Propellor Woes - NZ 25 October 2026

[kiwiaviator]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/matakana-island-emergency-landing-pilot-escapes-injury-after-propeller-breaks-mid-flight/PVNELU3J6NBUDLVMQXUVCRLAII/

[Thruster88]

7 minutes ago, kiwiaviator said:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/matakana-island-emergency-landing-pilot-escapes-injury-after-propeller-breaks-mid-flight/PVNELU3J6NBUDLVMQXUVCRLAII/

Paywall, perhaps you could provide a summary. 

[kiwiaviator]

33 minutes ago, Thruster88 said:

Paywall, perhaps you could provide a summary. 

Thanks Thruster, Thats weird as it wasn't a Premium article?

What happened: A veteran pilot escaped unhurt after making an emergency landing on a remote Bay of Plenty beach when part of his propeller snapped off mid-flight. newstalkzb

Who and when: The pilot, Evan Wheeler, was flying his two-seater Murphy Rebel bush plane back to Whitianga on Sunday afternoon, after a barbecue hosted by the Ōpōtiki Aero Club, when part of its wooden propeller suddenly broke off. nzherald

In the air: The aircraft began shaking violently at 1200 feet. When the engine slowed, the vibrations eased, and he realised the propeller was probably the problem. With little time to spare, he headed for the Matakana Island shoreline to try to land safely there. Matakana Island emergency landing: Pilot escapes injury after propeller breaks mid-flight - NZ Herald +2

Outcome: Wheeler didn’t get so much as a bruise, and apart from the broken propeller the plane was undamaged. The Matakana Island fire chief later helped him get to the mainland, and another pilot picked him up and flew him home. nzheraldnewstalkzb

[Thruster88]

Good story.  About 6 months into my flying journey the soft wood propeller on my mk3 Skycraft Scout departed on initial climb. A nice clean break with both blades departing. Engine revs increased, throttle closed and nose down for a good landing.

[skippydiesel]

I do understand that wooden props have their good points BUT why persist with a very dated technology, when you can go composite.??

 

Composite it moisture resistant, usually lighter, similar fatigue resistance to wood and when designed to be ground adjustable, "tuneable" for your particular application. The ultimate composite would seem to be the E-Prop which also offers semi  inflight adjustment, for even higher efficiency. 

 

😈

[facthunter]

A good 2 blade wooden Prop is Probably as  safe a Prop as you will ever get.. . Nev

[BrendAn]

20 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

I do understand that wooden props have their good points BUT why persist with a very dated technology, when you can go composite.??

 

Composite it moisture resistant, usually lighter, similar fatigue resistance to wood and when designed to be ground adjustable, "tuneable" for your particular application. The ultimate composite would seem to be the E-Prop which also offers semi  inflight adjustment, for even higher efficiency. 

 

😈

How is an eprop adjustable in flight

[skippydiesel]

1 hour ago, BrendAn said:

How is an eprop adjustable in flight

As I understand it (??) eProps warp/change pitch, in response to load. It's not a true inflight adjustable but seem to confer some of the benefits - ask an owner.😈

[BrendAn]

3 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

As I understand it (??) eProps warp/change pitch, in response to load. It's not a true inflight adjustable but seem to confer some of the benefits - ask an owner.😈

I used to own a vicalen jet boat that used that idea. The impeller was flexible , it would flatten the pitch under acceleration and when you backed the throttle off for cruise it would go back to full pitch. Pretty clever with no moving parts.

[facthunter]

Schneider Trophy Racing Seaplanes all had wooden props and went pretty quick. If you have fixed Pitch it has to be the correct one for your Plane. The Normal wood prop has plenty of strength at the Hub. Some Composite ones DON'T. Nev