Losing a propellor in flight

[Jon Matcho]

Marc Zeitlin has a happy ending (thankfully) to tell about this past weekend's events.

 

While on a trip with his wife, his prop departed the aircraft and took a chunk out of his right winglet area. Read Marc's story here.

 

I am impressed with how Marc handled the situation, and very happy to hear that everyone made it out just fine. It sounds like Marc's wife might not be forever spooked as well (although I know mine is no better for telling her of this incident).

 

Good job Marc!

[Phil Kriley]

Wow! Marc did a great job, and it also shows how good an airplane the Cozy is! Thanks for the link! I enjoyed the read and congratulate Marc on a job VERY well done!

[Jon Matcho]

Yes, Marc did a GREAT job at many levels:

 

1) Keeping calm, identifying options

2) Landing safely

3) Documenting it

4) Recognizing and accepting himself as responsible for the cause

 

Most impressive.

[Len Evansic]

I saw Marc's plane this morning, and can attest that he was lucky with the minimal extent of the damage to the wing and winglet. According to Marc, he was about 0.25" from loosing the conduit and cable to the right rudder. The extra conduit that he put in for a future hidden bellhorn upgrade was taken out.

 

What stood out to me was that there was at most, a 6" rearward trajectory from the prop hub to the point of impact. Even flying at 180 mph, it took almost no time for the departed prop pieces to hit the winglet.

 

Since this event, Marc has been putting a lot of thought into the shortcomings and safety issues of all wood props. I don't want to steal any of his thunder, so I'll let him expand on his own thoughts, if he chooses to. I agree with him though, that an all wood prop should never be considered for any canard pusher.

 

-- Len

[Marc Zeitlin]

...... I agree with him though, that an all wood prop should never be considered for any canard pusher.

While I appreciate your thoughts, Len, I don't think that I ever said that. Although at 6:45 AM after 4 hours of sleep, who knows what I said......

[joerosa]

Yes, Marc did a GREAT job at many levels:

 

1) Keeping calm, identifying options

2) Landing safely

3) Documenting it

4) Recognizing and accepting himself as responsible for the cause

 

WE ARE ALL WONDERING WHY THIS HAPPENENED AND HOW WE CAN AVOID THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. WILL WE BE HEARING MORE DETAILS IN THE FUTURE TO HELP US??

[CP Tomes]

Yes, Marc did a GREAT job at many levels:

 

1) Keeping calm, identifying options

2) Landing safely

3) Documenting it

4) Recognizing and accepting himself as responsible for the cause

WE ARE ALL WONDERING WHY THIS HAPPENENED AND HOW WE CAN AVOID THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. WILL WE BE HEARING MORE DETAILS IN THE FUTURE TO HELP US??

http://www.cozybuilders.org/Desert_Center/index.html

 

Short version: Torque propellor bolts on the manufacturer's recommended schedule.