What happened
On December 26, 2016, an aircraft operator was notified via email by a passenger regarding ice accumulation on the upper surface of a wing during takeoff. The incident occurred at Warsaw Chopin Airport (AD EPWA) involving a B7CO-800. Following the report, an investigation was conducted to determine why the ice was not addressed prior to departure.
The investigation
The investigation examined the pilot's actions and the pre-flight inspection process. The pilot stated that upon arriving at the aircraft, they had notified ground crew of the need for de-icing. However, after performing a personal inspection of critical areas—including static ports and all flight control surfaces such as leading edges—the pilot determined that de-icing was not required. Consequently, no de-icing procedures were performed. The subsequent flight, including takeoff, cruise, and landing, proceeded without further incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the improper execution of aircraft pre-flight preparation procedures.
- The pilot's inspection failed to identify or correctly assess the ice layer present on the upper wing surface.
Safety action
Following the investigation, the operator implemented several corrective measures:
- The pilot involved underwent retraining regarding Cold Weather Operations procedures.
- All company pilots were notified of the incident details.
- Flight crew members were briefed on the event to reinforce procedures for reporting observed aircraft icing.