Rofzu , 05-31-2006 05:32 PM
Line Holder
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada Issues Safety Recommendations on Cessna 208 Series Aircraft Operating in Icing Conditions
TSB # A02/2006
(Gatineau, Quebec, January 31, 2006) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released Aviation Safety Recommendations following the fatal accident (A05C0187) that occurred in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on October 6, 2005 involving a Cessna 208 series aircraft.
A review of aircraft performance data and the occurrences involving the Cessna 208 aircraft type indicated that it is more significantly affected by atmospheric icing than some other types of Cessna turbopropeller aircraft certified for flight into known icing conditions. The manufacturer's data indicate that, with residual icing on exposed aircraft surfaces, the aircraft's cruising speed can decrease to a point approaching that of the stall speed. TSB investigators reviewed 19 occurrences from 1990 to 2005 involving Cessna 208A and 208B aircraft operating in airborne icing conditions. These occurrences resulted in 42 fatalities and 4 serious injuries.
This review has led the Board to recommend that the Department of Transport take action to restrict the dispatch of Canadian Cessna 208, 208A, and 208B aircraft into forecast icing meteorological conditions exceeding "light," and prohibit the continued operation in these conditions, until the airworthiness of the aircraft to operate in such conditions is demonstrated. The Board also recommends that the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) take action to revise the certification of these aircraft to prohibit flight into such conditions.
The Board also recommends that the Department of Transport and the FAA require that Cessna 208 operators maintain a minimum operating airspeed of 120 knots during icing conditions and exit icing conditions as soon as performance degradations prevent the aircraft from maintaining 120 knots.
Keep the speed up, and lots of ice-x from your mx dept..
Rofzu.