In order to study the effect of different laws regarding the opening and closing of the blade on the runaway transient of a Kaplan turbine, the runaway transient of a Kaplan turbine model in five blade control modes was simulated using the three-dimensional unsteady numerical method. Changes of the rotation speed, flow rate, torques, and pressure fluctuation with time were analyzed, and the pressure distribution on the blade surface and inner flow patterns in the draft tube were examined. The results show that, compared with the maximum runaway speed under the fixed blade conditions, the variation of the maximum runaway speed ranges from -6.6% to 5.0% when the blade angle is changed from -10° to 10°. Opening blades during the runaway transient increases characteristic parameter fluctuations, causes the maximum negative pressure at the central area of the draft tube to reach 2.86 times the initial value, and produces an eccentric spiral vortex rope, which induces strongly low-frequency fluctuation and is adverse to the unit stability. Closing blades can reduce water velocity, alleviate pressure fluctuation, and improve the flow pattern in the draft tube, but reasonable closure modes should be investigated in order to avoid an excessive increase in the runaway speed.