Airplane Landed Safely, Prop Has Been Found

On Friday 17 March 2017, Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL768 from Albury to Sydney, carrying 16 passengers and 3 crew, was on approach to land at Sydney Airport when its right hand propeller separated from its shaft approximately 25 km (about 15.5 miles) southwest of Sydney.

The crew followed standard operating procedures and reported the event to Air Traffic Control (ATC) for priority landing. The aircraft landed normally and none of the passengers or crew needed further assistance.

According to a media release from Regional Express:

• Following abnormal indications on the right hand engine and in accordance with checklist procedures, the crew shut down the engine;
• Shutting down the engine also feathers the propeller in order to reduce drag;
• It was at this point that the propeller assembly was seen by the First Officer to separate from its shaft;
• The propeller assembly was seen to rotate upwards and to the right. The propeller was seen rotating in a horizontal position and then moving away without making contact with the aircraft;
• Both passengers and crew reported that the flight thereafter was smooth and the landing was normal in spite of bad weather at Sydney with winds exceeding 35 knots;
• All passengers have been contacted and none required further assistance;
• The propeller was found to have sheared off at the shaft and all the fittings at the main assembly were intact;
• Rex has also been in constant communication with the aircraft manufacturer, Saab and the engine manufacturer, General Electric (GE). The latter has also kept the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States fully appraised of the situation and the developments.

While waiting for the ATSB to determine the root cause of the incident through its metallurgical analysis and other investigations, Rex has decided, by abundance of caution, to immediately remove from service and quarantine all Propeller Gear Boxes and shafts of the same series as that of the incident for further inspection and testing if warranted. “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 Rex’s Chief Operating Officer Mr Neville Howell. "Rex places great emphasis on emergency procedures during the crew’s bi-annual training so that when rare emergencies like this one arise, the crew are well rehearsed to respond appropriately to ensure a safe outcome. The Saab 340 aircraft is designed to climb, cruise and land on one engine with appropriate levels of redundancy to cope with these contingencies.

“As there is an on-going investigation by the ATSB, Rex will leave it to this authority to provide any technical updates it deems appropriate. However, we wish to state categorically that all our actions and decisions will be taken in strict compliance with the instructions of the various authorities and Original Equipment Manufacturers, and we have safety as our paramount consideration.”

On Monday, Regional Express (Rex) was advised by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) that that the propeller assembly that separated from an aircraft operating Flight ZL768 on Friday 17 March 2017 has been found in the Georges River National Park about 18 km from Sydney Airport by the NSW Police Force Airwing (PolAir).

“The propeller will be vital in assisting the ATSB with their investigations," Howell said. "Further technical updates will be provided as appropriate by the ATSB. On behalf of the Board, I wish to place on record our immense gratitude to PolAir for its utmost dedication, perseverance and professionalism in the search for the missing propeller without which the full ATSB investigations may be delayed by many days if not weeks.”

(Public domain image. Not incident airplane)

FMI: www.rex.com.au