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's "known ice" certification was threatened with revocation by the FAA due to a concerning trend of icing-related crashes.
- An unprecedented collaboration between the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA), Cessna, and the FAA was initiated to address the safety issues.
- The resulting solution involved FAA Airworthiness Directives requiring hardware upgrades (e.g., deice boots, Low Airspeed Awareness System), revised flight manual procedures (e.g., tactile preflight inspections, updated performance charts), and mandatory recurrent pilot training for known icing conditions.
- This cooperative effort successfully preserved the Caravan's operational capabilities in icing, significantly reduced incidents, and set a new precedent for integrating aircraft modifications with pilot education for aviation safety.
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