April 29, 2010, Montreal - U.S. air-safety regulators are ordering fixes to
Bombardier Q400 turboprops to prevent stalls in icy conditions.
The directive from the Federal Aviation Administration requires
airlines to inspect, and possibly replace, various parts on 69
turboprops in service with U.S. carriers.
The directive focuses on possible malfunctions of devices that
help warn pilots about an impending aerodynamic stall, particularly
in icy conditions.
The FAA has determined that the devices can provide inaccurate
data to the stall-warning system in the cockpit after seizing up or
becoming coated with ice in certain low-temperature conditions.
The agency says there have been no reported incidents or
accidents involving the problem, which is unrelated to the crash of
a Colgan Air Q400 in Buffalo, N.Y., in February 2009 that killed 50
people.
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