Air-ground communications indicate that the Bombardier Challenger 600 which crashed on take-off from Bangor airport underwent de-icing prior to departure.
But radio exchanges between other aircraft appear to suggest that, even with de-icing, the wintry weather at Bangor was causing complications.
Preliminary information from the US FAA states that seven fatalities resulted from the 25 January accident, with one other individual – a member of the crew – sustaining serious injuries.
Ground control communications reveal that, after the Challenger crew declared that they were ready to taxi, they were directed to the de-icing pad and a de-icing truck.
A subsequent conversation, apparently from one of the jet’s pilots, requests Type I de-icing fluid for the “entire ship” and Type IV for the “wings and tail”, according to the communications archived by LiveATC.
But around the same time, separate remarks from the crew of an Allegiant Air Boeing 737 Max that was bound for St Petersburg in Florida referred to problems as deteriorating visibility held up departure after de-icing.
The Allegiant aircraft started taxiing back to the apron, and its crew queried the snow forecast and whether the aircraft would be able to leave the next day if it could not depart that evening.
After informing air traffic control that they intended to try de-icing again, the Allegiant crew was contacted by a Breeze crew asking whether they had failed a pre-flight contamination check.
“We were at end of runway but the visibility dropped and it stuck to us like there was nothing there,” the Allegiant crew responded, seemingly suggesting the visibility delay reduced the effectiveness of the de-icing.
The Breeze crew also indicated that they were pessimistic about the departure situation.
While the Allegiant crew was prepared to attempt de-icing again, they acknowledged that they “might end up staying the night”.
Some 10min after this conversation, the Challenger crew was cleared to take-off on runway 33.
Although the weather conditions are likely to be a subject of attention for investigators, no conclusions have been drawn about the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is sending a team to the scene, says the Challenger 600 crashed during departure and sustained a post-accident fire.
“Once on site, the [team] will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft,” it adds. “The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.”
It says it will gather information from surveillance video, electronic devices, air traffic communications and witness statements as well as documentation about the weather conditions, forecasts, and the crew.
