From: jallred@spdg.com (John Allred)
Subject: Re: Flying into Ice
Organization: Stratos Product Development Group (Seattle)
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 00:14:04 GMT

In article <509.185.uupcb@ssr.com> dick.zeitlin%acc1bbs@ssr.com (Dick Zeitlin)  writes:
>I'm a minority voice in the wilderness (so it seems...) that would like
>to see IFR students get some experience with icing.  The problem is that
>it's hard to come up with consistently safe scenarios for that training.
>Every IFR pilot will run into icing conditions sooner or later.  The
>general consensus is that the safest philosophy is to get out of it
>ASAP.  Then you minimize the risks associated with icing.

My CFII is very adamant about getting some icing experience before
tacking the -IA on one's license.  However, two Saturdays ago we got
more experience than we bargained for.

We set off on the "instrument cross country":  a reasonably long
flight, where one shoots an NDB, a VOR, and an ILS at different
airports.  It would also be my first real encounter with enroute IFR
operations, as most of the practice areas around Seattle are owned by
Seattle Approach, who is constantly giving radar vectors instead of
letting one "resume own navigation".

The first leg of the x-c was from Seattle to Astoria (the northwest
tip of Oregon) to North Bend, about two thirds of the way down the
Oregon coast.  Freezing level was at 6000 feet.  There was an AIRMET
for icing between North Bend and Newport, OR.  Fortunately, the MEA on
the airway in the AIRMET area was 4000.

So, off we go.  About 40 miles into the journey, we starting popping
in and out of stratus layers at 7000 feet.  The forcast was for 10000
ovc.  "Hmmmm", I say, better be reading for icing.  A check of the
wings, structs, and tires show we're clean.  

At Astoria, Center tells us to climb and maintain 9000 (MEA is 8000
for this leg.)  Still no ice.

Then, 30 miles west of AST, as I'm doing the VOR changeover, the
engine noise changes slightly, and we lose 15 kts in one minute.  And
we've picked up a half an inch of rime ice.  The windshield has turned
opaque.  "This doesn't look good", I say.  "What are you going to
do?", says the CFII.  "180 back to AST", says I.  "Good choice", says
the instructor.  (AST was the closest airport behind us;  Tillamook
was about 10 miles in front.)

So I get on the radio, we get a lower altitude and cleared back to
AST.  We can barely hold altitude with full throttle.  We get vectors
to the ILS, and as we're descending through 4000, we're out of the
clouds, and the ice starts melting.  The prop sheds some ice with loud thuds.

We approach fast (100 kts for a 172) with no flaps.  The landing was
uneventful.  As we taxi to the ramp, large chunks of ice fell off the plane.

After several deep breaths, some junk food (alas, no $50 hamburgers,
just machine-dispensed food), and a briefing to the north (away from
the ice) we go home to Boeing Field.

My Instructor said he had never seen ice come up that fast.  Had we
stayed in the icing conditions another minute, we could have been in
deep doo doo.  If we hadn't been able to maintain altitude back to
AST, we had the option of vectors to the west (over the water) and a
much lower altitude.

I'll never forget the admonishment to "Do Something _NOW_!" when
encountering icing conditions.

John (jallred@spdg.com)
PP-ASEL, -G (-IA under construction)
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