Cessna 208 flaws?
London Free Press
Aircraft maker 'aware of flaws'
A U.S. lawsuit raises concerns about a Cessna model similar to one that crashed off Pelee Island.
JONATHAN SHER, Free Press Reporter 2004-01-24 03:32:38
The manufacturer of the plane that crashed last weekend into Lake Erie knew for years that model had flaws that made it dangerously susceptible to ice, says a lawsuit filed against Cessna Aircraft Co. The presence of freezing rain last Saturday about the time of takeoff of the Cessna 208B Caravan is being investigated by Canadian authorities. The crash killed 10 people.
Cessna has known since the 1990s there was a defect in the design or manufacturing of its 208B Caravan that made it prone to icing, the suit claims.
The lawsuit was filed after that model crashed Oct. 10, 2001, in Alaska. That crash killed all 10 on board.
"Cessna appointed a special committee to study this precise problem and conducted additional testing," reads the legal claim, obtained by The Free Press.
Tests showed the plane was prone to stall after a "minor" amount of ice got on the wings and tail, the suit contends.
Despite discovering the flaw, Cessna marketed the Caravan for cold climates and failed to warn operators of the defect, the suit claims.
The lawsuit contains allegations that have not yet been proven in court.
Cessna spokesperson Jessica Myers wouldn't comment yesterday on pending litigation or the claim Caravans were especially vulnerable to ice.
But Myers did say the plane was durable, reliable and capable of carrying large loads in all types of weather. "It's kind of the SUV of the sky."
The Alaska crash bears striking resemblance to the one last Saturday that killed 10 people just off Pelee Island.
Both planes crashed moments after takeoff. Both were piloted by men who had flown four years for their airlines. Both led investigators to examine if ice built up on the wings, and if a buildup caused the crashes.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board concluded one year ago that undetected ice caused the Alaskan crash.
That ice wouldn't have been easily visible from the ground because the wings are placed high on the plane, investigators said in their final report.
Cessna is also defending a second lawsuit filed after four perished in a Caravan that crashed mid-flight in Nov. 8, 2002, in Arizona. The claim was filed in October 2003 by the family of the pilot, who was killed.
While the U.S. safety board hasn't finished its investigation, its early findings suggest icing played a critical role.
On Thursday, Transport Canada suspended the licence of the airline that operated the Caravan in the Pelee crash -- Georgian Express, based in Mississauga.
Efforts to recover the bodies of the victims of the Pelee crash as well as the plane were hampered yesterday by poor weather. High winds and blowing snow made conditions too dangerous to use a helicopter, needed to ensure the safety of the divers.