Page 20 - Nov21T

again this flight. A fire in flight is the greatest risk I can concoct in my aviation mind. I was going to have to figure out how to make it to Iceland without prop deice.
I recycled the wing boots and noth- ing happened. No ice flew off the air- plane. The boots were “poofed” and were not going to be able to help rid the wings of ice. This was going to be an interesting descent.
I called Reykjavik Control and asked about the weather at Kef lavik. As it turned out, the weather was 1,800 OVC and the temperature was 4 Celsius. That was good news. Ic- ing usually happens in a reasonably thin layer, and I planned to descend through to a lower altitude quickly. Reykjavik Control gave me a descent to 3,000 MSL and I increased the air- speed to 165+ KIAS, well above the minimum icing speed of 130 KIAS for the Piper Meridian. I then com- manded a 2,500 FPM descent and dove down through the clouds.
My eyes were on the flight instru- ments, but I probably looked like a wander lost chameleon as I seemed to keep one of my eyes on the illumi- nated wing and the other on the panel. More ice built up on the wings, but
18 • TWIN & TURBINE / November 2021
the mighty Meridian never showed any bad in-f light manners.
Finally, when I descended through 4,000 MSL, all of the ice flew off the airplane within seconds. I must have hit a warm layer and the high speed caused tremendous shedding. As the ice flew off the airplane, so did my worries. Within a few minutes, the long runway and incredible LED air- port lighting at BIKF came into view, giving me complete comfort that all my icing worries were gone for this f light. The landing was unevent- ful. We were both happy to end the long day of f lying.
Josh: It’s funny, but the longest part of the trip was those three minutes descend- ing into Keflavik. Yet, they were also the most beneficial for me as a pilot. There is a reason why you see businesses use an “apprentice” type model to teach newcom- ers the ropes. Icing will not be as nerve- racking the next time it happens. I will be ahead of the plane instead of behind it.
Post-Flight Analysis
A maintenance investigation showed there was a small short in one of the prop boots that caused a small burnt area on the boot. There was probably a little bit of smoke that
Aerial of an Icelandic volcano.
entered the engine inlet, went through compression, and was tapped at the P3 bleed air line, which then entered the cabin as air for pressurization. It was probably good that I didn’t turn the prop heat on in-flight more than I did for I’d have risked sending elec- trons to an electrical short. What about the surface deice? We could not find a problem. It worked perfectly on the next flight. Sometimes mechanical devices can throw you a curveball.
So, did I handle that situation right? Well, we landed at Keflavik safely, so it could be argued that I did. But, as with all armchair opportunities, there were certainly things I could have done better. The biggest lesson learned (or confirmed) is that I should have tested the equipment better beforehand. Of course, I checked the system back in Texas and sporadically along the way, but I think I should have flown with the icing systems operating for longer periods as I flew closer to civilization and a potential maintenance facility. Had I known about the faint smell, I could have remained in Goose Bay to get the system fixed.
If I have one overarching lesson from this experience, it would be that icing exacerbates any bad situation.