Woman 'has arm and foot cut off by aeroplane propeller'

Woman reportedly hurt attempting to remove chock from the aircraft’s wheel

Police said a woman lost her arm after it came in contact with the propeller of a private aircraft on Saturday at the Key West International Airport in Florida. (Google Street View)

A woman’s arm and foot were severed at an airport in Florida after she was hit by a plane’s propeller, according to police.

Rebecca Lynn Gray, 45, was hurt attempting to remove a chock from the aircraft’s wheel.

She and her husband, 46-year-old Walter Gray, had rented the single-propeller Cessna 172 S, according to the Miami Herald, but found themselves unable to get it to move towards the runway in order to take off.

The newspaper reported Mr Gray, the pilot, told his wife not to exit the plane, and got out to check on its tyres.

However, she apparently also left the aircraft and tried to removed the chock – a wedge placed beneath the plane’s wheels to stop it moving.

“The right side of the spinning aeroplane propeller struck the right side of [Ms Gray’s body]”, according to a statement by Lieutenant Alex Camacho provided to The Independent.

Her arm “came in contact with the propeller,” the statement continued, and she was rushed to a nearby medical centre.

She was subsequently flown to a trauma centre in Miami after the incident at the Key West International Airport just before 9pm on Saturday.

Officials have launched an investigation into the incident.

Additional reporting by AP