WASHINGTON -- In a step that could hit heavily some regional air travel service, the Federal Aviation Administration yesterday ordered U.S. airlines not to fly ATR commuter planes in icy conditions or when icy weather is forecast.
The order, effective immediately, is a direct result of the Oct. 31 crash of an American Eagle ATR aircraft in northern Indiana that killed 68 people.
FAA officials denied that service would be shut down for those airlines that rely on ATR planes -- a widely used, twin-engine propeller aircraft.
"What it will do is require them to move their fleets around and it will certainly . . . cause some flight disruption," said Anthony Broderick, the FAA's associate administrator for regulation and certification. Nine airlines operate 145 ATR planes in the United States -- from the Southwest to the Northeast.
Mr. Broderick said the FAA decided to issue the order just hours after receiving new information from the European manufacturers of the ATR-42 and the ATR-72 that pilots could lose control of the planes in certain icy conditions.
The FAA order says airlines cannot fly their ATR planes if the temperature drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below -- which effectively bars airlines from scheduling ATR flights in much of the country during winter.