On 10th November, a Link Airways SAAB 340 turboprop was penetrated by a ratchet strap during departure from Canberra.
The turboprop with registration VH-VEQ was operating flight VA-633, on behalf of Virgin Australia from Canberra to Sydney in Australia. The aircraft was departing Canberra when a strap, which was later confirmed to be a ratchet strap attached to a propeller penetrated the fuselage of the aircraft.
The ratchet strap is used to secure the propeller overnight on the ground. However, in this case, it penetrated the fuselage. Following the incident, three passengers were assessed for minor injuries. Having already departed from Canberra, the flight crew stopped the climb at 3,000 feet after receiving an emergency call from the cabin crew and returned to the airport after about 7 minutes.
Una correa con trinquete, utilizada para asegurar las hélices durante la noche, penetró esta mañana en la cabina de un Saab 340 de la australiana Link Airways, poco después de despegar desde Canberra.
La correa no llegó a ser retirada antes del vuelo. @controladores #linkairways pic.twitter.com/0xhNEjskKX— Turama (@turama_es) November 10, 2022
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief commissioner Angus Mitchell told that the strap was used to secure the propeller overnight and was supposed to be removed before the flight.
“Transport safety investigators from the ATSB’s Canberra office have deployed to Canberra Airport to inspect the aircraft, to begin the process of interviewing the flight crew and passengers, and to gather other relevant information for the investigation,” the chief commissioner added.
