Incident Overview
During a scheduled passenger flight, while at an altitude of 15,000 feet MSL and passing over Cheyenne, Wyoming, the aircraft experienced the loss of a portion of a propeller blade from its left engine. The crew secured the affected engine. Due to inclement weather conditions in the Cheyenne area, the flight continued to its planned destination in Denver, Colorado, where it executed a normal landing without further incident.
Investigation
The damaged propeller blade was removed and subjected to testing at both the manufacturer's facilities and the materials laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Wright-Patterson laboratory determined that a probable nick or gouge existed on the leading edge of the blade at the location where the failure occurred. The investigation did not identify the source of this damage.