Passengers on board a Sydney-bound Qantas flight say everybody remained calm after one of the plane's two engines stopped, prompting an immediate return to Canberra Airport.
The 74 passengers on board the Bombardier Q400 included Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport Secretary Mike Mrdak and ACT Brumbies rugby union club chief executive Andrew Fagan.
Passengers said it had been disconcerting to look out the aircraft's windows as it passed Goulburn to see one propeller stopped.
Mr Fagan said the left prop halted 10 or 15 minutes out from Canberra
''There was a noticeable loss of speed when it ceased operation,'' he said.
''One lady next to me said 'I think that's supposed to be spinning around', and a lady on the other side said 'I'm guessing that's not a good thing'.
''Passengers were looking at each other and generally commenting that it's not a particularly good thing.''
Mr Fagan said there was no real noise when the propeller stopped but the noticeable loss of speed was followed by an ongoing thump as the wind forced the propeller to rotate.
''The plane pretty much immediately turned around and the pilot advised us we were returning to Canberra and the landing was smooth,'' he said.
A Qantas spokesman said flight QF1466 left Canberra Airport at 9.15am before experiencing problems in one its engines.
''The engine was shut down and the aircraft returned to Canberra, landing without incident at 10.50am,'' the spokesman said.
Fire and other emergency services vehicles were waiting on the tarmac when the plane landed.
The Qantas spokesman said passengers were to be accommodated on the next available flights, while the plane in question remained grounded.
''Engineers are inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the issue,'' he said.
The Transport Safety Bureau said it had been notified of the incident and was waiting for a report from Qantas before deciding whether to launch its own investigation.
Mr Fagan said a few minutes before the incident he had been discussing the relaxed nature of Australians and this had been confirmed by how people responded to the turnaround.
''After we turned around most people continued to read their books or papers. For most people it was more frustration about having to reschedule appointments,'' he said.
The aborted flight continued an interrupted morning for Mr Fagan. His first two flights had been cancelled before he was called on to that flight. The delays meant instead of attending a government reception in the afternoon in Darwin, he was due to reach his destination some time around midnight.
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