Federal regulators, responding to last week's plane crash in Indiana that killed 68 people, are moving to reduce the time certain commuter planes spend flying in icy conditions.
Measures announced by the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday, however, stop short of the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendation that the government temporarily bar commuter planes from flying in icy weather."We believe that all of these actions taken together are fully responsive to the intent of the board's recommendations," said Anthony Broderick, the FAA's administrator for regulation and certification.
An American Eagle ATR-72 propjet crashed Oct. 31 in a soybean field near Roselawn, Ind., killing 68 people.
While the investigation of crash continues, the FAA will:
-Bar ATR-72 and the smaller ATR-42 from using their automatic pilots in icy conditions or during turbulence.
-Advise pilots of all aircraft in the United States to avoid rapid descents at low altitudes or during landing or other deviations from approved procedure as means of minimizing exposure to icy conditions.
-Provide guidance for configuring the aircraft "in the event of inadvertent icing encounters toward establishing appropriate air speeds in icing encounters," Broderick said.