Originally Posted by
planeloader
I'm no expert but that prop to me looks feathered.
Yep - at least you realize yourself that you are no expert. A propeller attached to a PT6 engine REQUIRE oil pressure to be driven OUT of the feathered position. If the supply of oil under pressure is removed for any reason (no engine attached in the picture above is reason enough), it would be spring loaded back to the feathered position. Now - whether the engine supplied power at the point of impact is a different discussion, and one that the ATSB lab will investigate. A cursory glance at the blade in the 3 o'clock position in the top picture above, does seem to indicate that the engine supplied positive torque (power) at the time of impact, but we should leave this to the investigators to determine. We also have no indication whether the propeller in the picture is the left or right, (nor do we at this stage have positive confirmation whether the left / right . both / neither engine failed) so the entire discussion is a bit futile. Not that this has stopped the armchair experts in the past....