New Zealand's Transport Accident Investigation Commission has opened an inquiry into an incident in which a Britten-Norman Trislander aircraft, operated by Great Barrier Airlines, lost a propeller while in flight shortly before noon on July 5, 2009. The aircraft had just departed Claris Airport, Great Barrier Island, en route to Auckland when the propeller separated from the starboard engine and impacted the fuselage. The pilot returned to Claris immediately and made a safe emergency landing.News reports from New Zealand say the impact of the errant propeller smashed a window and tore off a door on the starboard side of the aircraft. There was no one seated beside that door. According to a report in The New Zealand Herald, two passengers among the 10 on board "needed medical treatment to remove debris from their eyes."
More photos from The New Zealand Herald.
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