A REX (Regional Express) Saab 340 turboprop flying from Albury, Australia to Sydney lost a propeller as it approached Sydney. (HT: @RenesPoints)

And when they lost it, they really lost it, Southwest of Sydney.

The pilots are understood to have felt a vibration and were about to shut down the right-hand engine when they looked out the cockpit window to see the propeller – rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute – disappear over the plane’s wing.

Copyright: andreevarf / 123RF Stock Photo

Considering the seriousness of the situation (though the pilot apparently maintained control of the aircraft throughout), the captain remained remarkably calm.

Fortunately the propeller didn’t hit anyone on the head on the way down (like me, for instance, as this happened while I was in Sydney), and Australia’s safety regulator asks anyone finding debris to report it to authorities.