Register

Ice Isn’t Nice

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Airframe icing is an unpredictable and dangerous phenomenon that severely degrades aircraft performance, requiring pilots to actively avoid or immediately escape such conditions.
  • A fatal accident involving a Cessna 210 illustrated how structural icing, compounded by pilot impairment, can lead to a loss of aircraft control.
  • Investigation revealed the accident pilot suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a cracked heat exchanger, which likely impaired his judgment and ability to manage the icing encounter.
  • The incident highlights the critical need for pilots to rigorously plan flights to avoid icing and for diligent aircraft maintenance to prevent hidden dangers like CO leaks.
See a mistake? Contact us.

Airframe icing can be found year-round, depending on geography and altitude. In North America, we’re heading into the season when pilots of personal airplanes, which generally don’t fly high enough to worry about ice most of the year, need to factor it into their planning and execution. Even if you’re flying something with a form of ice protection more capable than a warm pitot tube.

One of the things about in-flight airframe icing is it’s relatively unpredictable: A single ice encounter that doesn’t present an operational hazard—a glazed windshield, for example—in no way implies the next one will be as benign.

Ready to Sell Your Aircraft?

List your airplane on AircraftForSale.com and reach qualified buyers.

List Your Aircraft
AircraftForSale Logo | FLYING Logo
Pilot in aircraft
Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.

SUBSCRIBE