MIHC,
Have you actually ever had an engine failure?
Luckily only two, both were inflight and happened with plenty of warning or altitude.
But this is not what we are discussing, we are discussing whether it is unsafe to do mixture cuts during EFATO training, I do not believe it is ( and this is from actual experience ) and its has not been outlawed.
Using the mixture provides a better confirmation that the student is identifying the correct engine (they have to play with the throttles and the wrong selection is immediately obvious)
No argument. This is a situation a well trained and experienced META pilot should be able to recover on any given days training, if not, they do not deserve to be there.
but why not do this at 2 or 3 thousand feet, where there's enough height to counter an actual failure?
Why do EFATO training on take off at all ?. The answer to that question is obvious, its one of the highest risk scenarios that could happen, and it is globally accepted that it needs to be trained and practiced.
So the issue is not mixture versus throttle, it close to the ground versus not close to the ground.
Use the throttle and have an unrealistic training scenario, perhaps less risk, depends on the cut of the instructor ( if it is unrealistic training, why do it at all ? )
Use the mixture and have a realistic training scenario, managed risk with a well trained and competent instructor.
The topic of the thread being low altitude failures, please elaborate who still does this? Proof talks, "I'm certain" walks.
Quite obviously a good proportion of the industry, as many have said above, myself included, the CASA FOIs I flown with, do mixture cuts on take off / at low level, all managed risk.
As to your proof talk statement, even the lycoming flyer does not mandate a requirement over the Service Bulletin 245.
SB 245 recommends mixture cuts as it is safer and better for the engine.
The flyer recommends "slow" throttle cuts because some numpty killed himself.
Do you see the difference ?.
IMHO the issue really comes down to the training and competency of the current batch of META instructors.