Re icing stories. Had to fly a doctor on urgent mission Essendon to Mt Gambier in a C172. Cloud forecast and temps indicated possibility of airframe icing but destination clear. In and out of cloud initially then abeam BCS the IAS fell from 105 knots to 75 knots over a two minute period because of rapid build up of rime ice on the wings and struts and windscreen. I had never experienced such a rapid airspeed loss such as this before. Did a very careful 180 at 10 degrees angle of bank just in case it stalled and returned to EN.
Some years after this incident I heard the news that a C172 operating direct track Merimbula to EN over the hills had gone in but everyone survived. The pilot said he got iced up and unable to maintain height and hit trees at low airspeed still in IMC. He rang his wife on his mobile phone and she contacted relevant SAR authorities.