Birchwood Airfield: Pilot unscathed after propeller falls off mid-air

The plane crashed when the pilot tried to return to the airfield after losing the propeller

A pilot and his passenger walked away uninjured after crash landing when the propeller fell off their aircraft 450ft (137m) up in the air.

The incident happened shortly after the Aeronca 65C took off from Birchwood Airfield, in North Yorkshire, in October 2021.

The pilot attempted to return to the airfield but crashed through a hedge at the end of the runway.

Crash investigators said the wrong size bolts had been used on the propeller.

The pilot only noticed the missing propeller when he got out of the plane

According to a report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) it was the first flight after completion of a Permit-to-Fly renewal flight following annual maintenance on the aircraft.

The 1939 plane was taking off from the private airstrip in Selby on 21 October when "the propeller departed the aircraft", the report said.

The engine then over sped leading the pilot to make the decision to return to the airport, not knowing that he had lost the wooden propeller.

Despite managing to line up a return to the field, the plane was travelling too fast when the pilot touched down.

The plane's wooden propeller has not been found.

It is possible that a misinterpretation of an engine manufacturer's requirement resulted in the incorrect bolt length being chosen [and] when the bolts were tightened to the correct torque they shanked," the AAIB report said.

"As a result of this accident the engine manufacturer has taken safety action to revise the information in the installation document to include a drawing to aid the correct length of bolt to be selected," it added.

The propeller lost in the incident has not been found.