Aircraft

Icing
Development
Factors &
Hazards
AVI 132 - Ygor Carvalho
 What is Icing?
● It is any deposit of Ice that forms on an object (Aircraft surfaces in this case)
● Icing is a cumulative hazard - The longer an aircraft collects ice, the worst the
hazard will be.

Icing is a major Hazard for GA Aircraft

 Structural Icing
● Structural Icing is the ice that sticks to the outside of an airplane
● Occurs when supercooled water droplets strike the airframe and then freeze

There are 3 main types of Icing on Aircraft

1. Rime Icing
2. Clear Icing
3. Mixed Icing
Structural Icing Formation

How Ice Forms on Aircraft

 Structural Icing Formation

How supercooled water freezes when it comes in contact with a surface

 Structural Icing Formation

Animations of Ice Forming on Airfoils & 3 Types of Icing

Rime Icing
Rime Ice looks like sandpaper, or
● Opaque, milky white, rough the back of your freezer

● Brittle, frost-like
● Formed by small, supercooled
droplets in Stratiform clouds
● Light in weight
● Causes change in wing
camber (change) thus
affecting the creation of lift
● Can easily block instrument
ports
Clear Icing
● Coating of hard, Glassy clear ice
● Formed from large supercooled water
droplets, usually in Cumuliform clouds
and freezing rain
● Solid sheet of ice covers airplane
structures.
● Alters the camber of the wing, increases
drag, and adds weight to aircraft
● May collect in a Horn shape, impacting
aerodynamics even more.
Mixed Icing
● Appearance is whitish, irregular, and
rough
● Properties of both clear and rime ice
● Can accumulate quickly
● Small and Large supercooled
droplets form this type of icing
● Difficult to remove
● Occurs in the colder portion of Example of mixed icing
cumuliform clouds
Frost & Frozen Dew
● Accumulates on
airplane surfaces on
the ground
● Increases friction on
surfaces
● Increases stall speed
& reduces lift
● Must be removed
before take-off
Icing With Fronts
● Most icing occurs near Fronts - Plan flights to cross front on the shortest
distance possible
● May occur above or below the Front
● Warm air is lifted and cools to below zero saturation, making it contain
supercooled water droplets. The droplets freeze when striking the airplane.
● Unstable air = sporadic icing - Stable air = icing over an extended area
● Freezing rain or freezing drizzle will accumulate ice very quickly
Icing With Fronts (cont.)

Image shows where and how icing occurs across frontal boundaries
Icing With Mountains
● More likely and severe in
mountainous regions
● Air gets pushed up the mountain
face and water may become
supercooled
● Pilots have no alternative to fly to
a lower altitude due to terrain
Avoiding Icing
● Obtain WX briefing
● Analyze Charts at
https://www.aviationwea
ther.gov/icing
● Look for Pireps
Incident Case Study 1 - Bonanza N9345Q Source: AOPA Air Safety Institute

● April 16, 2018: Bonanza N9345Q was on an IFR flight from Ohio to Florida
● IFR flight planned at 4000 ft. Flight encounters “light rime ice”, descends
below to 3000 in an attempt to clear ice. Outside temp at that time was 1c.
● Plane starts to lose altitude, and seems unable to climb. ATC warns pilot that
he is below MVA
● Pilot decides to continue even after ATC asks if they need to land
● N9345Q continues to lose altitude and then impacts ground. Both pilot and
passenger are fatally injured
Incident Case Study 1 - Bonanza N9345Q Source: AOPA Air Safety Institute
Lessons Learned
● Pilot failed to obtain a weather briefing
● Pilot attempted scud running over
mountainous terrain
● Pilot hoped for better conditions

1. Always obtain a weather briefing, specially

on a long distance XC flight
2. Use and listed to ATC - ATC warned pilot of
MVA, and flight was several hundred feel N9345Q Crash Site - AOPA Air Safety Institute
below MVA.
Incident Case Study 2 - Cirrus N451TD Source: AOPA Air Safety Institute
● April 18, 2018: Cirrus flight from KLNS to Indiana
● Pilot was flying IFR, obtained a weather briefing the night before the accident
● While en route over PA, aircraft started to accumulate ice. Forecast had
changed for the worst. Pilot realizes that there are not many options to exit
icing, and asks for nearest airport. Low IFR conditions prevail, so the next
option was KAOO
● While being vectored to KAOO, situation
worsened, pilot missed the localizer, and
became disoriented. Airplane entered a
graveyard spiral, and crashed.

Flight path, showing missed localizer and final graveyard spiral to crash site
Incident Case Study 2 - Cirrus N451TD Source: AOPA Air Safety Institute
Lessons Learned
● Pilot failed to obtain an updated weather briefing the morning of the flight
● Attempted flight on 10h old weather information
● Was not assertive enough with ATC for immediate exit from icing conditions
● Missed airplane parachute safety pin still inserted

1. Always obtain the latest weather before departure. Weather is dynamic, and pilot
missed new sigmets that had been issued for his flight time and route.
2. Use assertive language with ATC to communicate the real severity of the
situation. Icing on GA aircraft is critical and you need to exit it immediately.
Incident Case Study 3 - Pieper N6661P Source: Aviation-safety.net
● Location: Meadow Lake Airport - KFLY, Colorado Springs, CO
● Pilot flew into Icing conditions. Asked ATC to fly lower, but was still in IMC at
MVA. Pilot visually acquired airport, and went in to land
● Plane had accumulated 1.5 to 2 inches of structural icing
● Pilot kept airspeed up in the pattern, but reduced power on short final, and
airplane stalled at 105mph, short of the runway.
Incident Case Study 3 - Pieper N6661P Source: Aviation-safety.net

Lessons Learned
● Pilot did not obtain weather en route when encountering worsening conditions
● Pilot did not keep enough airspeed when landing, resulting in a stall and
crash.

1. If weather changes, ask for weather from flight service

2. Remember you can stall at a much higher than normal speed
3. Do not use flaps when landing with structural icing
 SOURCES & RESOURCES

https://www.weather.gov/source/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/icing_stuff/icing/icing.ht
m

https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/weather/how-to-get-perfectly-clear-ice-on
-your-airplane/

https://flightsafety.org/asw-article/hazardous-ice/

https://www.aviationweather.gov/icing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rryvSQhK7k

https://fly8ma.com/topic/aircraft-icing/

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/149489