Tiny ice particles could be responsible for hundreds of plane crash deaths
NASA implicates deadly ice clouds in up to 200 plane power loss incidents in 20 years
TINY ice crystals invisible to sensors could be responsible for plane crashes which have caused hundreds of deaths.
Ice particles, smaller than a grain of flour, could be sabotaging aircraft flying at heights of 35,000ft - where it was previously believed ice could not form.
A report in the dubs the tiny particles "a stealthy phenomenon" and implicates them in the crashing of Air France flight 477, in 2009.
The plane was travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris when it crashed killing all 228 people on board.
It took two years to salvage the wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean.
Multiple causes for the crash were identified including pilot error and faulty software.
But an ice blockage in a sensor that measures air speed is taking on new significance.
It's thought the blockage confused pilots who responded by sharply angling the plane upwards, causing it to stall and crash.
The ice particles dubbed an "invisible killer" cannot be seen by pilots or picked up by radar and currently no sensors or defences can detect them or protect against their effects.
NASA has implicated them in more than 200 power loss incidents in the past 20 years.
The clouds of ice crystals are believed to form in deep, convective thunderstorms.
The storms suck up warm air, which freezes into tiny droplets forming the clouds.
The particles are too small to be seen by pilots or radar.
In the aviation industry this is called "ice crystal icing". It can cause a plane's engine to stall by extinguishing the flame or damaging engine blades.
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The report warns ice crystal clouds could become more common with the increasing number of extreme weather events.
Aerospace engineers believe engines may have to be redesigned to protect against the deadly particles, but think this would take at least 20 years.
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