Two On Board The Aircraft Injured In The Accident

Two people on board a Stearman PT-27 biplane were injured when one blade of the propeller reportedly came off the airplane at Brandon Municipal Airport in Brandon, Canada last Tuesday.

The Brandon Sun reports that the city's communications director said in a release that the accident happened shortly after takeoff from the airport. The accident reportedly forced a WestJet Encore flight to divert to Winnipeg because the runway at Brandon Municipal was closed to clear the wreckage.

Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reports that the 1942 Boeing Stearman was owned by Vintage Wings of Canada. It was headed to Winnipeg from Regina when the accident occurred. The paper reports that the Canadian Transportation Safety Board said one of the blades of the prop separated from the hub, and the ensuing vibration shook the engine from the plane's engine mounts. The radial fell from the aircraft while still in flight.

Witnesses said the airplane initially pitched up, then went down nose-first onto the runway.

Both occupants of the Stearman reportedly survived the accident. They were said to be in a hospital with undetermined injuries.

(Stearman pictured in file photo. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca/eng