Mad,
NTSB yesterday held a board meeting to review its most wanted list of safety items it wants the authorities to deal with. Despite recent pronouncements by the FAA, icing remains on the list as follows:
AIRCRAFT ICING -- The consequences of operating an airplane
in icing conditions without first having thoroughly
demonstrated adequate handling/controllability in those
conditions are sufficiently severe that they warrant a
thorough certification test program. The FAA has not adopted
a systematic and proactive approach to the certification and
operational issues of airplane icing.
Recommendation: Complete efforts to revise icing
certification criteria, testing requirements, and
restrictions on operations in icing conditions. Evaluate
all aircraft certified for flight in icing conditions using
the new criteria and standards.
Timeliness Classification: Unacceptable.