Airborne observations of highly variable and complex freezing drizzle and mixed phase environments

Abstract Airframe icing caused by interactions with supercooled cloud droplets and precipitation can pose a risk to aviation operations and life safety. The In-Cloud Icing and Large-drop Experiment (ICICLE) was conducted in January–March 2019 to capture measurements in freezing conditions in support of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Terminal Area Icing Weather Information for NextGen (TAIWIN) program. The National Research Council of Canada’s Convair-580 research aircraft fulfilled the airborne data collection requirements for the ICICLE campaign and sampled icing clouds and atmospheric conditions over the midwestern United States. ICICLE flight 18, conducted on 17 February 2019, collected cloud and precipitation measurements during a widespread storm that generated supercooled small drops and freezing drizzle (FZDZ) within both liquid and mixed-phase regions. Supercooled liquid water content (LWC) typically ranged 0.30–0.45 g m −3 and exceeded 0.70 g m −3 in one instance. Maximum FZDZ diameters of 300–400 μ m were commonly sampled near the base of clouds. Missed approaches performed at four Illinois airfields provided measurements of conditions from near ground level to above cloud top and supplied information regarding FZDZ formation and evolution. FZDZ was found to form at altitudes featuring relatively high LWC and sufficiently low droplet number concentrations. FZDZ formation zones were sometimes collocated with regions of atmospheric instability and/or wind shear. Flight through highly variable supercooled cloud droplet and FZDZ conditions resulted in significant Convair-580 airframe icing, highlighting the risk that icing conditions can pose to aircraft safety.