ASPEN - Of all the things to lose, Aspen resident Barry Cox says he never thought the propeller off his Piper Malibu would be one of them.

“Propellers don’t usually come off,” said Cox.

On December 26, 2007 Cox and three passengers were flying into Aspen, when the pilot lost power and lift.

Turns out the propeller on his plane fell off in mid-flight. With his front window covered in oil, Cox managed to coast back to the Aspen Airport and make an emergency landing never realizing he lost his prop.

“Twelve and a half miles, I coasted it in, I didn’t even know I lost my prop, because I couldn’t see out the front window,” said Cox.

That was 7 months ago and now Cox is looking for that long-lost propeller. Cox knows it came off somewhere near the Reudi Reservoir in the Roaring Fork Valley, he just can’t find it.

So, he’s offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who finds the 50-pound prop and brings it to him.

“I don’t need it back because I’m going to use it; I need it back for the investigation,” said Cox.

The NTSB is still trying to learn why the propeller came off and Cox says having the propeller would help a lot in the investigation.

“One idea is they feel the propeller may have been installed improperly,” said Cox.

You can learn more about the reward and exact location where the propeller may be by going to Cox’s Web site at www.wheresmyprop.com.