Ice block may have fallen from plane toilet
24.03.06
Stephanie Cole (25), a trainee driving instructor, returned home after a day in Harborough with her mum to find blocks of ice across her drive in Naseby Way.
It had hit the bonnet of her black Smart Car, causing about £700 damage and shattering on the gravel drive and the road.
She said: "We had just been to Harborough and came back to see ice everywhere. I just thought 'what the hell has happened,' thinking there had been a snowball fight or something, but there was no snow on the ground.
"Neighbours came over and said 'you'll never guess what has happened.' They said there had been a loud bang. The only way they could describe it was it was like a water balloon falling and exploding on the ground."
Stephanie called the nearest airport and Harborough police, who logged the call but said there
wasn't a lot they could do.
The ice is believed to have fallen from a plane thousands of feet up in the air and plummeted at a tremendous pace.
Karen Ramsey (34), who lives opposite Stephanie, said she was upstairs at the time. "I heard a noise. It sounded like an explosion. I looked outside and saw it shattered across the road and path."
East Midlands Airport confirmed an Easyjet plane was in the area at about 4.30pm when the ice fell. But Sarah Pritchett from Easyjet said the ice could have come from a plane flying higher or have been caused by adverse weather conditions.
She added: "EasyJet operates one of the youngest fleets, using the latest technology which means they are designed to prevent this type of activity."
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said ice-falls from aircraft such as this are rare and usually cause little or no damage to property - however they are all considered seriously.
"When an ice-fall is reported to the CAA with an accurate time and location, then our Safety Regulation Group will investigate the incident.
"Using replays of air traffic control radar, all the operators of aircraft in the vicinity at the time of the ice-fall are contacted and asked to check their aircraft for leaks. Any claims or follow-up legal action is between the airline and the property owner."
Leaks from toilet systems can occur if there is a fault on the seal at the point where the hose from the collection vehicle connects with the aircraft.
A small leak at high altitude will form ice because of the very low outside temperature.
As the aircraft descends at the end of its journey, the temperature rises and the ice can detach and fall to the ground.
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