A Saanich, B.C., man made a surprising discovery Sunday when he came upon the propeller of a small plane buried deep in the ground of his grandmother's backyard.

The two-metre-long propeller belongs to a plane that crashed on the Saanich Peninsula two weeks ago.

Officials looking into the Feb. 18 crash had been unable to locate the piece of the plane — which could holds clues to why it came down — until Jeremy Francis found it embedded in the ground about 1.5 kilometres from the crash site.

"It was pretty scary to see something that large dug in as deep as it was," Francis said.

"It was quite heavy when I tried to pick it up," he added. "Anyone could have been out in the yard, and could have definitely gotten struck by it, or it definitely could have come through someone's house."

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the small-plane crash in Saanich on Feb. 18. (Saanich Fire Department/Twitter)

The propeller is part of a small Cessna from the Victoria Flying Club, which made an emergency crash landing in a field near Mount Douglas Park on the peninsula's east side.

The pilot and passenger were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The cause of the crash is not yet known but initial reports pointed to a problem with the engine, said Det. Sgt. Damian Kowalewich of the Saanich Police Department.

"It's a testament to the pilot's skills that no one was injured," Kowalewich said. "Any time that an individual or individuals walk away from a plane crash, then it's a good day."

The Victoria Flying Club has picked up the propeller. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.