Methods and apparatus for retaining a butterfly plate within a valve housing after complete drive shaft failure. More particularly, the present invention is directed to the use of a pin extending between the butterfly plate and the valve housing where an end of the pin extends into a semi-circular channel centered on the center axis of the drive shaft. In preferred embodiments, the pin is immovably fixed to the valve housing, and extends into a channel on the butterfly plate assembly where the channel is sized, dimensioned, and positioned such that it corresponds to the path of an end of the pin as the plate rotates on the drive shaft.