Wed, Dec. 10, 2004
 
Deadly crash may be linked to ice buildup on plane wing
Farmington pilot, co-worker were killed in Idaho accident

The type of airplane that crashed near Salmon, Idaho, during a light storm Monday is the subject of a review by U.S. and Canadian authorities for its vulnerability to accumulate ice on its wings.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Canada's Transportation Safety Board are investigating eight separate accidents involving the Cessna Caravan since 2001 that have killed 37 people. In each case, the Caravan, also known as the Cessna 208B, lost airspeed and crashed in weather conditions known to cause icing, according to the NTSB.

A "safety recommendation letter," the culmination of more than a year and a half of review, is expected to be released next week, said NTSB spokesman Paul Swan.

The Cessna 208B also is the subject of at least two icing-related lawsuits filed against Cessna Aircraft Co. and operators of the aircraft. The Chicago-based Nolan Law Group says more than 50 people have died since 1990 in Cessna 208B crashes in which icing was a factor. Pilot Fred Villanueva, 60, of Farmington, and co-worker Raymond Ingram, 32, of Salmon, died Monday when their Cessna 208B, owned by Idaho-based Salmon Air, crashed about 10:30 a.m. The plane had departed Salt Lake City at 8 a.m.

The plane was purchased new in 2001, said Salmon Air president JoAnn Wolters. It was the first plane the company purchased new and was its only Caravan, she said. Salmon Air is a passenger and cargo service that operates its 11-plane fleet in Utah and Idaho.

"We are just a mom-and-pop operation that has grown up over 24 years. This has been a blow to the great people that work with us," Wolters said.

NTSB investigators were on the scene of the Idaho crash this week to piece together the cause, which was still unknown on Thursday. A preliminary report, expected to be released soon, will not conclusively link the crash to ice buildup on the wings, said Debra Eckrote,   NTSB spokeswoman.

"We're still working on gathering all the facts," she said.

Icing conditions - cold temperatures and cloudy skies - were reported at the time of the crash, Eckrote said.

The National Weather Service reported clouds, light snow and temperatures in the low 20s at the Salmon airport Monday morning.

Though the Cessna 208B meets the minimum standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration for flying in icing conditions, the plane is vulnerable to ice buildup on the wings, said Nolan Law Group attorney Tom Ellis, whose firm represents the families of victims in four Cessna 208B crashes.

Nolan Law Group to date has filed lawsuits in Alabama and Ohio, alleging the maker and operators of the plane knew about its icing problems and failed to correct them.

A civil complaint filed earlier this year claims that the March 15, 2002, death of pilot Mark Stephen Blevins, who was killed when his plane went down in Alma, Wis., was caused by a faulty wing design that gave the airplane "a dangerous propensity for degraded performance in icing and frost conditions."

A lawsuit filed in July alleges that a Dec. 1, 2001, crash near Bessemer, Ala., also implies that the plane's inability to handle icing caused the deaths of Michael O'Neill and Dimitri Tohovitis.

Ellis said he and his colleagues are "trying to effect a change to this aircraft in the interest of public safety." He said "it's a shame" the Cessna Aircraft Co. has not earlier addressed the problem, which he said was first discovered in the early 1990s.

"Why do we have to wait for the pain of the federal government to make the change?" he asked.

A spokesman for Cessna declined to comment on the lawsuits or Ellis' allegations.

As ice builds up on the wings, the friction that creates lift from the air going over the top of the wing is reduced, which can cause the   plane to lose airspeed and, in extreme conditions, stall, according to a supplemental pilot safety and warning manual produced by the Cessna Corp.

"The best course of action is to avoid icing conditions," the manual states.

Wolters said Villanueva was properly trained to fly the 208B and was aware of the procedures necessary for flying the Caravan in icing conditions.

According to the FAA, there are 584 Cessna 208Bs licensed in the United States, including six in Utah. The $1.5 million plane, which comes in four models, is used for freight or passengers and can seat up to 10 people.

Other than concerns about icing, the Cessna 208B has an excellent flight record, pilots say.

Ontario pilot Shawn Harmon, who has flown the Cessna 208B for about five years, said the plane's redundant fuel and electrical systems, along with a user-friendly setup and excellent navigation systems, make it reliable and easy to fly.

"It's a terrific single-engine airplane," Harmon said. He acknowledged, however, that the plane has too many unprotected areas to sustain flight in moderate to heavy icing conditions.

"It can happen instantly, but you train for it," Harmon said. "We have enough experience with it to accept the limitations of the airplane."

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