THE THREAT OF cockpit fires has prompted the US Federal Aviation Administration to order US regional airlines to disarm windscreen anti-icing systems on their Raytheon Aircraft 1900D turboprops, pending development of a solution.
Operators of the 19-passenger aircraft have now been prohibited from flying into known icing conditions. Affected are 239 1900Ds operated by commuter carriers.
The airworthiness directive issued on 10 July follows two 1900D incidents in which short circuits around the cockpit windscreen produced arcing and higher-than-normal heat which led to smoke and minor fires in the cockpit. In both cases, the aircraft were landed safely and there were no injuries.
Source: Flight International
