News
As winter storms strike, airlines scramble to de-ice planes and keep them flying
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 is de-iced before takeoff at Salt Lake City International Airport on Feb. 22, 2023. The wings, fuselage and tail must be de-iced before it can fly whenever there’s snow, ice or frost.
Rick Bowmer/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Rick Bowmer/AP
WASHINGTON — When the temperature plunges, the de-icing crews go to work.
First the big truck pulls up alongside a plane. Then the bucket operator sprays the wings, tail and fuselage with a mixture of hot fluids that melts ice so the jet can take off safely.
“It’s just one of those frustrating times of year,” said Chris Manno, a retired airline pilot who spent 35 years at American Airlines. “Everything’s being done safely. There’s no good way to do it, other than slowly.”
This has been a challenging week for air travelers, as a major winter storm forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and delay thousands more. Those problems were especially acute at airports around the nation’s capital, which saw more than half a foot of snow. A second storm is forecast to bring more precipitation to major airports in Dallas and Atlanta later this week.
The winter weather leaves airlines no choice but to de-ice planes before takeoff in order to keep them in the air, because even a small amount of ice on the wings can lead to serious problems.
“Not just heavy snow but actually very thin layers of frost can also have a very negative effect on lift,” said Kathleen Bangs, a former commercial airline pilot who is now a spokesperson for FlightAware, the flight-tracking website.
A Frontier Airlines plane approaches a de-icing station before takeoff in Denver in this file photo. Two powerful winter storms are disrupting the U.S. air travel system this week.
Brennan Linsley/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Brennan Linsley/AP
“Aircraft can be rolling down the runway,” Bangs explained. “And they will accelerate, and frequently get to liftoff speed. But when they try to take off, or they do get just a few feet off the ground, they’ll lose substantial lift, and the aircraft will no longer be able to fly.”
The de-icing process typically takes about 20 minutes for a smaller plane, Manno said. For larger jets, de-icing can add a delay of up to 40 minutes or more to each flight.
“It’s kind of a big logistics task,” he said. “Most airlines are doing a pretty good job of handling that. It’s just, it’s a slow process, and it has to be done right.”
If it’s not done right, the results can be catastrophic. In January 1982, an Air Florida jet crashed into the Potomac River moments after taking off from what was then called Washington National Airport, killing most of the passengers and crew on board. That accident – along with the crash of a USAir jet in New York City a decade later – led to more rigorous standards for de-icing.
Airlines now typically use two different types of chemical mixtures, depending on the situation: de-icing fluid and anti-icing fluid. De-icing fluid is heated to 140 degrees to remove frost, snow and ice from the wings and other critical surfaces, while anti-icing fluid prevents ice from forming. Glycol is the key ingredient in both fluids.
While the technology behind de-icing has improved over the years, some things about the job have not changed.
“You’re in the elements. It’s snowing. You can barely see sometimes,” said Thomas Stevenson, a de-icer for Southwest Airlines based in Denver, in a video the company posted on YouTube. “It definitely gets cold. But I mean, that’s something you kind of signed up for when you took the job.”
His colleague, Jamie Martinez, says it’s an “awesome responsibility” to make sure a full plane carrying more than 140 passengers and crew members is ready for takeoff.
“We really try to consider every airplane as having a family member on that airplane,” Martinez said. “And that’s what we keep in mind to make sure that we’re doing the job correctly.”
It’s not just cold-weather climates where airlines have to worry about de-icing. It’s also a concern in warmer climates like Texas, Georgia and Florida.
“It is a necessity even this far down south,” said John Murphy, the assistant director of airside operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He says the airport has already seen more than a dozen days this winter when planes have required de-icing – even without any significant snowfall.
The airport is preparing for a major winter storm later this week that’s forecast to bring snow or freezing rain to a wide stretch of the South from Dallas to Atlanta. Murphy expects de-icing will once again be necessary.
“So you could see delays of upwards of an hour. That’s normal,” he said. “The name of the game is always safety.”
Those delays can be frustrating for travelers. But Kathleen Bangs with FlightAware says U.S. airlines and airports deserve credit for their performance during this week’s storm — even though thousands of flights were canceled or delayed.
“The truth is, they kept going. They kept operating. They did it safely,” she said. “You do the best you can. I mean, when you’ve got a foot of snow falling in some places, or ice covered runways, there’s you know, there’s a lot of places around the world that just shut down and don’t operate at all.”
An explosion and fire drew a large emergency response on Friday to a lumber mill in the Midcoast region of Maine, officials said.
The State Police and fire marshal’s investigators responded to Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, about 72 miles northeast of Portland, said Shannon Moss, a spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Mike Larrivee, the director of the Waldo County Regional Communications Center, said the number of victims was unknown, cautioning that “the information we’re getting from the scene is very vague.”
“We’ve sent every resource in the county to that area, plus surrounding counties,” he said.
Footage from the scene shared by WABI-TV showed flames burning through the roof of a large structure as heavy, dark smoke billowed skyward.
The Associated Press reported that at least five people were injured, and that county officials were considering the incident a “mass casualty event.”
Catherine Robbins-Halsted, an owner and vice president at Robbins Lumber, told reporters at the scene that all of the company’s employees had been accounted for.
Gov. Janet T. Mills of Maine said on social media that she had been briefed on the situation and urged people to avoid the area.
“I ask Maine people to join me in keeping all those affected in their thoughts,” she said.
Representative Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, said on social media that he was aware of the fire and explosion.
“As my team and I seek out more information, I am praying for the safety and well-being of first responders and everyone else on-site,” he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Crime scene tape surrounds a bicycle in front of St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Atlanta on May 14, 2026. (SKYFOX 5)
ATLANTA – The woman stabbed to death on the Beltline has been identified as 23-year-old Alyssa Paige, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner.
The backstory:
Paige was killed by a 21-year-old man Thursday afternoon while she was on the Beltline. Officials confirmed to FOX 5 that the stabbing happened near the 1700 block of Flagler Avenue NE.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department was alerted around 12:10 p.m. that a woman had been stabbed just north of the Montgomery Ferry Drive overpass. She was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital where she later died. Another person was also stabbed during the incident, but their condition remains unknown.
According to officers, the man responsible attacked a U.S. Postal worker prior to the stabbing before getting away on a bike. He then used that bike to flee the scene of the stabbing as well.
The suspect was arrested near St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Peachtree Street in Midtown around 5:25 p.m.
What we don’t know:
While officials haven’t released an official motive, they noted the man may have been suffering a mental health crisis.
The Source: Information in this article came from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office and previous FOX 5 reporting.
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against a former Army serviceman they accused of distributing instructions on how to build explosives that were used by a man who conducted a deadly attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day last year.
The former serviceman, Jordan A. Derrick, a 40-year-old from Missouri, was charged with one count of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license; one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device; and one count of distributing information relating to manufacturing explosives, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday. The three charges together carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
Starting in September 2023, the authorities said, Mr. Derrick was using various social media sites to share videos of himself making explosive materials, including detonators. His videos provided step-by-step instructions, and he often engaged with viewers in comments, sometimes answering their questions about the chemistry behind the explosives.
The authorities said that Mr. Derrick’s videos were downloaded by Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, 42, who was accused of ramming a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025, in a terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens. Mr. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with the police. Before the attack, Mr. Jabbar had placed two explosives on Bourbon Street, the authorities said, but they did not detonate.
The authorities later recovered two laptops and a USB drive in a house that Mr. Jabbar had rented. The USB drive contained several videos created by Mr. Derrick that provided instructions on making explosives. The authorities said the explosives they recovered were consistent with the ones Mr. Derrick had posted about.
Mr. Derrick’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Derrick was a combat engineer in the Army, where he provided personnel and vehicle support, the authorities said. He also helped supervise safety personnel during demolitions and various operations. He was honorably discharged in February 2013.
The authorities did not say whether Mr. Derrick had any communication with Mr. Jabbar, or whether the men had known each other. In some of Mr. Derrick’s videos and comments, he indicated that he was aware that his videos could be misused.
“There are a plethora of uh, moral, you know, entanglements with topics, any topic of teaching explosives, right?” he asked in one video, according to the affidavit. “Of course, the wrong people could get it.”
The authorities also said that an explosion occurred at a private residence in Odessa, Mo., on May 4, and the occupant of the residence told investigators that he had manufactured explosives after watching online tutorials from Mr. Derrick.
Mr. Derrick’s YouTube account had more than 15,000 subscribers and 20 published videos, the affidavit said. He had also posted content on other platforms, including Odysee and Patreon. Some videos were accessible to the public for free, while others required a paid subscription to view.
“My responsibility to my countrymen is to make sure that I serve the function of the Second Amendment to strengthen it,” Mr. Derrick said in one of his videos, according to the affidavit. “This is how I serve my country for real.”
Outside of the income he received through content creation, Mr. Derrick did not have any known employment. He did receive a monthly disability check from Veterans Affairs, the affidavit stated.
-
Los Angeles, Ca4 minutes agoRip tides, high surf forecast for Los Angeles beaches this weekend
-
Detroit, MI28 minutes agoWhat time is Pistons Game 7 vs Cavs? Date, tickets in Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA40 minutes agoSan Francisco prepares for Bay to Breakers run
-
Dallas, TX46 minutes agoSouthwest lays off about 75 employees in latest restructuring move
-
Miami, FL52 minutes agoMark Matthews Announces Commitment – Chooses Between Georgia, Miami, and Others
-
Boston, MA58 minutes agoAliyah Boston Leaves Fever Game With Lower Leg Injury
-
Denver, CO1 hour agoNorthbound I-25 closed between Denver and Colorado Springs after fatal multi-vehicle crash
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoHealth officials track fourth King County resident tied to MV Hondius Andes hantavirus