Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8

Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 was an American domestic flight from Cold Bay, Alaska, to Seattle, Washington, on June 8, 1983. Shortly after takeoff, the Lockheed L-188 Electra of Reeve Aleutian Airways was travelling over the Pacific Ocean when one of the propellers broke away from its engine and struck the fuselage, damaging the flight controls. The pilots were able to make an emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport; none of the 15 passengers and crew on board were injured in the accident.

Flight

Just after takeoff from Cold Bay Airport, on the Alaska Peninsula for a flight across the northern Pacific Ocean to Seattle, Washington, with 10 passengers, the crew noted an unusual vibration in the aircraft, but was unable to isolate the source. As the aircraft climbed from FL190 (around 19,000 ft) to FL250 (25,000 ft), the flight engineer left the cockpit to visually check the engines from the passenger cabin, but saw nothing amiss. The flight attendant went into the cockpit to discuss the vibration, which suddenly increased in intensity as she went back into the cabin. She looked out the window and saw the propeller on the No. 4 engine (the outboard engine on the right wing) detach itself and fly spinning under the fuselage. The propeller tore a gash 8 ft long in the aircraft's belly, depressurizing the cabin and jamming the flight and engine controls. The pilots managed to gain some control of the aircraft by using the autopilot and diverted the aircraft to Anchorage. With the engine throttle controls jammed at cruise power, on approach to land the crew was able to make the aircraft descend and climb after shutting down No. 2 (the left inboard) engine in combination with lowering and raising the landing gear.

The Electra landed safely at Anchorage International Airport, in spite of the loss of almost all flight controls. The crew had to shut down all engines once the aircraft was on the ground to help bring it to a stop; one tire blew out and the emergency brakes caught fire. Nobody was hurt when the propeller hit the fuselage or during the emergency landing, during which the plane veered off the runway and landed in a ditch. The captain, 54-year-old James Gibson, with 5,700 hours' experience flying Electras, was honored for the successful landing by a meeting with President Ronald Reagan in the White House. The Air Line Pilots Association also honored Captain Gibson, 39-year-old First Officer Gary Lintner, and 46-year-old Flight Engineer Gerald "Moose" Laurin later in 1983 with its Superior Airmanship Award.

The propeller fell into the Pacific Ocean and was never recovered for examination. The reason for its separation is unknown.