NTSB Factual Report

On May 21, 2011, at about 1600 Pacific Daylight Time, a Dehavilland DHC-6-300, registration number N178GC, operated by Grand Canyon Airlines (GCNA), experienced an uncontained engine failure in the left engine (No. 1) while flying at an altitude of 5,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), about 3 miles northeast of Grand Canyon West Airport (1G4). The pilot made a safe and uneventful landing at Grand Canyon West Airport. Post flight inspection of the airplane revealed that engine parts had exited the engine casing and breached the engine cowl. No airplane damage was reported. All 17 persons on board including the crew were uninjured. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 as on-demand air tour flight that departed from Boulder City Municipal Airport (BVU)for a local sightseeing tour of the Grand Canyon. Visual meteorological conditions(VMC) prevailed throughout the flight.