Propeller Falls Off Australian Plane Mid-Flight
Ryan Boyd March 21, 2017
On March 17, a flight operated by regional Australian airline Regional Express (Rex) landed safely after a propeller came detached from the aircraft as it neared Sydney Airport (SYD). The Saab 240 aircraft displayed “abnormal indications” before flight crew shut down the right engine due to the propeller falling off. The airline has promised to remove all planes with similar propeller gearboxes from regular rotation while it completes its investigation into the incident.
“This is an extremely rare event and the only other recorded similar event was in 1991 when US carrier Comair’s aircraft also landed safely after a separation of its propeller,” said Neville Howell, chief operating officer of Rex.
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It was a SAAB 340. And after the "abnormal indications" the pilot turned the engine off. It was after the engine was shutdown, "feathering" the propeller, that the propeller fell off.