The propeller blade of a Beech 1900D regional airliner sheared off after it was struck by matting that had been installed to prevent stone damage to propeller blades at a gravel aerodrome.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation report from the incident notes that on 17 November 2022, the flight crew of the Beech 1900D, operated by Penjet, refuelled and then boarded passengers at Fortnum Aerodrome, in WA’s Murchison region, for a flight to Perth.
The runway, taxiways, and parking area at Fortnum are gravel. At the time of the incident, there were designated parking areas with pieces of conveyor belt matting fixed to the ground, intended to allow engines to be operated with minimal propeller damage from loose gravel.
“As the flight crew was conducting pre-take-off checks, the end of the conveyer belt matting under the left propeller was drawn into the propeller arc, resulting in a sheared propeller blade and vibration damage to the aircraft,” ATSB Director Transport Safety Stuart Macleod said.
The aerodrome manager, who witnessed the event, detailed that the propeller picked up a corner of the matting and one propeller blade was ejected about 50 to 100 m in the air.
In addition to the detached propeller blade, another propeller blade snapped approximately 250 mm from the blade tip, and the left engine propeller governor control arm fractured.
There was also buckling to the left engine firewall and cracking to the nacelle structure adjacent to the engine mount.
Since the incident, the aerodrome operator has removed the strips from the apron.
“The installation of the matting was a non-standard method to prevent propeller damage, and was not subject to any installation specifications or inspection requirements,” said Mr Macleod.
“As this occurrence demonstrates, the consequences of a propeller strike can be serious, and operators of aircraft and aerodromes are advised to review the use of any non-standard surfaces for aircraft movement areas.”
Read the report: Propeller strike due to foreign object debris involving Beech 1900D, VH-NYA, at Fortnum Aerodrome, Western Australia, on 17 November 2022