Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a rule that would require quicker activation of wing de-icing systems in response to the crash of a Circuit City Stores Inc. business jet in 2005.

The Cessna Citation 560 jet crashed as it approached Pueblo, Colorado, killing all eight people on board, because pilots let ice build up on the wings and didn’t maintain proper airspeed, the National Transportation Safety Board said in 2007.

The NTSB then recommended a rule requiring that de-icing systems be activated as soon as planes enter conditions conducive to ice buildup, and the FAA, in a notice to be published Nov. 23, proposes the change.

“The proposed rule would enhance passenger safety and prevent icing-related accidents,” John McGraw, FAA acting director of flight standards, wrote in a notice to be published in the Federal Register. Circuit City, a consumer-electronics retailer, has since liquidated its stores and is preparing to make a distribution to creditors.

Ice forming in flight has been a top concern of regulators because it robs aircraft of lift by disrupting airflow over the wings and creating drag. Special de-icing equipment to counter the threat must be activated by pilots, who may be unaware how close they are to falling from the sky.

In the Circuit City flight, a layer of ice accumulated on the front edge of the wings, causing the plane to lose lift, the NTSB said. The pilots failed to activate anti-ice devices or to follow flight-manual instructions to compensate by boosting airspeed, the board said.

Engage Systems

Pilots at the time were instructed to engage de-icing systems when buildup is between a quarter- and half-inch thick, the NTSB said in its 2007 recommendation for earlier activation.

The FAA proposal, which will have a 90-day public comment period, would affect planes weighing less than 60,000 pounds. The aircraft in the Circuit City accident was manufactured by Cessna, a unit of Providence, Rhode Island-based Textron Inc. Operators and manufactures would have two years to comply. Cessna is based in Wichita, Kansas.

The Circuit City jet was bound for Irvine, California, from Richmond, Virginia, where Circuit City was based, and was to refuel in Pueblo, about 100 miles south of Denver. The plane carried four company employees and two workers from Circuit City vendors, International Business Machines Corp. and Infinitive.

The Citation was one of two Circuit City-owned planes traveling together. The crew of the other jet, 10 to 15 minutes behind the first, properly activated de-icing equipment, increased airspeed and landed safely, the NTSB said.

Circuit City sought bankruptcy protection last year after suppliers concerned about declining sales of products such as televisions and computers cut off credit and demanded cash up- front for shipments.

To contact the reporters on this story: John Hughes in Washington at jhughes5@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 21, 2009 00:00 EST