DHC8 captain experienced a loss of torque indication; along with low RPM and itt; when the ecu switc...

Narrative:

During our climb out my first officer was completing the after takeoff checklist. Upon selecting the electronic control unit (ecu) mode switch to norm; the #2 engine lost all indications of torque (digital and analog); the prop dropped to about 1000 rpm; and the inlet turbine temperature (itt) was indicating in the 500 to 600 degree range. Realizing we had an engine failure; which we believed to be a turbine failure; I called for the shutdown of the #2 engine. We then declared an emergency with atc and ran the appropriate checklists. Once the aircraft was secured I notified dispatch of the event; and after consulting with them about the weather decided to divert to ZZZ to land. I then notified the flight attendant of the situation and that we were heading to ZZZ and also made a PA to inform the passengers. We landed without further incident. Engine gauges indicated a failure and the aircraft handling/performance supported that conclusion. The engine failed and the first officer and I responded per our training in accordance with established emergency procedures. I called for the shutdown of the #2 engine. We then declared an emergency with atc and ran the appropriate checklists.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DHC8 Captain experienced a loss of torque indication; along with low RPM and ITT; when the ECU switch was placed to NORM after takeoff. The engine was shut down and the flight diverted to a suitable airport.

Narrative: During our climb out my First Officer was completing the after takeoff checklist. Upon selecting the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) mode switch to norm; the #2 engine lost all indications of torque (digital and analog); the prop dropped to about 1000 rpm; and the Inlet Turbine Temperature (ITT) was indicating in the 500 to 600 degree range. Realizing we had an engine failure; which we believed to be a turbine failure; I called for the shutdown of the #2 engine. We then declared an emergency with atc and ran the appropriate checklists. Once the aircraft was secured I notified dispatch of the event; and after consulting with them about the weather decided to divert to ZZZ to land. I then notified the Flight Attendant of the situation and that we were heading to ZZZ and also made a PA to inform the passengers. We landed without further incident. Engine gauges indicated a failure and the aircraft handling/performance supported that conclusion. The engine failed and the First Officer and I responded per our training in accordance with established emergency procedures. I called for the shutdown of the #2 engine. We then declared an emergency with atc and ran the appropriate checklists.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1207826
Time
Date	201410
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.ARTCC
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	IMC
Light	Dawn
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Dash 8 Series Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Climb
Component
Aircraft Component	Turbine Assembly
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical

DHC8 captain experienced a loss of torque indication; along with low RPM and itt; when the ecu switch was placed to norm after takeoff. The engine was shut down and the flight diverted to a suitable airport.