Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft; Weather
Shortly after takeoff; four Caution Messages posted. They were PITOT BASE HEAT; L AOA HEAT; L STATIC HEAT and L PITOT HEAT. I consulted the QRH; and the problem persisted. I contacted Dispatch and spoke with Maintenance Control to see if they had any other ideas. They had no useful input; and I decided to return to my departure airport. There were multiple layers of clouds with a long line on thunderstorms in the area. We were unable to avoid entering a cloud and received an ICE message. I informed ATC of our problem and advised them that we needed to return to the airport. They issued a vector clearance back to the airport. ATC issued a clearance to climb. I advised that we needed to leave icing conditions; but ATC said they were unable to let us descend and they needed me to climb. Knowing that our flight instruments could become compromised; I declared an emergency to leave the IMC and icing conditions. We were given a clearance to descend. The remainder of the return flight was uneventful. The passengers; Flight Attendant; Dispatch and Maintenance were kept informed.I do not think this situation was avoidable because it was an aircraft malfunction. Looking back; the only thing I would have done different is make an earlier decision to return before contacting Maintenance.
When an air carrier flight crew suffered the loss of multiple pitot static system ice protection systems shortly after takeoff they had to declare an emergency with ATC in order to avoid flying through icing conditions as they returned to their takeoff airport.