Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 25, 1992                   TAG: 9203250218
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

ICE SUSPECTED AS CRASH CAUSE

The pilot, Capt. Wallace Majure II, who was among the 27 people killed, had the plane de-iced with a fluid known as Type 1 about 35 minutes before takeoff.

"The fluids that would be used at La Guardia or by USAir just won't last that long," said Richard Adams, a retired Federal Aviation Administration official whose expertise is aircraft icing.

John Lauber, head of a National Transportation Safety Board investigation team, cautioned: "It's too early to jump on any pet theory."

How long the fluid works depends on the temperature, fuel and the kind of wing, Lauber said Tuesday night. He said he didn't think five minutes was a reasonable figure.

"There's no single number one can use to say how long a de-icer works," he said. He wouldn't elaborate on a possible range.

"It looks like a classic case of wing ice," said Dick Russell, a retired United Airlines pilot who works as a safety consultant. Ice can distort the shape of a wing and reduce its ability to lift.

Scrape marks and the position of the wreckage indicate the plane veered to the left as it was lifting off. Russell said that could have resulted from uneven icing.

Another cold-weather protectant for airplanes, Type 2, prevents icing for at least 30 minutes.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs La Guardia, requires that Type 2 de-icing fluid be removed once a plane leaves its gate. Port Authority officials worry that the fluid could make runways slippery.

Keywords:
FATALITY