Blue Moon? No, Just Ice From Airliner

Charles and Anthea Stiegler became victims of what the Federal Aviation Administration called the “blue-ice phenomenon” Monday night, when a chunk of bluish-green ice crashed through the roof of their Westlake Village home.

The ice injured no one, but left a hole the size of a basketball in the roof of the Stieglers’ four-bedroom home. Water from the melting ice then seeped into the attic, through the master bedroom ceiling and onto the couple’s king-size bed. Damage was estimated at about $2,500.

An FAA spokeswoman said the phenomenon occurs when water, tinted blue by disinfectant, drips from an airplane lavatory and freezes on the exterior of the plane at high altitudes. When the plane descends, warm air melts the ice, which occasionally falls off, she said.

The FAA receives about four reports each year of such incidents in the 23-million-square-mile region that encompasses Los Angeles, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.