Originally Posted by
tdracer
While I doubt a thrown blade would take down a C130, I wouldn't be so sure about loosing the entire propeller (e.g. a fractured drive shaft) - rapidly spinning props make a pretty good saw and could cut through significant structure.
I raised that as its hard to think of something that would sever the cockpit from the fuselage, if that is what happened.
We had a case in BC a couple of years ago where a Metro went in in the North Shore mountains north of Vancouver. The cockpit was severed in that. What happened is that the wings handclapped above after a near to root failure from overstressing. This led to one or both engines sawing into the fuselage enough that the cockpit came off. Or so the story is.
More likely if the whole disc went, but do those things go sideways, or do they just go forward and then drop below?
I'd venture that the possible damage depends on a number of factors, most likely the important one being at what point of rotation it let go and if it was flung in an arc through the fuselage. If it's an outboard flung into an inboard, it could be more than one blade flying around.
The detached engine is in line with some sort of a prop problem, but certainly not proof.
I spoke to an ex RAF guy in England back in the 90's who went into flying Navajo's in civvy world. He had a prop blade come off the starboard engine, go through the nose, hit the other hub, and tore that engine right out of its mounts. The guy somehow landed it, with three or four pax, in a cornfield out by Oxford without injuries.