“The entire normal operating checklist for the new Embraer Phenom 100 light business jet fits on both sides of a laminated card that you can slide into a shirt pocket,” former Flying editor Mac McClellan wrote approvingly in his 2009 report on the airplane. “The Phenom is designed to cut pilot workload to a minimum so there is time to focus on the overall situation while the airplane and its systems take care of themselves.”
Aftermath: Failure to Focus on the Overall Situation
Key Takeaways:
- A Phenom 100 jet crashed during approach, killing six, due to a premature aerodynamic stall caused by ice accretion on the wings.
- The pilot failed to activate anti-ice systems and selected an incorrect, lower approach speed (Vref) that did not account for existing icing conditions.
- The NTSB concluded the pilot's omission of anti-ice was likely driven by concern over landing distance, as anti-ice use would have significantly increased the required Vref and landing distance for the available runway.
- The article suggests a potential systemic issue where the Phenom 100's substantial Vref increase with anti-ice and high sensitivity to ice accretion may incentivize pilots to deviate from safety procedures.
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