Narrative:

I was working with an instrument student doing air work when we started picking up some rime ice. I decided we had better get on the ground and asked for vectors from approach to the ILS 31. We were at 3;000 ft MSL on the downwind and I asked for a close turn-in because I was a little worried about the ice; although there wasn't much -- maybe 1/2 inch or so. I was told by approach that there was faster airplane ahead of us. It was an rj and had deice and we did not; so I declared an emergency to get in front of him. We then broke into VMC and I asked for the 'contact approach' and went direct to the airport. We landed under VMC and it was VFR at the airport. If I had waited and followed the rj I'm just not sure how much ice we would have gotten. I hated to declare that emergency; but that was the only way I knew to get 'up front.'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A PA-28 instructor pilot declared an emergency in order to receive an immediate approach clearance ahead of an air carrier because his aircraft began collecting ice. The PA-28 did not have de-ice equipment.

Narrative: I was working with an instrument student doing air work when we started picking up some rime ice. I decided we had better get on the ground and asked for vectors from Approach to the ILS 31. We were at 3;000 FT MSL on the downwind and I asked for a close turn-in because I was a little worried about the ice; although there wasn't much -- maybe 1/2 inch or so. I was told by Approach that there was faster airplane ahead of us. It was an RJ and had deice and we did not; so I declared an emergency to get in front of him. We then broke into VMC and I asked for the 'contact approach' and went direct to the airport. We landed under VMC and it was VFR at the airport. If I had waited and followed the RJ I'm just not sure how much ice we would have gotten. I hated to declare that emergency; but that was the only way I knew to get 'up front.'

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.