Narrative:

I used to fly as a copilot on the small transport for a company called X. We transported checks for the federal reserve. In jan/92 the contract with the federal reserve expired and a different company called Y, got the contract. I was based in buffalo and I stayed there after I didn't have a job anymore, since Y decided to fly the small transport single pilot. They did allow me to still ride along and I have been riding along with them as a passenger who used to fly the same airplane and still has a valid 135 chkout in the type airplane with a different company. Regulation wise, I am of course, just a passenger. Thank god I was in the plane on aug/xx/92. We, me and my former captain with almost 17000 hours of experience, are flying in IMC en route from teterboro (teb) to cleveland burke-lakefront (bkl). XA30 a loud bang, no more electrical, a strong yaw to the left autoplt kicks off, smoke just for a second or 2, clear! We look around and we see that 1 of the 4 propeller blades from the left engine came off and sliced through the airplane on the left side and laying in the airplane behind my seat. We soon discovered that the propeller must have cut our electrical wires. Due to the fact that the controls bank with spoiler we were in even worse shape. Normally, when one has an engine out you trim the flaps independently so you don't need to run a spoiler in the air, since we didn't have any electrics we had to fly with our left spoiler on fully deflected. We were at 6000 MSL, we couldn't maintain altitude. The MEA was 4000. The captain couldn't control the airplane without losing altitude. At 1900, 2000 under MEA, I told him that I was going to try. By flying very precisely, I was able to maintain 130 KTS (close to stall) without losing altitude. After showing the captain how to control the airplane from my side only (we still had vacuum) I told him I was going in the back to throw some of our cargo off the airplane, knowing we were too heavy to climb. After I dumped about 500 pounds, I returned to the cockpit and relieved the captain from flying again. We slowly started to climb! After holding a heading of east on our liquid compass (west would have been dumb because of the mountains) we finally broke out of the clouds near pottstown, PA. The captain decided to keep on flying until we have a large airport like new or phl. I started to calculate and told him that we better land soon because without electrical power the working engine will only take fuel out of the main tank giving us not much more time than 1 hour and we already had been flying like this for 45 mins. I saw philadelphia and we went straight for northeast philadelphia pne) because phl was fogged up! I made contact with the handheld transceiver with VOR with phl approach and told them we were going to make a gear up landing in pne. So we did and evacuate/evacuationed the airplane through the escape hatch on my side of the airplane. The lesson I learned was mostly about the captain. He has close to 17000 hours. When after 5 mins in the situation I took my handheld transceiver and tried to make contact, he acted strange for someone with his experience. We had already lost more than 3000 ft and we were below MEA I send out a mayday he reacted to that in the sense that he ordered me not to send out an emergency call yet. How bad should it be!? That was weird. Then shortly before the landing, he wanted to pump the electrical landing gear manually down! It took me a few mins to explain to him that if we would do that we would surely lose altitude and most likely end up in the city. After all we had hardly been able to maintain altitude. The drag of the gear would have gotten us killed for sure. So, fortunately, I was able to convince him!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 1 BLADE OF THE L PROP THROWN, ENG SHUTDOWN.

Narrative: I USED TO FLY AS A COPLT ON THE SMT FOR A COMPANY CALLED X. WE TRANSPORTED CHKS FOR THE FEDERAL RESERVE. IN JAN/92 THE CONTRACT WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE EXPIRED AND A DIFFERENT COMPANY CALLED Y, GOT THE CONTRACT. I WAS BASED IN BUFFALO AND I STAYED THERE AFTER I DIDN'T HAVE A JOB ANYMORE, SINCE Y DECIDED TO FLY THE SMT SINGLE PLT. THEY DID ALLOW ME TO STILL RIDE ALONG AND I HAVE BEEN RIDING ALONG WITH THEM AS A PAX WHO USED TO FLY THE SAME AIRPLANE AND STILL HAS A VALID 135 CHKOUT IN THE TYPE AIRPLANE WITH A DIFFERENT COMPANY. REG WISE, I AM OF COURSE, JUST A PAX. THANK GOD I WAS IN THE PLANE ON AUG/XX/92. WE, ME AND MY FORMER CAPT WITH ALMOST 17000 HRS OF EXPERIENCE, ARE FLYING IN IMC ENRTE FROM TETERBORO (TEB) TO CLEVELAND BURKE-LAKEFRONT (BKL). XA30 A LOUD BANG, NO MORE ELECTRICAL, A STRONG YAW TO THE L AUTOPLT KICKS OFF, SMOKE JUST FOR A SECOND OR 2, CLR! WE LOOK AROUND AND WE SEE THAT 1 OF THE 4 PROP BLADES FROM THE L ENG CAME OFF AND SLICED THROUGH THE AIRPLANE ON THE L SIDE AND LAYING IN THE AIRPLANE BEHIND MY SEAT. WE SOON DISCOVERED THAT THE PROP MUST HAVE CUT OUR ELECTRICAL WIRES. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CTLS BANK WITH SPOILER WE WERE IN EVEN WORSE SHAPE. NORMALLY, WHEN ONE HAS AN ENG OUT YOU TRIM THE FLAPS INDEPENDENTLY SO YOU DON'T NEED TO RUN A SPOILER IN THE AIR, SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY ELECTRICS WE HAD TO FLY WITH OUR L SPOILER ON FULLY DEFLECTED. WE WERE AT 6000 MSL, WE COULDN'T MAINTAIN ALT. THE MEA WAS 4000. THE CAPT COULDN'T CTL THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT LOSING ALT. AT 1900, 2000 UNDER MEA, I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS GOING TO TRY. BY FLYING VERY PRECISELY, I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN 130 KTS (CLOSE TO STALL) WITHOUT LOSING ALT. AFTER SHOWING THE CAPT HOW TO CTL THE AIRPLANE FROM MY SIDE ONLY (WE STILL HAD VACUUM) I TOLD HIM I WAS GOING IN THE BACK TO THROW SOME OF OUR CARGO OFF THE AIRPLANE, KNOWING WE WERE TOO HVY TO CLB. AFTER I DUMPED ABOUT 500 POUNDS, I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND RELIEVED THE CAPT FROM FLYING AGAIN. WE SLOWLY STARTED TO CLB! AFTER HOLDING A HDG OF E ON OUR LIQUID COMPASS (W WOULD HAVE BEEN DUMB BECAUSE OF THE MOUNTAINS) WE FINALLY BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS NEAR POTTSTOWN, PA. THE CAPT DECIDED TO KEEP ON FLYING UNTIL WE HAVE A LARGE ARPT LIKE NEW OR PHL. I STARTED TO CALCULATE AND TOLD HIM THAT WE BETTER LAND SOON BECAUSE WITHOUT ELECTRICAL PWR THE WORKING ENG WILL ONLY TAKE FUEL OUT OF THE MAIN TANK GIVING US NOT MUCH MORE TIME THAN 1 HR AND WE ALREADY HAD BEEN FLYING LIKE THIS FOR 45 MINS. I SAW PHILADELPHIA AND WE WENT STRAIGHT FOR NE PHILADELPHIA PNE) BECAUSE PHL WAS FOGGED UP! I MADE CONTACT WITH THE HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER WITH VOR WITH PHL APCH AND TOLD THEM WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A GEAR UP LNDG IN PNE. SO WE DID AND EVACED THE AIRPLANE THROUGH THE ESCAPE HATCH ON MY SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE. THE LESSON I LEARNED WAS MOSTLY ABOUT THE CAPT. HE HAS CLOSE TO 17000 HRS. WHEN AFTER 5 MINS IN THE SITUATION I TOOK MY HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER AND TRIED TO MAKE CONTACT, HE ACTED STRANGE FOR SOMEONE WITH HIS EXPERIENCE. WE HAD ALREADY LOST MORE THAN 3000 FT AND WE WERE BELOW MEA I SEND OUT A MAYDAY HE REACTED TO THAT IN THE SENSE THAT HE ORDERED ME NOT TO SEND OUT AN EMER CALL YET. HOW BAD SHOULD IT BE!? THAT WAS WEIRD. THEN SHORTLY BEFORE THE LNDG, HE WANTED TO PUMP THE ELECTRICAL LNDG GEAR MANUALLY DOWN! IT TOOK ME A FEW MINS TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT IF WE WOULD DO THAT WE WOULD SURELY LOSE ALT AND MOST LIKELY END UP IN THE CITY. AFTER ALL WE HAD HARDLY BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT. THE DRAG OF THE GEAR WOULD HAVE GOTTEN US KILLED FOR SURE. SO, FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE HIM!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.