really concern me, however, due to previous problems with this aircraft. This plane had suffered from a bad fuel selector valve, and had had numerous loss of power incidences in the previous weeks, all of which had been solved by wiggling the fuel selector valve. As I attempted to solve the problem, the student continued to fly the aircraft towards the west, away from the airport. Finally, I said to turn back towards the airport and I tried one last time to cycle the fuel selector valve. This still didn't work, so I pulled the propeller control to the feather position. Much to my dismay, the propeller did not feather. I called that it was my aircraft, and told the student to make a call on the CTAF frequency to announce our situation. We were now approximately 3 mi southeast of S88, at less than 900 ft AGL, with a windmilling propeller and sinking at 200-300 FPM. To make matters worse, when I took control of the aircraft, we were 5-8 KTS below blueline. I didn't really want to give up any more altitude than I had to, so instead of diving for the airspeed, I just held the speed constant. There was a ridgeline ahead of us, and I knew we would make the ridge. At approximately 500 ft AGL, the left propeller finally feathered. We cleared the ridge by approximately 300 ft. As we lined up on short final, I initiated lowering the gear with the hand pump. We were almost into the flare before the nose gear light came on, after which a normal landing was performed. After rolling to the end of the runway and turning off, the student hit the starter button on the left engine, and, without touching anything else, it immediately came roaring to life. I still don't know why the engine wouldn't start.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR ON TRAINING FLT SHUT ONE ENG OF SMA ACFT DOWN AND UNABLE TO RESTART. MANAGED LNDG AT NEARBY ARPT AFTER SKIMMING OVER RIDGE.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS A CLUB CHKOUT IN AN SMA. THE STUDENT HAD LOGGED OVER 1000 HOURS, BUT HAD NOT FLOWN IN OVER 3 YEARS. THERE WAS A PAX IN THE BACK WHO WAS A FRIEND OF THE PLTS. IN ADDITION, THE STUDENT WAS VERY LARGE, AND THUS WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO MAX WT AT TKOF. THE PREFLT, RUNUP, TKOF AND CLBOUT WERE UNEVENTFUL. WE CLBED TO APPROX 3700 FT. WE WERE ABOUT 6 MI NE OF THE PAE VOR, APPROX EQUIDISTANT FROM S88 AND S43 ARPTS. FLT VISIBILITY AT THE TIME WAS APPROX 7 MI IN HAZE, WITH A SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER AT 4500 FT. THE L ENG WAS INTENTIONALLY SHUTDOWN AND FEATHERED. AFTER SPENDING APPROX 5 MINS DOING AIR WORK, WE BEGAN TO RESTART THE ENG, USING THE CHKLIST. AT THE TIME WE WERE APPROX 3000-3200 FT MSL. WHILE ENGAGING THE STARTER, THE STUDENT TRIED DIVING THE ACFT TO HELP THE PROP UNFEATHER. I TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY. THE ENG STARTED TO WINDMILL AND HE TOOK THE MIXTURE FORWARD. I WAS FAIRLY SURE THAT THE ENG HAD STARTED AND SO WE LET IT WARM UP AT JUST ABOVE IDLE. ABOUT THIS TIME ANOTHER ACFT RPTED THAT THEY WERE OM INBOUND ON THE LOC 34 APCH AT S88. JUST 4 WEEKS PREVIOUS A VERY GOOD CFI FRIEND OF MINE HAD BEEN KILLED IN A MIDAIR COLLISION IN THIS VICINITY. NOT WANTING TO REPEAT THIS, I INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO HEAD OFF TO THE W TO AVOID THE INBOUND TFC, THUS TAKING US AWAY FROM THE ARPT. I NOTICED THAT THE CYLINDER HEAD TEMP WAS NOT RISING, AND AT THE SAME TIME THE STUDENT QUESTIONED WHETHER OR NOT THE ENG HAD ACTUALLY STARTED. I TOOK THE L THROTTLE TO FULL WITH NO RESPONSE. WE WERE PASSING THROUGH APPROX 2200 FT MSL (1600 FT AGL). THIS DID NOT REALLY CONCERN ME, HOWEVER, DUE TO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS ACFT. THIS PLANE HAD SUFFERED FROM A BAD FUEL SELECTOR VALVE, AND HAD HAD NUMEROUS LOSS OF PWR INCIDENCES IN THE PREVIOUS WEEKS, ALL OF WHICH HAD BEEN SOLVED BY WIGGLING THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. AS I ATTEMPTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, THE STUDENT CONTINUED TO FLY THE ACFT TOWARDS THE W, AWAY FROM THE ARPT. FINALLY, I SAID TO TURN BACK TOWARDS THE ARPT AND I TRIED ONE LAST TIME TO CYCLE THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. THIS STILL DIDN'T WORK, SO I PULLED THE PROP CTL TO THE FEATHER POS. MUCH TO MY DISMAY, THE PROP DID NOT FEATHER. I CALLED THAT IT WAS MY ACFT, AND TOLD THE STUDENT TO MAKE A CALL ON THE CTAF FREQ TO ANNOUNCE OUR SITUATION. WE WERE NOW APPROX 3 MI SE OF S88, AT LESS THAN 900 FT AGL, WITH A WINDMILLING PROP AND SINKING AT 200-300 FPM. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WHEN I TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT, WE WERE 5-8 KTS BELOW BLUELINE. I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO GIVE UP ANY MORE ALT THAN I HAD TO, SO INSTEAD OF DIVING FOR THE AIRSPD, I JUST HELD THE SPD CONSTANT. THERE WAS A RIDGELINE AHEAD OF US, AND I KNEW WE WOULD MAKE THE RIDGE. AT APPROX 500 FT AGL, THE L PROP FINALLY FEATHERED. WE CLRED THE RIDGE BY APPROX 300 FT. AS WE LINED UP ON SHORT FINAL, I INITIATED LOWERING THE GEAR WITH THE HAND PUMP. WE WERE ALMOST INTO THE FLARE BEFORE THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT CAME ON, AFTER WHICH A NORMAL LNDG WAS PERFORMED. AFTER ROLLING TO THE END OF THE RWY AND TURNING OFF, THE STUDENT HIT THE STARTER BUTTON ON THE L ENG, AND, WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING ELSE, IT IMMEDIATELY CAME ROARING TO LIFE. I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THE ENG WOULDN'T START.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.