January Saab 340 Incident Leads To Four New Recommendations

In response to an incident earlier this year in which the pilots of an American Eagle Saab 340 turboprop lost control of their airplane after encountering icing conditions over California's central coast, the NTSB on Monday issued four new recommendations for planes operating in icing conditions:

• Require all operators of Saab SF340 series airplanes to instruct pilots to maintain a minimum operating airspeed of 1.45x Vs during icing encounters and before entering known or forecast icing conditions and to exit icing conditions as soon as performance degradations prevent the airplane from maintaining 1.45xVs. (A-06-48) Urgent
• Require the installation of modified stall protection logic in Saab SF340 series airplanes certified for flight into known icing conditions. (A-06-49)
• Require the installation of an icing detection system on Saab SF340 series airplanes. (A-06-50)
• Require all operators of turbopropeller-driven airplanes to instruct pilots, except during intermittent periods of high workload, to disengage the autopilot and fly the airplane manually when operating in icing conditions. (A-06-51)

In addition to the recommendations, the NTSB also called for a panel to be convened consisting of airplane design, aviation operations, and aviation human factors specialists, including representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to determine whether a requirement for the installation of low-airspeed alert systems in airplanes engaged in commercial operations under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 121 and 135 would be feasible, and submit a report of the panel's findings. (A-03-53)

If the panel requested in Safety Recommendation A-03-53 determines that a requirement for the installation of low-airspeed alert systems in airplanes, the NTSB would then establish requirements for low-airspeed alert systems, based on the findings of the panel.

According to the NTSB's preliminary report on the incident last January, the pilots of the Saab 340, on a flight from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles encountered icing conditions during the en route climb at about 11,500 feet MSL. The plane then banked hard to the left and departed controlled flight, descending to about 6,500 feet MSL before the pilots regained control about 50 seconds later.

The crew then continued to their scheduled destination of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and landed without further incident.

FMI: Read The NTSB Recommendations, Read The Preliminary Report