Narrative:

Inbound to ZZZ2, operations notified us that there would be an aircraft change for maintenance reasons, for our final flight home to ZZZ1. Though not unusual, this would be the first red flag that something was wrong with the aircraft and that maintenance wanted it back in ZZZ1 for closer inspections. Once on the ground in ZZZ2, suspicions were confirmed when reading the maintenance flap for the new aircraft. I observed 2 write-ups for identical problems: 'intermittent anti-ice duct' warning in-flight. One write-up was for approximately 3 days earlier and the other for the previous flight. Contract maintenance was dispatched and working on the aircraft at the time of my arrival. As I observed him work, it became apparent that he was unfamiliar with the rj and its system. I offered my assistance in helping him run the checklist that had been faxed from ZZZ1 maintenance to clear the aircraft. Juggling maintenance and the gate, at this time we started running into a delay. We completed the checklist. While we waited on maintenance, I reviewed the 'anti-ice duct' checklist with the first officer and then called dispatch to review WX en route to ZZZ1 just in case we lost anti-ice protection. The dispatcher had not been informed of the situation and delay, but was helpful with current information. Contract maintenance returned with the signed can and we discussed the write-up. My impression of this mechanic is that he was genuinely convinced of the aircraft's safety, but dubious of the 'fix' put in by ZZZ1 maintenance. He shared all of his knowledge about the previous write-ups that ZZZ1 maintenance had left out of our earlier discussions. There was apparently a 'wire' in the wing root with some chaffing that led to the dubious 'anti-ice duct' message. Passenger were on board at this point, and weighing all the information, I elected to continue on to ZZZ1. Although I do not believe it was a factor, it had not escaped me that this was the last leg of a 4 day trip and that I wanted to get home. I performed the acceptance checklist at the gate as well as superfluous anti-ice checks on the way to the runway. The first officer and I had agreed that any failed checks would lead to a return to the gate. All was normal and we departed. Approximately 30 mins alter en route, the 'anti-ice duct' warning message and associated aural sounded. As we were not surprised, I took the radios and the first officer ran the appropriate checklist and we contacted maintenance and dispatch. As the first officer discussed the options, the message re-enunciated multiple times, 20 or so, each time with the aural and triple chime. It became apparent that maintenance wanted us to continue more than 1 hour on to ZZZ1 with what they said was most likely an indication problem. Staring at a red warning message and right wing root to wingtip red duct on the anti-ice synoptic page was a little unsettling and I directed dispatch to pick an alternate between ZZZ3 and ZZZ. Center was advised and we were given an immediate descent into the ZZZ terminal area. Turning our attention to the passenger, the flight attendant was notified and the first officer made a quick PA to the nature of the situation and that as a precaution we would be diverting to a planned alternate of ZZZ and station personnel were advised and standing by. All checklists were performed and the warning message still annunciating (less frequent now). We landed uneventfully in ZZZ. The passenger were deplaned, all seemed to be in good spirits as we got many 'it happens' and 'thank you' and maintenance began the process of figuring out what was wrong with the plane. Consulting with ZZZ contract maintenance, they advised that it could be an indication problem but that there were signs of burning from the piccolo tubes inside the leading edge of the wing that and hence burned the sensor wires. Again, I spoke with ZZZ1 maintenance and again they advised an indication problem with a possible quick ferry to ZZZ1. I advised them that the first officer and myself had resigned ourselves not to fly this ship again until the problem was fixed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ100 CREW HAD A CHRONIC EICAS ANTI-ICE DUCT WARNING AND ASSOCIATED AURAL WARNING.

Narrative: INBOUND TO ZZZ2, OPS NOTIFIED US THAT THERE WOULD BE AN ACFT CHANGE FOR MAINT REASONS, FOR OUR FINAL FLT HOME TO ZZZ1. THOUGH NOT UNUSUAL, THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST RED FLAG THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ACFT AND THAT MAINT WANTED IT BACK IN ZZZ1 FOR CLOSER INSPECTIONS. ONCE ON THE GND IN ZZZ2, SUSPICIONS WERE CONFIRMED WHEN READING THE MAINT FLAP FOR THE NEW ACFT. I OBSERVED 2 WRITE-UPS FOR IDENTICAL PROBS: 'INTERMITTENT ANTI-ICE DUCT' WARNING INFLT. ONE WRITE-UP WAS FOR APPROX 3 DAYS EARLIER AND THE OTHER FOR THE PREVIOUS FLT. CONTRACT MAINT WAS DISPATCHED AND WORKING ON THE ACFT AT THE TIME OF MY ARR. AS I OBSERVED HIM WORK, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RJ AND ITS SYS. I OFFERED MY ASSISTANCE IN HELPING HIM RUN THE CHKLIST THAT HAD BEEN FAXED FROM ZZZ1 MAINT TO CLR THE ACFT. JUGGLING MAINT AND THE GATE, AT THIS TIME WE STARTED RUNNING INTO A DELAY. WE COMPLETED THE CHKLIST. WHILE WE WAITED ON MAINT, I REVIEWED THE 'ANTI-ICE DUCT' CHKLIST WITH THE FO AND THEN CALLED DISPATCH TO REVIEW WX ENRTE TO ZZZ1 JUST IN CASE WE LOST ANTI-ICE PROTECTION. THE DISPATCHER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE SIT AND DELAY, BUT WAS HELPFUL WITH CURRENT INFO. CONTRACT MAINT RETURNED WITH THE SIGNED CAN AND WE DISCUSSED THE WRITE-UP. MY IMPRESSION OF THIS MECH IS THAT HE WAS GENUINELY CONVINCED OF THE ACFT'S SAFETY, BUT DUBIOUS OF THE 'FIX' PUT IN BY ZZZ1 MAINT. HE SHARED ALL OF HIS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PREVIOUS WRITE-UPS THAT ZZZ1 MAINT HAD LEFT OUT OF OUR EARLIER DISCUSSIONS. THERE WAS APPARENTLY A 'WIRE' IN THE WING ROOT WITH SOME CHAFFING THAT LED TO THE DUBIOUS 'ANTI-ICE DUCT' MESSAGE. PAX WERE ON BOARD AT THIS POINT, AND WEIGHING ALL THE INFO, I ELECTED TO CONTINUE ON TO ZZZ1. ALTHOUGH I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS A FACTOR, IT HAD NOT ESCAPED ME THAT THIS WAS THE LAST LEG OF A 4 DAY TRIP AND THAT I WANTED TO GET HOME. I PERFORMED THE ACCEPTANCE CHKLIST AT THE GATE AS WELL AS SUPERFLUOUS ANTI-ICE CHKS ON THE WAY TO THE RWY. THE FO AND I HAD AGREED THAT ANY FAILED CHKS WOULD LEAD TO A RETURN TO THE GATE. ALL WAS NORMAL AND WE DEPARTED. APPROX 30 MINS ALTER ENRTE, THE 'ANTI-ICE DUCT' WARNING MESSAGE AND ASSOCIATED AURAL SOUNDED. AS WE WERE NOT SURPRISED, I TOOK THE RADIOS AND THE FO RAN THE APPROPRIATE CHKLIST AND WE CONTACTED MAINT AND DISPATCH. AS THE FO DISCUSSED THE OPTIONS, THE MESSAGE RE-ENUNCIATED MULTIPLE TIMES, 20 OR SO, EACH TIME WITH THE AURAL AND TRIPLE CHIME. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT MAINT WANTED US TO CONTINUE MORE THAN 1 HR ON TO ZZZ1 WITH WHAT THEY SAID WAS MOST LIKELY AN INDICATION PROB. STARING AT A RED WARNING MESSAGE AND R WING ROOT TO WINGTIP RED DUCT ON THE ANTI-ICE SYNOPTIC PAGE WAS A LITTLE UNSETTLING AND I DIRECTED DISPATCH TO PICK AN ALTERNATE BTWN ZZZ3 AND ZZZ. CTR WAS ADVISED AND WE WERE GIVEN AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT INTO THE ZZZ TERMINAL AREA. TURNING OUR ATTN TO THE PAX, THE FLT ATTENDANT WAS NOTIFIED AND THE FO MADE A QUICK PA TO THE NATURE OF THE SIT AND THAT AS A PRECAUTION WE WOULD BE DIVERTING TO A PLANNED ALTERNATE OF ZZZ AND STATION PERSONNEL WERE ADVISED AND STANDING BY. ALL CHKLISTS WERE PERFORMED AND THE WARNING MESSAGE STILL ANNUNCIATING (LESS FREQUENT NOW). WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY IN ZZZ. THE PAX WERE DEPLANED, ALL SEEMED TO BE IN GOOD SPIRITS AS WE GOT MANY 'IT HAPPENS' AND 'THANK YOU' AND MAINT BEGAN THE PROCESS OF FIGURING OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE PLANE. CONSULTING WITH ZZZ CONTRACT MAINT, THEY ADVISED THAT IT COULD BE AN INDICATION PROB BUT THAT THERE WERE SIGNS OF BURNING FROM THE PICCOLO TUBES INSIDE THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING THAT AND HENCE BURNED THE SENSOR WIRES. AGAIN, I SPOKE WITH ZZZ1 MAINT AND AGAIN THEY ADVISED AN INDICATION PROB WITH A POSSIBLE QUICK FERRY TO ZZZ1. I ADVISED THEM THAT THE FO AND MYSELF HAD RESIGNED OURSELVES NOT TO FLY THIS SHIP AGAIN UNTIL THE PROB WAS FIXED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.