A propeller of a Regional Express (REX) plane which came apart mid-flight and fell to the ground has been found.
The propeller, weighing about 100kg, was found in bushland just a few hundred metres from a built up residential area in southwest Sydney.
The SAAB 340B twin propeller plane was carrying 16 passengers and landed safely at Sydney.
"Police are now working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to safely recover the item as inquiries into Friday’s incident continue," a police spokesman said.
ATSB officers have been investigating since the incident last Friday.
"The ATSB investigation team will examine the propeller assembly to determine the contributing factors that led to its detachment from the aircraft," the federal agency said.
REX initially grounded five aircraft to enable engineers to remove propeller gear boxes and shafts similar to the one involved in the mid-air scare.
REX’s chief operating officer Neville Howell called the incident an ‘extremely rare event.’
