I shouldn't be surprised with the amount of disinformation available since the crash of Continental flight 3407. It still irks me that a seemingly sane person would post in a public arena opinions and false information regarding a subject on which the person has little to no knowledge. You can do your own search - there are literally dozens of them out there. I'll link a few uninspired ones after the break.

I feel the primary factors for the crash are noted in a Sept. 2002 posting by Robert J. Bose, editor in chief of airlinesafety.com. Good reading. Mr. Boser observes an alarming trend among turboprop airliners to succumb to heavy icing in the final approach phases of flight. If you'll read his post, he fully details a similar incident at high altitude in which the crew did recover. In a nutshell, aircraft with thin wing sections and less-than-jet-engine thrust to weight ratios are succeptible to loss of control when the airframe encounters moderate icing. Per Bose's posting, in 1994, American Eagle pilots distributed an anonymous pamphlet at the Chicago airport that included this phrase:

"...If the weather is clear this winter, sit back and relax because this is a good aircraft. If the weather is cloudy, snowy, or cool and rainy, think about alternate transportation methods..."

I was not aware of Mr. Bose's posting, nor the pilot's warning until today, but I have heeded my own similar personal prohibition since 1994 with regard to all turboprop aircraft. I'll drive to an airport that uses jet aircraft if those fat, juicy clouds will be present during winter flights.