NTSB's Goglia disagrees with de-icing advice

In a dissenting opinion, NTSB member John Goglia said a Safety Board recommendation asking for an AD to prohibit using the APU during ground de-icing operations on Fokker F100s “misses the mark.” The Safety Board said the recommendation is aimed at preventing APU engine turbine wheel bursts that might result from the ingestion of de-icing fluid. In its recommendation the NTSB cited two incidents where APUs were damaged by ingestion of fluid during ground de-icing operations. Goglia said the recommendation does not address the importance of “effective training” in de-icing and anti-icing applications and that prohibiting the use of the APU during de-icing operations may have “significant unintended consequences.”