Rex incident YSSY

[HEMS driver]

Props to the crew for a job well done.

[Adamastor]

Pilot declared the PAN but ATC declared it a Distress Phase based on the information received so it was a full emergency turnout at YSSY. Absolutely sterling effort by the crew.

[logansi]

Crew, REX and aviation in Australia very lucky on this one. Could have easily turned deadly had that prop pierced a wing, fuselage or the horizontal or vertical stabs. We will never know but would be very interesting to know how close it came.

[barit1]

Ny bet is that the entire gearbox output shaft departed.with the prop attached. The shaft is secured to the "bull" gear (last step in the gear train) with a large single nut on the aft end of the shaft. ff this nut loses traction, the prop thrust will pull the shaft right out the front end. Don't be surprised if prop and shaft as a unit are discovered more-or-less intact.

[Slippery_Pete]

Where the hell is Geoffrey Thomas? No-one else will be able to unscramble this near disaster.

And what does Airline Ratings say about it all?

[Jeps]

Where is Geoffrey? I need someone to make sense of this ultralight Boeing A320 motor incident

[c_coder]

Originally Posted by Pistonprop

Interestingthey were Ozzies

My Australian ears detected a New Zealand accent in the audio from the incident.

[Jc31]

Don't worry ladies and gents the situation is under control

http://www.airlineratings.com/news/1...aft-sheds-prop

[blakemc]

My favourite part is "audio logs obtained by ATC" making out as if they aren't openly available online

[Lookleft]

What do they say about it being better to let people think you are a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.

From the Airline Ratings article:

Australian safety authorities are investigating a rare accident which saw a propeller break loose from the right engine of a Regional Express (Rex) 34-passenger SAAB 340 as it approached Sydney airport.

Its not an accident if there were no injuries and no hull loss. It is an incident.

calmly continuing the flight and landing safely at 12.05am local time.

Daylight saving is good but it doesn't keep it daylight until midnight in Sydney!

And these two expect to be taken seriously.

[601]

It is understood the pilots were in the process of shutting down the engine after experiencing vibrations when one of them saw the propellor detach and fly across the wing, luckily missing the tail section.

Have any of the crew given a statement that would be available to the media?

[troppo]

Originally Posted by 601

Have any of the crew given a statement that would be available to the media?

Yeah...employees of listed companies that make statements available to media don't remain employees for long. Whilst well intentioned it can have drastic effects on share price.

Edit...just saw the context you posted in and appreciate your question could be interpreted in another way ie that you were querying whether what was reported was from a statement...carry on...

[Dogs Best Friend]

Good on you guys. Good outcome

I hope the process of getting you back on line reflects a job well done and you are treated with respect by the powers that be. Best of luck!

Should make interesting reading when the report comes out.

[Lasiorhinus]

http://rex.com.au/MediaRelease/Files...ury-Sydney.pdf

Rex themselves put out a comprehensively detailed press release.

Originally Posted by Rex Press Release

Regional Express (Rex) flight ZL768 operating from Albury to Sydney on 17 March 2017
experienced an event associated with the aircraft’s right propeller assembly. The crew
followed standard operating procedures and the aircraft landed normally and on-time at
Sydney Airport.

So apparently it was just an event, and the most important thing is that they landed on time....

[ThreeThreeMike]

Originally Posted by Lancair70

"Grahame Hutchison, an aviation photographer, snapped pictures of the stricken plane at Sydney Airport as it was towed from the terminal after its passengers disembarked.
He told news.com.au the pilots should be commended for staying calm under pressure.
“I would imagine for the passengers it would be a fairly frightening experience so hats off to pilots, they’ve done a great job.”
He said it was rare to see such damage.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen an aircraft with one propeller."

This guy needs to get out more often! LOL

.

This bit from a CASA spokesman was even better. One wonders what he's been doing for the last 20 years. Very good work by the crew..

.

In the pan-pan call, the crew said the propeller assembly had “dislodged”, Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson told AAP, while photographs of the plane on the ground showed the right propeller missing altogether. Mr Gibson said during his 20 years in the aviation industry he’d never heard of a propeller falling off a plane.

“I’ve never come across it ... it’s very unusual,” he said

[Jenna Talia]

In reference to the propeller, Mr Gibson probably meant the entire assembly rather than throwing just one blade.

and you are treated with respect by the powers that be

Wholly agree, but the word respect and REX management are worlds apart.

[RENURPP]

I can't recall an event like this in the last 20 years either, I can recall one about 24 years ago. A baron inbound to Darwin about 20 DME from memory, lost its propellor (assembly)

[megan]

Going back to April 14, 1964, which was an exciting day for Capt. Keith Hants and crew when #3 of their Ansett-ANA DC-6B threw a blade and the engine ended up sitting in the bottom of the cowling. Pulled "g" over Port Phillip bay until it fell out, then landed. Old timers will remember Keith as a sim instructor at Essendon following his airline stint.

[ImbracableCrunk]

Originally Posted by garpal gumnut

How come the propeller and environs went under he wing, rather than shearing the wing or going over it with possible damage to the frame or tail?

Maybe initially the prop went forward with the residual thrust and is it did, gravity pulled it down.

[barit1]

dehg5776

The shaft sheared at the point where the drive shaft extends out of the gear box. Everything forward of that is missing.

Sounds scary. That kind of failure sequence likely results in substantial "wobble" of the prop as it falls off to one side and finally separates off-axis. In that case it does not fly straight ahead to fall off in a gentle arc, but instead flies sideways or up or down, endangering the airframe. I'd druther it flew straight ahead!