Lost prop in the middle of nowhere...

[terryJones]

I thought I would bring the following item to the notice of you all. It concerns a gentleman and his lady wife, happily cruising the Californian sky in his homebuilt aircraft, when 'BANG' no prop.
http://www.cozybuilders.org/Desert_Center/index.html
for the full story and pictures.

[englishal]

Scary stuff! A similar thing happened to a chap I know in his Long EZ. Part of the exhaust broke off and hit the prop, smashing a chunk off it and hence severe vibration and almost an engine shut down.....

[bingoboy]

And a chap in his Jabiru had such a sudden seizure (conrod) that both blades of his wooden prop departed. He quietly performed a superb force landing with no further damage.

[sir.pratt]

nice happy ending, but no real answers. it certainly looked like the bolts just came undone. luck's on your side when flying in the middle of nowhere to have a selection of 4 or 5 runways to land on! and sealed ones too!

i wonder whether the prop bolts were lockwired or just (under) torqued.