One more OT: Flight 3407 was on autopilot in icing conditions when it crashed.

This is a huge no-no in aviation. Ice build up on control surfaces is compensated for by the autopilot and unless the pilots are closely monitoring the trim of the aircraft, the potential for the aircraft to trim itself into an unflyable condition is a very real possibility. It looks like this happened according to the FAA. I always fly manually in icing conditions especially if I notice any kind of ice build up on the windshield or leading edges.