Communiqués

TSB # A02/2006

THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD OF CANADA ISSUES SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS ON CESSNA 208 SERIES AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN ICING CONDITIONS

(Gatineau, Quebec, January 31, 2006) - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released Aviation Safety Recommendations following the fatal accident (A05C0187) that occurred in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on October 6, 2005 involving a Cessna 208 series aircraft.

A review of aircraft performance data and the occurrences involving the Cessna 208 aircraft type indicated that it is more significantly affected by atmospheric icing than some other types of Cessna turbopropeller aircraft certified for flight into known icing conditions. The manufacturer's data indicate that, with residual icing on exposed aircraft surfaces, the aircraft's cruising speed can decrease to a point approaching that of the stall speed. TSB investigators reviewed 19 occurrences from 1990 to 2005 involving Cessna 208A and 208B aircraft operating in airborne icing conditions. These occurrences resulted in 42 fatalities and 4 serious injuries.

This review has led the Board to recommend that the Department of Transport take action to restrict the dispatch of Canadian Cessna 208, 208A, and 208B aircraft into forecast icing meteorological conditions exceeding "light," and prohibit the continued operation in these conditions, until the airworthiness of the aircraft to operate in such conditions is demonstrated. The Board also recommends that the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) take action to revise the certification of these aircraft to prohibit flight into such conditions.

The Board also recommends that the Department of Transport and the FAA require that Cessna 208 operators maintain a minimum operating airspeed of 120 knots during icing conditions and exit icing conditions as soon as performance degradations prevent the aircraft from maintaining 120 knots.

This issue was recently the object of three recommendations issued by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to the FAA regarding Cessna 208 aircraft flying in icing conditions. The recommendations released today by the TSB are more explicit with respect to pilot response to icing conditions.

The investigation into the October 6 accident in Winnipeg is still ongoing and the Board may make further safety recommendations should additional safety deficiencies be identified.

On October 6, 2005, a Cessna 208B operated by Morningstar Air Express departed Winnipeg on a freight flight to Thunder Bay, Ontario. The aircraft, with one pilot and about 2470 pounds of cargo on board, departed, climbed out without apparent difficulty, and turned right on course. However, as the flight progressed, the rate of climb deteriorated and evolved into an increasing rate of descent. About four minutes into the flight, the pilot requested an immediate return to the airport due to icing considerations, but did not declare an emergency. Departure control provided the pilot with two radar vectors for landing, but the aircraft departed controlled flight and crashed on a Canadian National railway property in the city of Winnipeg. The pilot was killed and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-impact fire.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

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Aviation Safety Recommendations A06-01 and A06-02, and A06-03 and A06-04 are also available on this site.