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UPDATE: Questions about icing, pilot action, abound in crash

Airline beat reporter Linda Loyd raised provocative questions in a good story in Saturday's paper about the crash of a Continental Express flight near Buffalo that killed 50 people. Find it here.

Here's the reason the Saturday story raised good questions: On Sunday, the NTSB member in charge of the investigation said the plane's autopilot was on when it encountered icing conditions, a violation of company rules for flying the type of plane that crashed. Read more on that here.  Also, a former NTSB chairman called for the type of turboprop plane that crashed to be grounded until the investigation is complete.

Another view of whether the crew was following procedures for flying in incing conditions came from the FAA in a Newsday story.

The causes of airline accidents require a full investigation before they can really be pinpointed. That's why NTSB usually takes a year or more before issuing a final report. This probe is taking on the characteristics of many in the past: Investigators are looking at a combination of factors -- icy conditions and how the pilots responded to them -- before they make a final determination.