Theres virtually no substitute for Cessnas Model 208 Caravan as an economical, high-volume utility airplane. Thats why it was a shock to the industry when the FAA considered revoking the Caravans “known ice” certification. After becoming indispensable as a small-package workhorse and charter/backcountry passenger 288
Saving The Cessna Caravan
Theres virtually no substitute for Cessnas Model 208 Caravan as an economical, high-volume utility airplane. Thats why it was a shock to the industry when the FAA considered revoking the Caravans "known ice" certification. After becoming indispensable as a small-package workhorse and charter/backcountry passenger transport, a terrible trend began to develop: Caravans were crashing after encountering icing conditions. The FAA threatened to pull the 208s certification for flight in icing unless industry figured out how to reverse the trend. Somebody had to save the Caravan. What operators, Cessna and the FAA did may change the way we all think about icing certification.
Key Takeaways:
- The Cessna Caravan faced potential revocation of its "known ice" certification due to a dangerous trend of crashes in icing conditions.
- A unique collaboration between the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA), Cessna, and the FAA was formed to address the safety concerns.
- The solution involved a series of FAA Airworthiness Directives mandating hardware upgrades (e.g., additional deice boots, Low Airspeed Awareness System), improved preflight inspection procedures, and updated flight manual supplements with new performance charts for icing.
- Crucially, the "known ice" certification was tied to mandatory, recurrent pilot training (Cessna Cold Weather Course), successfully integrating hardware, operations, and education to preserve the Caravan's utility.
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