What happened
On February 7, 2025, a Piper PA-28-181, registration LV-OMI, was conducting a non-commercial pleasure flight from Tandil to Ensenada when the pilot experienced significant vibrations originating from the engine. In response to the malfunction, the pilot performed an emergency landing on runway 11 at the Ensenada aerodrome.
Upon inspection of the aircraft on the ground, it was discovered that approximately 8cm of the tip of one of the two propeller blades had been lost. There were no injuries to the pilot, and the aircraft sustained minor damage.
The investigation
The Argentine Transportation Safety Board (JST) initiated an investigation into the powerplant failure. The investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the propeller system, specifically the McCauley propeller unit installed on the Lycoming engine. As part of the technical analysis, the propeller was sent to a laboratory to undergo a detailed failure analysis to determine the exact mechanism that caused the blade tip to detach.