Incident Overview
A flight operating under an instrument flight clearance was climbing to 11,000 feet when a propeller blade separated from its hub. The detached blade was later recovered from the yard of a local resident, indicating the location of its fall.
Investigation Findings
A fracture examination of the recovered blade revealed that the cracking originated in the threaded portion of the hub. The failure resulted from fatigue cracking that had progressed through approximately 60% of the shank's diameter, ultimately leading to the blade's separation.
Outcome
Following the blade separation, the pilot glided the aircraft from an altitude of about 9,000 feet and successfully landed the aircraft on the runway. The remainder of the flight was completed without further incident.