Accident Details
During the takeoff roll, while the airplane was passing 45 knots indicated airspeed, ice formed between the inner and outer panes of the windshield, obscuring the crew's vision. The flight crew aborted the takeoff. The airplane subsequently drifted off the left side of the snow-covered runway and caught fire.
Windshield Anti-Ice System
The windshield anti-ice system blows air from a combustion heater between the windshield glass panes. The air source for the heater, once the airplane has forward airspeed, is two leading edge wing scoops. The system relies on this air supply to function.
Crew Observations
The crew reported that the airplane and windshield were cold soaked, with the temperature at -10 degrees Fahrenheit. They told the NTSB investigator that the taxi time was too short for the windshield to warm up. During the taxi, snow was circulated around the airplane and into the wing scoops.
Probable Cause
According to official findings, the probable cause was the ingestion of snow into the windshield anti-ice system, and the resulting obscured windshield which made runway alignment not possible. Factors associated with this accident were the cold windshield, the reduced performance of the windshield anti-ice because of the short taxi by the crew, and the insufficient information on the system provided by the manufacturer.