Ground Icing - Historical Reports

These six reports detail some typical ground icing accidents of the 1940’s through the 1960’s. It is possible that the assertions of Carroll, MacAvoy and Samuels (see Historical Papers), which suggested that not all icing was necessarily dangerous and that frost was almost never a threat, persisted, in all likelihood reinforced by considerable wartime experience. The facilities to properly deice a transport aircraft were not always available, much as is the case today with small cargo feeder operations. In the case of Ozark 982, the crew was aware that ice had accreted during the approach, but opted not to remove it prior to departure.

The details surrounding Commuter 502 are nearly identical to many general aviation ground icing accidents that continue to occur today. Suffice to say that snow does not blow off the wing with anything approaching the remotest reliability.

GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

Delta 705

Douglas DC-4
Chicago, Illinois
March 10, 1948
GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

Seattle Air Charter

Douglas DC-3
Seattle, Washington
January 2, 1949
GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

Monarch 1090

Curtiss C-46D
Chicago, Illinois
January 4, 1951
GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

West Coast 720

Fokker F-27
Klamath Falls, Oregon
March 10, 1967
GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

Ozark 982

Douglas DC-9-15
Sioux City, Iowa
December 27, 1968
GROUND ICING - HISTORICAL REPORTS

Commutair 502

Beech C-45H (Volpar)
Binghamton, NY
March 22, 1970
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