A plane crashed after its propeller fell off shortly after take off.
The Aeronca 65C aircraft had reached a height of 450ft when the “the propeller departed the aircraft and then the engine over sped”.
The drama happened soon after the piston-engine plane, which dates from 1939, had taken off from Birchwood Airfield, a private airstrip north east of Barlby.
The scene of the crash
On board was the pilot and one passenger, said a report just released by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.
When the propeller fell off, “the pilot immediately closed the throttle and flew the aircraft to maintain its best gliding speed of 65 to 70mph,” crash investigators wrote.
“He evaluated possible landing sites ahead but chose to return to the airfield as he felt his options were limited”.
He lined the plane up to one of the Birchwood runways.
“Despite the use of braking, the aircraft went through a hedge at the far end of the runway.”
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The plane was “extensively damaged” but both occupants were able to leave it uninjured. “It was then that they noticed that the propeller was missing,” the report says.
Crash investigators say the incident, which took place on 21 October last year, was caused by all six propeller bolts failing.
“It is possible that the incorrect bolt length was chosen due to a misinterpretation of the engine manufacturer’s installation document,” the report concludes.
The propeller was never recovered.
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