Crash Report

In-Flight Icing Accumulation and

Uncontrolled Collision with Terrain, Comair Flight 3272 Embraer Emb-120RT, N265CA

Monroe, Michigan, About 45 Miles Southwest of Detroit

January 9, 1997

National Transportation Safety Board. 1998. In-flight Icing Accumulation And Uncontrolled Collision With Terrain, Comair Flight 3272 Embraer Emb-120RT, N265CA Monroe, Michigan, About 45 miles southwest of Detroit, January 9, 1997. Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-98/04. Washington D.C.

Abstract: This report explains the accident involving an EMB-120RT. N265CA was flight 3272 operated by Comair Airline when it crashed approximately 45 miles southwest of Detroit. The aircraft crashed after an uncontrolled roll near Monroe, Michigan, on January 9, 1997. Safety issues discussed in this report focus on procedures for the use of ice protection systems and operation of the autopilot in icing conditions. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are

addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On January 9, 1997 at approximately 3:56 pm EST a Brazilian made EMB-120RT, N265CA, crashed into Monroe, Michigan only 45 miles southwest of Detroit. The plane operated by Comair Airlines was carrying 29 passengers at the time of its crash, no survivors reported. The NTSB determined the cause of the crash was due to poor regulation standards for icing operations while in flight, and especially the failure of the FAA to establish explicit minimum airspeeds for icing conditions, leading to a loss of control when the airplane accumulated a rough layer of ice on its flight control surfaces. The FAA was considered at fault for not properly monitoring if a foreign built aircraft was operating under approved procedures stated in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), for icing/deice operation in the U.S by a U.S operated carrier. 

Contributing to the accident was the decision to operate the aircraft towards the...