Question- “Opine to the major issues in the Roselawn, IN. [NTSB AAR-9601(PDF) icing accident. Was causation a unique meteorological condition, crew issue, or an aircraft design flaw?”
Response
Different aircraft accidents are caused by various factors that make the aircraft crash. In this particular accident, external factors such as bad weather conditions made the situation worse for the crew. The aircraft flew amid freezing rain which led to the accumulation of ice on the aileron hinge. Secondly, the crew had limited training in such icing conditions which led to the crash. The crew could not handle such a situation. Noteworthy, the crew had time to make a deviation request from their altitude to leave the icing environment. Additionally, the aircraft harbored design flaws that made it lose control and could not match the icing conditions making ice build-up within the aircraft. The report stated that different capabilities were not specified by the aircraft manufacturer. "Further, although no aircraft are certified for flight into freezing drizzle or freezing rain, the ATR 72 flight manual did not specify the operational limits and capabilities of the airplane in conditions such as freezing drizzle and freezing rain (pg. 171)." Therefore, the NTSB investigation team conducted their research and found the aircraft manufacturer- manual misleading.
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Q. “And what lessons could be gleaned from this accident to prevent another similar one.”
Response
One of the lessons is that the aircraft crew members must be well-trained on how to handle given tough conditions when onboard (Armanini et al., 2016). As a result, the crew could handle hazardous weather with skill. Secondly, the crew should be well-advised by the Hazardous In-Flight Weather Advisory Service (HIWAS) on all the pertinent data or information on the current weather situations to have sufficient notice when about to fly the aircraft. The crew members should also be well-versed with the aircraft characteristics such as the ice controls, de-icing system, doors, landing systems, and the landing gear servicing that could be affected when faced with any icing environment.
References
Armanini, S. F., Polak, M., Gautrey, J. E., Lucas, A., & Whidborne, J. F. (2016). Decision-making for unmanned aerial vehicle operation in icing conditions. CEAS Aeronautical Journal, 7(4), 663-675.
Encounter, I. F. I. Loss of Control Simmons Airlines. American Eagle Flight, 4184, 1-322.
