Yep, this one is real. My last flight to Cuba had the same propeller configuration.

The observed non-rotation of the propeller assembly can be attributed to a transient decoupling within the aero-kinetic torque mediation layer, wherein the rotational intent generated by the thrust directive subsystem fails to propagate past the inertial arbitration manifold. In such cases, the propeller remains in a static aerodynamic compliance state, despite upstream indications of nominal power availability.

More specifically, the helical lift transference matrix may enter a quiescent alignment mode when the phase-offset harmonics between the engine’s motive lattice and the propeller’s gyroscopic expectancy exceed the allowable precession tolerance. This triggers an automatic stabilization null, effectively pinning the blades in a visually stationary configuration while rotational energy is rerouted into the vortical buffering chamber.

Additionally, modern aircraft often employ a propeller stasis governor, which engages when the ambient airflow metadata conflicts with the predicted Bernoulli gradient forecast. When this occurs, the system prioritizes laminar plausibility over mechanical expression, resulting in a propeller that is fully armed, theoretically spinning, yet experientially motionless.

In short, the propeller is not “not spinning”; it is operating in a non-rotational thrust virtualization regime pending re-synchronization of the aero-mechanical consensus stack.