GENERAL AVIATION SAFETY SENSE

14A
PISTON ENGINE ICING
1 INTRODUCTION
a Al though thi s l eafl et i s mai nl y
addressed to aeropl ane operati ons,
much of i ts content appl i es equal l y
to pi ston-engi ned hel i copters and
gyropl anes.
b Pi ston engi ne i nducti on system
i ci ng, commonl y referred to as
carburettor i ci ng, can occur even on
warm days, particularly if they are
humid. It can be so severe that unl ess
correct acti on i s taken the engi ne
may stop (especi al l y at l ow power
setti ngs duri ng descent, approach or
duri ng hel i copter autorotati on).
c Every year there are several
acci dents i n the UK where engi ne
i nducti on system i ci ng may have
been a factor. Unfortunatel y the
evi dence rapi dl y di sappears.
d Some ai rcraft/engi ne
combi nati ons are more prone to
i ci ng than others and thi s shoul d be
borne i n mi nd when fl yi ng di fferent
ai rcraft types.
2 TYPES OF ICING
There are three mai n types of
i nducti on system i ci ng:
a Carburettor Icing
The most common, earl i est to show,
and the most seri ous, i s carb i ci ng
caused by the sudden temperature
drop due to fuel vapori sati on and
pressure reducti on at the carburettor
venturi . The temperature drop of
2030C resul ts i n atmospheri c
moi sture turni ng i nto i ce whi ch
gradual l y bl ocks the venturi . Thi s
upsets the fuel /ai r rati o causi ng a
progressi ve, smooth l oss of power
and sl owl y strangl es the engi ne.
Conventi onal fl oat type carburettors
are more prone to i ci ng than
pressure jet types.
b Fuel Icing
Less common, i s fuel i ci ng whi ch i s
the resul t of water, hel d i n
suspensi on i n the fuel , preci pi tati ng
and freezi ng i n the i nducti on pi pi ng,
especi al l y i n the el bows formed by
bends.
c Impact Ice
Ice whi ch bui l ds up on ai r i ntakes,
fi l ters, al ternate ai r val ves etc i s
cal l ed i mpact i ce. It forms on the
ai rcraft i n snow, sl eet, sub-zero cl oud
GENERAL AVIATION SAFETY SENSE LEAFLET 14A
PISTON ENGINE ICING
Throttle
butterfly
Fuel
To engine
Air
Ice in carburettor venturi
Fuel icing (less common)
BUILD-UP OF ICING IN INDUCTION SYSTEM
CAA Carto DO C(G)6 Drg No 8805b 23-11-84 10-5-90
and rai n, (i f ei ther the rai n or the
ai rcraft i s bel ow zero C). Thi s type of
i ci ng can affect fuel i njecti on systems
as wel l as carburettors. In general ,
i mpact i ce i s the mai n hazard for
turbocharged engi nes.
d Testi ng has shown that because of
i ts greater and seasonal l y vari abl e
vol ati l i ty and hi gher water content,
carb i ci ng i s more l i kel y when
MOGAS i s used.
e Engi nes at reduced power setti ngs
are more prone to i ci ng because
engi ne i nducti on temperatures are
l ower. Al so, the parti al l y cl osed
butterfl y can more easi l y be
restri cted by the i ce bui l d-up.
Note: For the sake of si mpl i ci ty, i n the rest
of thi s l eafl et, the term Carb Ici ng
i ncl udes Inducti on Ici ng and Carb Heat
i ncl udes Al ternate Ai r.
3 ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS
a Carb i ci ng i s not restri cted to col d
weather, and wi l l occur on warm
days i f the humidity is high,
especi al l y at low power settings.
Fl i ght tests have produced seri ous
i ci ng at descent power wi th the
ambi ent (not surface) temperature
over 25C, even wi th rel ati ve
humi di ty as l ow as 30%. At crui se
power, i ci ng occurred at 20C when
the humi di ty was 60% or more.
(Col d, cl ear wi nter days are l ess of a
hazard than humi d summer days
because col d ai r hol ds l ess moi sture
than warm ai r.) In the Uni ted
Ki ngdom and Europe where hi gh
humi di ty i s common, pi l ots must be
constantl y on the al ert for the
possi bi l i ty of carb i ci ng and take
correcti ve acti on before an
i rretri evabl e si tuati on ari ses. If there
i s an engi ne fai l ure due to carb i ci ng,
the engi ne may not re-start and even
i f i t does, the del ay coul d be cri ti cal .
b Carb i ci ng can occur even i n cl ear
ai r and i s therefore more dangerous
due to the l ack of vi sual warni ng. In
cl oud the ri sk of i ci ng may be hi gher
but the pi l ot i s less l i kel y to be
caught unawares.
c Speci fi c warni ngs of i nducti on
system i ci ng are not normal l y
i ncl uded i n avi ati on weather
forecasts and you must be prepared
to deal wi th i t on the basi s of your
knowl edge and experi ence. When
dewpoi nt i nformati on i s not
avai l abl e, assume hi gh humi di ty
parti cul arl y when:
the surface and l ow l evel vi si bi l i ty
i s poor, especi al l y i n the earl y
morni ng and l ate eveni ng, and
parti cul arl y when near a l arge
area of water;
the ground i s wet (even wi th dew)
and the wi nd i s l i ght;
just bel ow cl oud base or between
cl oud l ayers (hi ghest l i qui d water
content i s at cl oud tops);
i n preci pi tati on, especi al l y i f
persi stent;
i n cl ear ai r where cl oud or fog
may have just di spersed;
i n cl oud and fog, these bei ng
water dropl ets; hence the rel ati ve
humi di ty shoul d be assumed to be
100%.
d The chart overl eaf shows the wi de
range of ambi ent condi ti ons where
the formati on of carb i ci ng i s most
l i kel y. Parti cul ar note shoul d be
taken of the much greater ri sk of
seri ous i ci ng wi th descent power. The
cl oser the temperature and dewpoi nt
readi ngs, the greater the rel ati ve
humi di ty.
4 RECOGNITION AND GENERAL
PRACTICES
Paragraphs 4 and 5 are i ntended as a
general gui de to assi st you to avoi d
i ci ng, but reference shoul d be made
to the rel evant secti ons of Pi l ot's
Operati ng Handbook or Fl i ght
Manual for speci fi c procedures
rel ated to the parti cul ar
ai rframe/engi ne combi nati ons.
These may vary for a different model
of the same aircraft type.
a Wi th a fi xed pi tch propel l er, a
sl i ght drop i n rpm and ai rspeed are
the most l i kel y i ndi cati on of the
onset of carb i ci ng. Thi s loss of rpm
can be smooth and gradual and the
usual reacti on i s to open the throttl e
sl i ghtl y to compensate. However, thi s
acti on, whi l st restori ng the power
hi des the l oss. As the i ci ng bui l ds up,
rough runni ng, vi brati on, l oss of
ai rspeed and ul ti matel y stoppage of
the engi ne may fol l ow. The pri mary
detecti on i nstrument i s the rpm
gauge i n conjuncti on wi th the ASI.
b Wi th a constant speed propel l er,
and i n a hel i copter, the l oss of
power woul d have to be l arge before
a reducti on i n rpm occurs. Onset of
i ci ng i s even more i nsi di ous, but
there wi l l be a drop in manifold
pressure and reducti on i n ai rspeed i n
Serious icing - any power
Moderate icing - cr u i se p o w e r
Serious icing - descent power
Serious icing - descent power
Light icing - cruise or descent
power
W orld W ide
N W Europe
1
0
0
%

R
e
l
a
t
i
v
e

H
u
m
i
d
i
t
y
+30
+20
+10
0 Dewpoint
0
C
-10
-20
+30 +40 +20 +10 0 -10 -20
8
0
%
6
0
%
4
0
%
2
0
%
F
O
G
/
C
L
O
U
D
A pproxim ate
upper lim its
of dew point
CARB ICING CHART
l evel fl i ght. Thus, i n thi s case the
pri mary detecti on i nstrument i s the
manifold pressure gauge.
c If fi tted, an exhaust gas
temperature gauge wi l l show a
noti ceabl e decrease i n temperature
before any si gni fi cant decrease i n
engi ne and ai rcraft performance.
d Carb i ci ng i s cl eared by the pi l ot
sel ecti ng an al ternati ve ai r source
whi ch suppl i es ai r, (heated i n an
exhaust heat exchanger) whi ch mel ts
the i ce obstructi on. Thi s source by-
passes the normal i ntake fi l ter.
e Engi nes wi th fuel i njecti on
general l y have an al ternate ai r
i ntake l ocated wi thi n the engi ne
cowl i ng vi a a val ve downstream from
the normal ai r i ntake. Thi s al ternate
ai r i s warmed by engi ne heat, even
though i t does not normal l y pass
through a heat exchanger.
f Al ways use full heat whenever
carb heat i s appl i ed, parti al hot ai r
shoul d onl y be used i f an i ntake
temperature gauge i s fi tted and onl y
then i n accordance wi th the Fl i ght
Manual or Pi l ot's Operati ng
Handbook. Parti al heati ng can
i nduce carb i ci ng because i t may mel t
i mpact i ce parti cl es (whi ch woul d
otherwi se pass i nto the engi ne
wi thout causi ng troubl e) but not
prevent the resul tant mi xture from
freezi ng when i t passes through the
i nducti on system; parti al heat can
rai se the i nducti on ai r temperature
i nto the cri ti cal range.
g Hot ai r shoul d be sel ected:
whenever a drop i n rpm or
mani fol d pressure i s experi enced,
when i ci ng condi ti ons are
suspected, or
when fl yi ng i n condi ti ons wi thi n
the hi gh probabi l i ty ranges
i ndi cated i n the chart.
But al ways be aware that hot ai r,
whi l st sel ected, reduces engi ne
power. Thi s reducti on may be cri ti cal
i n certai n fl i ght phases. Unl ess
expressl y permi tted, (or necessary),
the continuous use of hot air should
be avoi ded. It shoul d be sel ected for
l ong enough to pre-empt the l oss of
engi ne power or restore the engi ne
power to the ori gi nal l evel .
h If a l oss of power i s due to i ci ng,
and the use of hot ai r di sperses i t, re-
sel ecti on of col d ai r should produce
an i ncrease i n rpm or mani fol d
pressure over the earl i er readi ng.
Thi s i s a useful check to see whether
i ce i s formi ng. If i t i s, moni tor the
engi ne i nstruments as i t may re-
occur. Lack of carb i ci ng wi l l mean
that there wi l l be no i ncrease i n rpm
or mani fol d pressure beyond that
noted pri or to the use of hot ai r.
i Remember, sel ecti on of hot ai r,
when i ce i s present, may at fi rst
make the si tuati on appear worse due
to an i ncrease i n rough runni ng as
the i ce mel ts and passes through the
engi ne. If thi s happens the
temptation to return to cold air must
be resisted so that the hot ai r has
ti me to cl ear the i ce. This time may
be in the region of 15seconds, whi ch
wi l l , i n the event, feel l i ke a very
l ong ti me!
5 PILOT PROCEDURES
a Maintenance
Peri odi cal l y check the carb heati ng
system and control s for proper
condi ti on and operati on. Pay
parti cul ar attenti on to the condi ti on
of seal s whi ch may have deteri orated
al l owi ng the hot ai r to become
di l uted by col d ai r.
b Start Up
Start up wi th the carb heat control i n
the COLDposi ti on.
c Taxying
General l y, the use of carb heat i s not
recommended whi l e taxyi ng because
the ai r i s usual l y unfi l tered when i n
the HOT posi ti on. However, i f i t i s
necessary USE IT.
d Ground Run-Up
Check that there i s a significant
power decrease when hot ai r i s
sel ected (typi cal l y 75100 rpm or
35" of mani fol d pressure) and that
power i s regai ned when col d ai r i s re-
sel ected. If i t i s suspected that i ce i s
present, the hot posi ti on shoul d be
sel ected unti l the i ce has cl eared and
normal power i s restored.
e Immediately Prior to Take-Off
Si nce i ci ng can occur when taxyi ng
wi th l ow power setti ngs, or when the
engi ne i s i dl i ng, sel ect carb heat ON
for 5 seconds and then OFF,
i mmedi atel y before take off to cl ear
any bui l d-up. If the ai rcraft i s kept
wai ti ng at the hol di ng poi nt i n
condi ti ons of hi gh humi di ty, i t may
be necessary to carry out the run-up
dri l l more than once to cl ear i ce
whi ch may have formed.
f Take-Off
Take-off shoul d only be commenced
when you are sure the engi ne i s
devel opi ng ful l power. When at ful l
power and as ai rspeed i s bui l di ng,
you must check that the ful l throttl e
rpm and/or mani fol d pressure i s as
expected. Carburettor heat must
NOT be used during take-off unl ess
speci fi cal l y authori zed i n the Fl i ght
Manual or Pi l ots Operati ng
Handbook.
g Climb
Be al ert for symptoms of carb i ci ng,
especi al l y when vi si bl e moi sture i s
present or i f condi ti ons are i n the
hi gh probabi l i ty ranges i n the chart.
h Cruise
Moni tor appropri ate engi ne
i nstruments for any changes whi ch
coul d i ndi cate i ci ng. Make a carb
heat check at l east every 10 mi nutes,
(more frequentl y i f condi ti ons are
conduci ve to i ci ng). Use full heat and
note the warni ng of para 4 (e), i t
may take up to 15 seconds to cl ear
the i ce and the engi ne wi l l conti nue
to run roughl y as the i ce mel ts and
passes through the engi ne. If the
i ci ng i s so severe that the engi ne has
di ed, keep the hot ai r sel ected as
resi dual heat i n the rapi dl y cool i ng
exhaust may be effecti ve. In al l cases,
i t i s vi tal to sel ect carb heat before
any sel ector val ves or l i nkages are
frozen sol i d by an accumul ati on of
i ce around them. Avoi d cl ouds as
much as possi bl e, note; that few
pi ston engi ned ai rcraft are cl eared
for fl i ght i n i ci ng condi ti ons.
i Descent and Approach
Carb i ci ng i s much more l i kel y at
reduced power, so sel ect hot ai r
before, rather than after, power i s
reduced for the descent, and
especi al l y for a practi ce forced
l andi ng or a hel i copter autorotati on,
i e, before the exhaust starts to cool .
(Thi s al so al l ows a check that no i ce i s
present and that the carb heat i s sti l l
worki ng.) Mai ntai n FULL heat duri ng
l ong peri ods of fl i ght wi th reduced
power setti ngs. At i nterval s of about
500 ft or more frequentl y i f
condi ti ons requi re, i ncrease power to
crui se setti ng to warm the engi ne
and to provi de suffi ci ent heat to
mel t any i ce.
j Downwind
Ensure that the downwi nd check
i ncl udes the fol l owi ng check:
Note the RPM/Mani fol d Pressure
Appl y Ful l Carb heat for about
15 seconds and note the reduced
i ndi cati on.
Return Carb heat to Col d. The
RPM/Mani fol d Pressure wi l l return
to the earl i er i ndi cati on i f there
was no i ci ng. If i t i s hi gher i ci ng
was present.
k Base Leg and Final Approach
Unl ess otherwi se stated i n the Pi l ot's
Operati ng Handbook or
Fl i ght Manual , the HOT posi ti on
shoul d be sel ected on base l eg when
power i s reduced. On some engi ne
i nstal l ati ons, to ensure better engi ne
response and to permi t a go-around
to be i ni ti ated wi thout del ay, i t i s
recommended that the carb heat be
returned to COLD at about 200/300 ft
on fi nal s.
l Go-around or Touch and Go
Ensure the carb heat i s COLD, i deal l y
before, or si mul taneousl y as power i s
appl i ed for a go-around.
m After Landing
Return to the COLD setti ng before
taxyi ng, i f not al ready set COLD,
(para k).
THE SUMMARY IS OVERLEAF
6 SUMMARY
Ici ng forms steal thi l y.
Some ai rcraft/engi ne
combi nati ons are more suscepti bl e
than others.
Ici ng may occur i n warm humi d
condi ti ons and i s a possi bi l i ty at
any time of the year in the UK.
Mogas makes carb i ci ng more
l i kel y.
Low power setti ngs, such as i n a
descent or i n the ci rcui t, are more
prone to gi ve carb i ci ng.
Use ful l carb heat frequentl y when
fl yi ng i n condi ti ons where carb
i ci ng i s l i kel y. Remember that the
RPM gauge i s your pri mary
i ndi cati on for a fi xed pi tch
propel l er; mani fol d pressure for
vari abl e pi tch.
Treat the carb heat as an ON/OFF
control ei ther ful l hot or ful l
col d.
It takes ti me for the heat to work
and the engi ne may run roughl y
whi l e the i ce i s cl eari ng.
Ti mel y use of appropri ate
procedures can PREVENT THIS
PROBLEM.
FINALLY
In the event of carb heat system fai l ure i n fl i ght:
Keep out of i ci ng condi ti ons.
Mai ntai n hi gh throttl e setti ng ful l throttl e i f possi bl e.
Weaken the mi xture sl i ghtl y.
Land as soon as reasonabl y possi bl e.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
Other leaflets in this series:
1C Good Airmanship Guide
2B Care of Passengers
3C Winter Flying
5D VFR Navigation
6C Aerodrome Sense
7B Aeroplane Performance
8D Air Traffic Services Outside
Controlled Airspace
9A Weight and Balance
10A Bird Avoidance
11 Interception Procedures
12C Strip Sense
13A Collision Avoidance
15B Wake Vortex
16A Balloon Airmanship Guide
17B Helicopter Airmanship
18A Military Low Flying
19 Aerobatics
20A VFR Flight Plans
21A Ditching
22 Radiotelephony
23 Pilots: Its your Decision
24 Pilot Health
New leaflets will appear from time to
time on a non-regular basis.
There i s no restri cti on on photo-copyi ng and extracts can be
published provided the source is acknowledged.
Th i s l e a f l e t d o e s n o t su p e r se d e o r r e p l a ce a n y f o r ma l
documents.
If cl ubs, organi sati ons or i ndi vi dual s wi sh to recei ve f urther
co p i e s, p l e a se w r i te to We stw a r d d o cu me d i a Li mi te d ,
37 Wi ndsor Stre e t, Che l te nham, Gl os GL52 2DG. Fax. No.
01242 584139. Telephone 01242 235151.
Suggesti ons and techni cal queri es to SRG Saf ety Promoti on
Secti on, Avi ati on House, Gatwi ck Ai rport, West Sussex RH6
0YR. Tel ephone 01293 573225/7.
ISSN 0266-1519
Civil Aviation Authority 2000
Pr e p a r e d b y th e Sa f e ty Pr o mo ti o n Se cti o n a n d th e
Co r p o r ate Co mmu n i cati o n s De p ar tme n t o f th e Ci vi l
Aviation Authority.