New developments
Just a little update on what's happening over here: According to today's news reports, a preliminary report form BFU (the federal agency investigating aviation incidents) states that insufficient de-icing of the aircraft caused the problems leading to an emergency landing. The aircraft's elevators had not been blocked by dried de-icing fluids, as indicated by earlier reports, but by iced snow or "graupel", as lab tests had shown. (Does this word really exist in English, as my dictionary suggests? It's "Graupel" in German. Soft hail, if you prefer). "In hindsight, the pilot's decision to not de-ice the Avro that day, was not optimal", a BFU official is quoted.
The news report concludes that the new findings don't point to general maintenance problems at Lufthansa City Line as a cause for this incident. Earlier news stories citing an internal Lufthansa report had suggested that, as was discussed here. After the new BFU findings had been publishd today, German TV station ARD pulled an investigative report on maintenance issues that was scheduled for tonight.
The BFU report acknowledges that dried de-icing fluids are a known issue with this type of aircraft, though. Residues of fluid can accumulate on elevators and ailerons easier on this type of plane, the BFU reportedly said. This had caused some emergency landings in 2005. Since then, maintenance procedures had been adjusted appropriately. The BFU says not knowing about related incidents with Lufthansa aircraft since 2005.
A Lufthansa spokesman didn't want to comment for the article, saying the company would wait for the final BFU report.