Two simultaneous Emergencies due to Icing

Ice Began to Affect the First Skyhawk

A Cessna 172, N685DW, was flying from Lebanon Municipal Airport toward Burlington when ice accumulated on the aircraft. The pilot reported difficulty carrying out control inputs as the icing increased the workload.

ATC Kept the Aircraft Moving

Controllers vectored the Skyhawk around the traffic pattern and worked it toward Burlington for landing. The immediate objective was to get the aircraft onto the ground while the pilot was dealing with the degraded handling condition.

Then a Second Emergency Appeared

While the first aircraft was being handled, another Skyhawk reported engine trouble. The second problem was also suspected to be related to icing. The controller therefore had two aircraft requiring attention at the same time.

Priority Handling

Both aircraft were given priority within the traffic sequence. The available recording shows how the controller had to manage the first icing emergency while also making room for the second aircraft. The first Skyhawk was taken into the pattern at Burlington for a safe landing.

The first aircraft, N685DW, was operating from Lebanon Municipal Airport to Burlington. The pilot reported that the accumulated ice was interfering with the ability to make normal control inputs. That changed the priority from continuing the route to getting the aircraft safely into the Burlington pattern.

Controllers worked the aircraft around other traffic and arranged a landing. The second Skyhawk then reported an engine problem, creating a second emergency at the same time. The problem was reported as probably related to icing, but no confirmed mechanical cause was established.

Handling both aircraft required sequencing them without losing track of either emergency. The first Skyhawk was brought into the Burlington pattern, while the second aircraft received priority as well.

The event ended with the first aircraft landing safely. the record does not provide a detailed investigative finding for the second aircraft, so no stronger conclusion is assigned.

The first aircraft was identified as N685DW, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The flight began at Lebanon Municipal Airport and was headed toward Burlington. The pilot's report of icing came before the aircraft entered the Burlington pattern.

The second Skyhawk's emergency complicated the traffic picture because it was not simply another aircraft asking for routine priority. Its reported engine trouble created a second problem while the first aircraft was still being positioned for landing.

No documented evidence establishes whether the second aircraft actually suffered an engine failure caused by icing. It reports the pilot's problem and the suspicion of icing, but that distinction is retained rather than turning a preliminary description into a confirmed mechanical cause.

The two emergencies occurred in the same operating area and required the controller to sequence priority traffic without losing the first aircraft's progress toward landing.

picked up ice on the aircraft and wasn't able to take some actions on controls over the plane.

Accident facts

Chronology of the event

Sources