I never watched any of the crash youtube's when I was assigned to work an air crash as a team member so not to be distracted from the evidence we had. Since retirement I haven't watched enough to recommend one. I do chuckle at some of the "experts" the media gets for their news articles, some have never flown a large commercial aircraft
Just a quick recap as best as I could tell from the ATC audio referenced at kvue news. Air traffic control in Bangor, Maine: 'We have a passenger aircraft upside down'
10KJ is the accident aircraft, I assume being operated under Part 91 of the regs since it's privately owned (not a Part 135 air charter nor operating under regulations for commercial large air carriers (30 seats or more).
As such, the minimum visibility for takeoff doesn't apply to them, nor would likely have any required "tactile" checks to ensure the wings are clear of ice after prior to departure after deicing. (standard airline procedure).
7:07 PM Allegiant 976 finished deicing and heads to the runway.
7:09 10KJ radioed he is ready to taxi over for deice (usually done on a deicing pad, not at the gate).
7:11 PM Allegiant 76 gets a tactile check for ice on the wings 4 minutes after deicing. An aircraft deicing tactile (or hands on check) is a physical, manual inspection of aircraft surfaces—especially wings—to detect, feel, and confirm the absence of frost, snow, or dangerous clear ice. It is performed by trained personnel, often requested by pilots when contamination is not easily visible or after deicing/anti-icing. Usually, failed fluids are readily recognized when they transition from a glossy to a dull, opaque appearance. But looking at the top of the wing from the flight deck to check for fluid failure is difficult in high or swept wing configurations and dusk/night can also interfere with your ability to determine the condition of the fluid. That is why a manual check is often required.
Note: Type I fluids have very short holdover time values and fluid failure can occur suddenly.
7:17 10KJ begins deicing, Type 1 and Type 4
7:17 PM Allegiant 76 notifies tower that "deicing fluid failed" and also that visibility not good enough to go so they're going back to thegate (again, as a Part 121 airline flight they have strict limits as to required takeoff visibility the accident airplane would not have had if they were operating under part 91 of the regs).
7:33 PM Flight crew from Breeze (another 121 airline, call sign "MOXY") asked Allegiant if they failed the pre- contamination check. Allegiant 76 tells them that ice began building up on wings immediately after deicing.
Allegiant tells the Breeze guys that
"the visibility dropped and it stuck to us like nothing was there" and that they'll "probably be staying the night"
7:35 PM 10KJ states they are done deicing and taxiing to runway. They are cleared to taxi to Runway 33.
7:43 PM 10KJ cleared for takeoff RVR (runway visual range, in feet) is great than 6000, wind 060 at 9 knots. (9 knot crosswind component, takes a little skill but within the performance limitations for the aircraft type.)
7:45 PM ATC calls "all traffic stopped". You can tell from the adrenalin in his voice he's witnessed the crash.
Note from gg: Allegiant failed their pre-contamination takeoff check 4 minutes after they deiced. The accident aircraft was cleared for takeoff 8 minutes after they deiced. There was no known decontamination/tactile check and none would have been required under the regulations if it was operated as a non-air carrier flight (private)
Regs for deicing for Airlines operating under FAR part 121: (Ignore the "request access" wordage - the link works for the public, just click on it).
www.ecfr.gov
Regs for deicing for private aircraft operating under FAR part 91
www.ecfr.gov
Note the detailed requirements of 121.629(c) which the departing commercial airlines flight adhered to that in this case prevented departure.
I won't conjecture at this point - it's a loss to a lot of families and has to be particularly hard on the aviation community both in Texas where the plane originated and in Bangor where it occurred.
