Propeller Shears Off Plane Headed for Sydney, Luckily Doesn’t Fall on Anyone

A REX (Regional Express) Saab 340 turboprop flying from Albury, Australia to Sydney lost a propeller as it approached Sydney. (HT: @RenesPoints)

And when they lost it, they really lost it, Southwest of Sydney.

The pilots are understood to have felt a vibration and were about to shut down the right-hand engine when they looked out the cockpit window to see the propeller – rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute – disappear over the plane’s wing.


Copyright: andreevarf / 123RF Stock Photo

Considering the seriousness of the situation (though the pilot apparently maintained control of the aircraft throughout), the captain remained remarkably calm.

Fortunately the propeller didn’t hit anyone on the head on the way down (like me, for instance, as this happened while I was in Sydney), and Australia’s safety regulator asks anyone finding debris to report it to authorities.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I think they made a movie about this called “The Gods Must Be Crazy”. That is where they should look for the propeller.

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