Enroute Icing

### Produced by The COMET® Program

### Introduction » Challenges of Enroute Icing

Ask pilots which weather condition is most challenging for flying, and many will say icing. Ice accumulation increases aircraft weight and degrades its aerodynamics. Icing impacts depend on aircraft size, wing orientation, and the availability of onboard deicing equipment.

Over the years, aircraft icing has resulted in numerous accidents, some fatal. Often pilots were unaware that icing was imminent, as were the aviation forecasters providing guidance to the air traffic controllers (ATCs). Insufficient awareness was cited as an ongoing problem by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a 2014 report on improving general aviation safety.