“When the pitot tube is blocked, the airspeed indicator starts acting like an altimeter; the higher the aircraft goes, the faster the airspeed reads; in reality the opposite is happening. The aircraft is slowing, and will stall if the nose isn’t lowered.”
When the front of the pitot tube is blocked, the airspeed reads zero. When the entire pitot tube is iced over (both the front and the drain hole), then the airspeed acts like an altimeter and increases in a climb and decreases in a descent.
Thats what I was told too, but a while ago I encountered ice/freezing rain in my Arrow. As it hit the airframe, the pitot tube froze over. The airspeed and vertical speed indicators jumped around a bit then froze in place, showing airspeed near yellow and a high rate of descent..If I didn’t watch it actually happen, I may have momentarily belived the aircraft was in a steep descent.
Thats what I was told too, but a while ago I encountered ice/freezing rain in my Arrow. As it hit the airframe, the pitot tube froze over. The airspeed and vertical speed indicators jumped around a bit then froze in place, showing airspeed near yellow and a high rate of descent..If I didn’t watch it actually happen, I may have momentarily belived the aircraft was in a steep descent.