A Pilot's Guide to Ground Icing

Module I - Risks

Exercises

Section: Situated Questions

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Situated Questions Risks

Use the questions on the following pages to help review what you have learned in this module.

For each question, click on the answer that you think is correct to get a response. If you are not correct (or if you would like to see the responses to the other choices), click on another option. If you do not understand why an option is correct or incorrect, please review the relevant section of this module.

This is not a test. Your answers are not recorded and no score will be calculated.


Situated Questions Risks

Question 1

During the preflight, you discover a thin coating of frost about the roughness of medium sandpaper only on the outboard section of the pilot’s side wing. If you had missed this contamination and had attempted to take off, the aircraft would have probably:

Wing coated with frost


A. Flown fine, thin layers of frost have little effect.

B. Had a longer take off roll but no other effect.

C. Had a pitch upset

D. Had a roll upset


Situated Questions Risks

Question 2

You are the Captain of a light jet flying with a new FO. After completing his preflight inspection, the FO joins you in the cockpit and announces that the aircraft looks clean except for some loose ice on the fuselage above the cabin door. Should you be concerned?

Fuselage coated with frost


A. No. The fuselage is not a critical surface.

B. No. The ice will blow off on the takeoff roll.

C. Yes. The added weight could greatly reduce performance.

D. Yes. The ice could be ingested into an engine.


Situated Questions Risks

Question 3

As you are conducting your preflight, you discover some loose snow and ice on the wing outboard from the engine. Another pilot tells you not to worry about those chunks, because they'll just come off during the takeoff roll. Is he right?

Fuselage coated with frost


A. Yes. Loose chunks of ice are only an ingestion hazard.

B. No. Loose chunks of ice could lodge in the control surfaces.

C. No. Loose chunks of ice may remain on the wing during the takeoff roll.

D. Both B and C


Situated Questions Risks

Question 4

You are flying a light twin out of a mountain airport. It is cold; during the preflight there was ice on the aircraft, but you de-iced and everything looks good. The instruments look good as you roll down the runway and rotate into IMC. During the climb out, everything appears normal but you airspeed begins to decrease. The altimeter appears frozen. What should you do?

Fuselage coated with frost


A. Pitch over. Ice has frozen on the aircraft and you are probably about to stall.

B. Fly pitch and power. The pitot heat has failed and the pitot tube is blocked.

C. Check the engine gauges. One of the engines has probably ingested a piece of ice.

D. Open the alternate static source. The static ports have probably frozen over.


Situated Questions Risks

Question 5

During preflight you notice your co-pilot looking at the top of the horizontal stabilizer but not bending to look under the tail. Should you ask him to go back and check the bottom of the tail?

Fuselage coated with frost


A. No. The bottom of the tail is not a critical surface.

B. No. If the top of the horizontal stabilizer is clean, the bottom will be clean.

C. Yes. Although the bottom of the tail is not a critical surface, ice deposits there cause drag.

D. Yes. The bottom of the tail is a critical surface.


Situated Questions Risks

Question 6

While taxiing in light rain, you notice the OAT reads 0C. Shortly after the plane lifts off, you feel the aircraft shudder without warning. Could this be an incipient wing stall?

Fuselage coated with frost


A. No. Even if there were ice accretion on the aircraft, the stall warning would activate before the aircraft begins to stall.

B. Yes. Ice accretion could be preventing the stall warning system from operating normally.

C. Yes. Ice accretion on the wing could cause the aircraft to stall before the stall warning system activates.

D. Yes. Both B and C.


Situated Questions Risks

Question 7

It is a cold clear morning in the mountains. You and more than a few other pilots are ready to take advantage of a break in the weather that covered the airport with snow and slush the night before. While waiting for your turn to take off, your airplane is splashed by slush kicked up by jet blast from the aircraft in front of you. You take a good look at the wings from the cockpit, and everything looks fine so you elect to take off. The engine instruments look good as you roll down the runway but just past rotation the airspeed indicator stops moving. Shortly after take off, your airspeed apears to function again. As you continue to climb, everything looks normal for a while, then your airspeed begins to climb way above normal. What is happening? What should you do?


A. Ice has blocked the engine sensors. Your engine is starting to overspeed. Reduce power and run the checklist.

B. Ice has blocked the static ports. Open the alternate static source.

C. Ice has blocked the pitot tube. Fly pitch and power.

D. Both B and C.


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