A Cessna 172B pilot in Mexico had to save his plane after his airplane propeller detached in flight. Yes, detached. Plonk. You can see the action from the cockpit in this video, including the exhilaration and relief of the passengers at the end.


Before the first cut the plane is good, with the propeller still on. The next one, it's off, but the engine is still running to keep power in the plane. Then you can hear pilot—steel nerves, not a single sign of nervousness—and co-pilot discussing where to land, looking for a place—"there are some trees" the pilot comments calmly at one point—until they spot the road in which he finally performs a perfect emergency landing.

"I've never felt death so near," says one of the women who was travelling in the back. "Our propeller fell," repeats the copilot after getting out of the plane, which landed successfully on a road. Skip to the end to see the Cessna' nose without its propeller.


I love how the pilot kept his cool at all times, even thinking about puttingthe GPS away to avoid hitting the passengers behind with it in case of a rougher emergency landing. And of course, the screams of happiness at the end. [Thanks Iván!]