New Research Due on Ice Crystal Formation in Engines
NASA scientists have come up with a way to reproduce the natural formation of ice crystals in aircraft engines to better understand how this happens and what effect it has. (Photo: NASA)
NASA scientists have come up with a way to reproduce the natural formation of ice crystals in aircraft engines to better understand how this happens and what effect it has. (Photo: NASA)

Many cockpit crewmembers believe the ingestion of ice crystals by a jet engine is essentially harmless if the engine’s igniters are turned on. However, aeronautical engineers generally do not agree, citing incidents when mixing ice with standard intake air resulted in a noticeable reduction in engine power output and, at its worst, a complete engine flameout. Ice formation inside an engine compartment can also lead to indicator anomalies that may not shut down the engine, but may lead to air data system failures.