A report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has revealed that a REX Saab 340 almost stalled while returning to Perth after one of its de-icing boots failed.
The 26-year-old turboprop, VH-ZLJ (c/n 340B-380), departed Perth for a connection to Albany – both in Western Australia – on the afternoon of July 6, 2021.
Four minutes after departure, as the regional airliner was climbing through 6,000ft, the crew activated the engine and wing anti-ice systems. Shortly after entering icing conditions, caution lights on the flight deck illuminated indicating a fault with the de-icing systems. The crew requested and was granted permission from air traffic control (ATC) to level off at 7,000ft to avoid a worsening of the icing conditions. During this time the crew worked through the relevant abnormal checklist, however the ‘TIMER’ light remained on during the wing de-ice boot cycle.
At 16.30, the crew requested to descend to 5,000ft and, shortly thereafter, informed ATC that they would return to Perth. Having initiated the descent, the captain handed over control of the aircraft to the first officer. Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, air traffic control requested flight information from, and issued a ser…
