AIR TAXI PLT OF C402C CARGO FLT ENCOUNTERS ICING BUT CANNOT GO LOWER DUE TO MVA. DOWNDRAFT CAUSES ALTDEV.
Synopsis
AIR TAXI PLT OF C402C CARGO FLT ENCOUNTERS ICING BUT CANNOT GO LOWER DUE TO MVA. DOWNDRAFT CAUSES ALTDEV.
Narrative
ON A ROUTINE FLT FROM 1O5 TO RDD I ENCOUNTERED MODERATE RIME ICE AT 11000 FT. THE DEICE BOOTS WERE KEEPING UP WITH THE ACCUMULATION AND I WAS EXPECTING LOWER MINIMUM VECTORING ALTS SHORTLY. THE FORECAST WAS FOR LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE ICING. I RPTED THE MODERATE ICE TO ZOA AND WAS GIVEN AN ALT OF 10000 FT AND A VECTOR FOR THE LOC BACK COURSE APCH TO RWY 16 AT REDDING. IN ABOUT A PERIOD OF 1 MIN I HAD AN ICE ACCUMULATION FROM 1/2 INCH TO SEVERAL INCHES WITH ABOUT 3 INCH RAM'S HORNS ON THE WINGS. MY AIRSPD WENT FROM 140 KTS AT 65% PWR TO BARELY MAINTAINING ALT AT FULL PWR AND 112 KTS. I INFORMED CTR I WAS IN SEVERE ICING AND NEEDED LOWER. THE CTLR TOLD ME I WAS AT THE MVA AND COULD GET LOWER IN 4 MINS. I WAS FACED WITH A CHOICE. DSND AND MAINTAIN 120 KTS; THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM SPD IN ICING CONDITIONS OR FLY AT 112 KTS AND RISK STALLING AND ACCUMULATING ICE UNDER THE WING AND TAIL BUT BARELY MAINTAIN ALT. UNFORTUNATELY I HAD BEEN IN AND OUT OF LEE WAVES; AND I GOT IN ABOUT A 500 FPM DOWNDRAFT WHICH TOOK ME TO 9500 FT; BELOW THE MVA. THE CTLR INFORMED ME I WAS BELOW THE MINIMUM ALT; BUT THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. EVENTUALLY I GOT TO AN AREA WITH A LOWER MVA AND WAS GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO DSND. THE ICE MELTED OFF.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.