Ice On Wings Determined as Cause of West Caribbean Plane Crash
Ice on the wings of a Colombian plane that crashed on Aug. 16, killing the 160 people on board, has been determined as a cause behind the tragedy, according to the El Colombiano newspaper.

The passenger plane's black box had recorded the cabin crew discussing bad weather conditions and the possibility of ice on the wings, the newspaper reported on Sunday, citing the US National Transport Security Board (NTSB).

The results were released after investigations made by the NTSB using data supplied by Venezuela's Air Accident Investigation Committee.

The twin-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft of Colombia's carrier, the West Caribbean Airways (WCA), was flying from Panama City to Martinique, the French-owned island in the Caribbean, when it crashed over Venezuela, killing the 152 passengers and its eight crew members on board.

The NTSB report said that "both engines show evidence that the rotors were turning at high speed at the moment of impact."

The crew had said it was not an emergency, but had requested a new flight altitude from Venezuelan controllers on the ground.

"The report shows that what happened was an accident: not problem with the plane, as the media have said," WCA director general Captain Jorge Perez told El Colombiano.