The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration expeditiously do the following:

Require all pilots and operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes equipped for flight into known icing conditions to undergo seasonal training for ground deicing and flight into icing conditions on an annual basis. This seasonal training should be timed to precede the operator's cold weather operations and should specifically address (1) the limitations of the Cessna 208 in icing situations; (2) the Cessna 208 deice and anti-icing systems and controls and their use; (3) pilot actions during cold weather ground operations, with emphasis on the need for careful visual and tactile examination of wing and horizontal stabilizer upper surfaces during the preflight inspection to ensure that they are free of ice before takeoff; (4) pilot actions during cold weather flight operations, with emphasis on the timely recognition of potentially dangerous accumulations of ice and the importance of having an appropriate strategy for escaping the icing conditions and acting on that strategy promptly; (5) the hazards of performance degradation caused by ice that remains after activation of the deice boots; and (6) Cessna 208 Pilot Operating Handbook icing-related limitations, warnings, and notes. (A-04-64)

Require Cessna Aircraft Company, working with Cessna 208 operators, to develop effective operational strategies (for example, cold weather preflight strategies in remote locations, viable methods of collecting icing-related weather information before and during flight, ice detection and monitoring cues, optimal use of anti-ice and deice systems, minimum airspeeds for all phases of flight, proper use of flaps and engine power in icing conditions, and development of ice accumulation limitations and exit strategies for pilots in icing conditions) and related guidance materials to minimize the chance of Cessna 208 ground and in-flight icing accidents or incidents; the FAA should then verify that these strategies and guidance materials are incorporated into Cessna 208 operator manuals and training programs in a timely manner. (A-04-65)

Require all pilots and operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes to conduct a visual and tactile examination of the wing and horizontal stabilizer leading edges and upper surfaces to ensure that those surfaces are free of ice and/or snow contamination before any flight from a location at which the temperatures are conducive to frost or ground icing. (A-04-66)

Evaluate its current procedures for surveillance of operators of Cessna 208 series airplanes equipped for flight into known icing conditions to determine whether the surveillance effectively ensures that these operators are in compliance with Federal deicing requirements and, if necessary, modify the surveillance procedures to ensure such compliance.  (A-04-67)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov