Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 510; Flight Crew Type 450
Workload; Troubleshooting
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; General Maintenance Action
Aircraft
On my flight activity with [student]; we had an actual engine failure in Aircraft X. At approximately 2;200 ft. I simulated an engine failure for my student to recover from. As always; I turned the carb heat on and pulled the power back with the throttle. I told my student to recover at approximately 1;200 ft. To our surprise; when the throttle was pushed in; we did not get any power. I immediately said 'My flight controls' and ran through the engine restart procedure by memory. I had my student verify that it was all complete by referencing his checklist. After that; I immediately squawked 7700 and [advised ATC] all while lining the aircraft up with the grass in between the highway for an off-airport landing. I continued with the memory items of the forced landing checklist which consisted of unlatching the doors and confirming that the seat belts and shoulder harnesses were secured. After continuously trying to restart the engine and purposely not securing it; with the intent to restart the engine; our engine restarted at approximately 50 ft. AGL. I immediately climbed to a high altitude and remained close to the highway in case of another engine failure. I coordinated with Tower and proceeded inbound to land at ZZZ. For background information; our carb heat was working during the run-up and during other maneuvers that required carb heat.
Pilot reported carburetor ice was the best suspect. After maintenance review; no other issues were found with this aircraft.
C172 Flight Instructor reported a temporary loss of engine power; resulting in a precautionary landing.