[meteorite-list] Grapefruit-Size Ice Falls On House in Seattle

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Nov 12 19:52:13 2004
Message-ID: <200411130052.QAA22576_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/12/fallen.ice.ap/index.html

'Grapefruit-size' ice falls on house
      
FAA trying to identify source of ice

Associated Press
November 12, 2004

KENT, Washington (AP) -- Investigators are trying to identify the source
of ice chunks that smashed through the roof of a house in this Seattle
suburb last week, landing on the bed of a 7-year-old girl.

They believe the ice formed on an aircraft and broke free, potentially
indicating a mechanical or design problem, said Federal Aviation
Administration spokesman Mike Fergus.

"It's a safety issue," Fergus said.

Investigators are certain it was not "blue ice," which comes from
leaking airplane lavatories, he added.

Troy Halte said his family returned home November 4 to find a hole in
the ceiling of their daughter's bedroom and five chunks of ice on the
bed, three of them "the size of grapefruit." Three more chunks had
fallen in the back yard.

Fergus said FAA officials are reviewing air traffic control tapes to
check for planes that passed over the neighborhood that afternoon.

Boeing Co. officials say ice can form on the leading edge of airplanes
under some weather conditions, but a company official said she had never
heard of the ice falling off and hitting the ground.
Received on Fri 12 Nov 2004 07:52:10 PM PST