Icing Problems Could Have Caused Airplane Crash

I am sure most of you are aware of the aircraft that crashed in upstate New York on Thursday night (around 10:30 pm). The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash and its cause(s). Most experts believe that the crash's cause was ice, particularly, the failure of the aircraft's deicing mechanisms. Since the aircraft was propeller-driven and unlike many jets in use today, it had deicing boots. These boots expand and contract to decrease the amount of ice buildup on an aircraft's wings and other parts of the aircraft. The plane crashed approximately six miles from the Buffalo Airport where light snow and mist were being reported. These conditions are ideal for icing on an aircraft.

The Manassas, VA-based company, Colgan, is a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines. They owned the aircraft that crashed into a home in suburban Buffalo. Experts say that, because the aircraft pitched down very violently, ice was mostly likely a large cause of the aircraft's crash. This is the first fatal crash of a commercial jetliner in nearly two and a half years. While the Federal Aviation Administration has not commented, and the NTSB has not ruled out any potential causes, many believe that icing could inhibit air from properly flowing over the wings, causing catastrophic failure of the aircraft's aerodynamic lift mechanisms--the wings.

The website, LiveATC.net, has released the final minutes of air traffic control recording from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport tower. That audio is located here. Source: LiveATC.net

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