People
Nearly all accidents are caused by errors made by humans. Partenavias CAN fly on one engine, but only if they are in good shape (and that does not mean just shiny paint and pretty avionics) and they have to be handled correctly.
With nearly all piston twins this is the case. They lose about 80% of their climbing ability when an engine fails, so there is not much left. It also happens to Cessnas, and Pipers, and Beechcraft.(and others) Some are a little better than others, but they are all much the same.
There has even been a case in Australia where a King Air did not have the performance to fly a circuit at sea level after an engine failure. It crashed short of the runway. King airs have reasonable performance on one, if everything is right. (about 600fpm)
A Bristol freighter flying freight across Bass straight lost an engine, and could not maintain altitude. It went into the sea. I believe the spare engines for that aircraft were tested, and found to be lacking in power.
We used to do simulated engine failures in Partenavias, after takeoff every time we did a rating renewal or a base check. You knew it was coming "not below 50 ft, not below VMCA plus ten." and an assymetric overshoot was also routine. The aeroplane WILL do it, but you have to do the sums, and do it right, in a good aeroplane. I did these from both the left seat and the right seat.
We cannot just say "pilot error" or "poor aircraft design that aeroplane won't do it", or the "double ngine failure" copout. The aircraft performance is spelled out in the POH/flight manual. If it won't do it there is omething wrong with either the crew, and the operating techniques, or the aircraft maintenance.
Our third world GA system has very limited maintenance facilities, poor infrastructure, a flood of inexperienced, temporary pilots and lack of finance due, it seems, to a regulator that the industry does not trust. We are bogged down in paperwork, and ever changing rules, and differing interpretations of the same rules.
Propping it up with tax concessions, and/or new aeroplanes only disguises the problem, and it will come back later. The "poor bugger me" system will not work.
What is needed is a team effort, where GA is considered as more than just a place for trainee airline pilots to get limited experience. and go. We must all work together to build a proper system where aeroplanes and pilots CAN do what they are supposed to do.
We have turbocharged aeroplanes flying around, limited to 8500ft amsl, due to a a transition level that is far too low, and an oxygen requiement at 10,000 ft. The rest of the world needs oxygen above 12,000 ft. Australians are weakies. All this costs time and money, for no reason.
We burn far more fuel in our aircraft than we need to. We have been doing it for decades. It's "the Australian way". Old wives tales rule.
Let's get back to the FACTS. These can be found in the POH,s and flight manuals. They don't come from the aircraft salesmen, or the aero club bar.