Cautions Carriers Against Dispatching In Ice Pellet
Conditions
Sources within the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
tell Aero-News that last week, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) issued a reminder to airlines, charter operators and FAA
inspectors that operating in ice pellet conditions with anti-icing
fluids on the critical surfaces of an aircraft is contrary to FAA
guidance and policy expressed in two FAA Notices:
The FAA stated that the Agency does not have sufficient data at
this time to approve such operations; therefore, such operations
are considered to be potentially hazardous. NBAA urges all Part 135
certificate holders to review their flight release procedures and
anti-ice/de-ice programs to ensure they are in full compliance with
FAA regulations and guidance.
FAA Warning: Anti-Ice/De-Ice Programs – Operating in Ice
Pellets and Heavy Snow
It has come to the attention of the Air Transportation Division
(AFS-200) that a number of air carrier operators are continuing to
dispatch in ice pellet conditions.
Operating in ice pellet conditions with anti-icing fluids on the
critical surfaces of an aircraft is contrary to FAA guidance and
policy expressed in N8000.309, Dispatching During Precipitation
Conditions of Ice Pellets, Snow Pellets, or Other Icing Events for
which No Holdover Times Exist, and N8000.313, Parts 121 and 135
Operations Specification for Deicing/Anti-Icing, Operations in Ice
Pellets without Deice/Anti-Ice Fluids.
The FAA does not have sufficient data at this time to approve
such operations; therefore, without sufficient data, the FAA
considers such operations to be potentially hazardous. The
regulations allow for departures if the contaminating precipitation
is not adhering to the critical surface of the aircraft; a tactile
check of the critical surfaces may be necessary to make this
assessment under active ice pellet conditions. Therefore,
operations in active ice pellet conditions when the ice pellets are
adhering to the aircraft critical surfaces, or the aircraft has
been treated with anti-icing fluids, is contrary to current FAA
guidance and regulations.
Additionally, it has
been brought to AFS-200’s attention that some air carrier
operators are continuing to depart in heavy snow conditions.
Departing in heavy snow conditions is extremely hazardous.
The FAA has provided holdover time (HOT) tables for snow conditions
up to moderate intensity. Snow tends to melt rapidly in
anti-ice fluids. These fluids may be diluted quickly,
resulting in a corresponding rise in the freezing point of the
anti-ice fluid. In heavy snow conditions, anti-ice fluids can
be expected to fail rapidly (in some cases, the fluid has failed
before the aircraft anti-icing process was completed). This
event can put a departing aircraft in great jeopardy. There
should be no air carrier deicing/anti-icing programs that allow for
departures in heavy snow conditions.
AFS-200 has also received reports that some deicing/anti-icing
contract service providers are failing to deice aircraft properly
(e.g., not removing ice or snow from engine inlets, etc.).
Air carrier operators should be reminded that they, the air carrier
operators, are responsible for the proper deicing/anti-icing of
their aircraft and that they should take the necessary actions to
assure that their aircraft are being deiced/ant-iced in accordance
with their program.
Flight standards field offices should monitor their air carriers
for compliance with the current deicing/anti-icing guidance and
regulations.
Air carriers may be subject to enforcement action if they do not
comply with appropriate deicing/anti-icing regulatory
guidelines.
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