Following the deadly crash of a Challenger 600, the NTSB determined there was trace icing on the wings even though the pilots visually examined the wings before takeoff.
Bombardier, the plane manufacturer, did not provide proper instructions to flight crews operating in winter conditions and did not disclose that the airfoil is too sensitive to ice contamination.
Only after the crash did Bombardier acknowledge that potentially deadly wing contamination might be too small for pilots to see.
Kreindler Files Suit Against Bombardier
Kreindler & Kreindler recently filed suit in Florida against Bombardier, the manufacturer of the Challenger 600 corporate jet, which crashed on November 28, 2004, in Montrose, CO.
What Happened
On November 28, 2004, a Bombardier Challenger 600 airplane crashed upon takeoff in Montrose, Colorado. The Challenger departed from Montrose County Airport in Colorado and was bound for South Bend Regional Airport in Indiana. The pilot, co-pilot, and son of NBC executive Richard Ebersol were killed in this tragic charter plane crash.
The deaths of the three on board the Bombardier Challenger further confirm a dangerous and deadly flaw in the design of the airplane’s wings, making it particularly susceptible to icing.
Our investigation has revealed that Bombardier did not provide proper instructions and warnings to flight crews operating the Challenger in winter conditions and that the Challenger 600 airfoil is dangerously too sensitive to ice contamination.
National Transportation Safety Board Determination
The NTSB determined there was trace (that is, an amount that is imperceptible to the naked eye) icing on the wings. According to the cockpit voice recorder, the pilots visually examined the wings minutes before takeoff and observed them to be clear of ice.
Kreindler Investigation
Our investigation has revealed that Bombardier did not provide proper instructions and warnings to flight crews operating the Challenger in winter conditions and that the Challenger 600 airfoil is dangerously too sensitive to ice contamination.
Only after the crash did Bombardier acknowledge that potentially deadly wing contamination might be too small for pilots to see, even though this problem had been identified and made clear to the manufacturer by British aviation investigators after a similar Challenger jet crash in January 2002. British authorities had called for improved procedures for ice detection, realizing that an unsafe amount of ice, snow, slush or frost might be present on the wings but invisible to the flight crew. Those instructions were not issued until after the Montrose crash.
Our investigation has revealed that Bombardier did not provide proper instructions and warnings to flight crews operating the Challenger in winter conditions and that the Challenger 600 airfoil is dangerously too sensitive to ice contamination.
