Accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of white dwarfs is often invoked as the formation mechanism of neutron stars in different types of binary systems. Necessary conditions for AIC of a C + O white dwarf are examined, with particular emphasis on the dynamic stage immediately following explosive carbon ignition. It is shown that, for the currently most favored hypotheses as to the physics of phase transition in dense plasmas, AIC is possible, but only for a comparatively narrow range of initial conditions. This conclusion depends on still poorly known input physics such as the velocities of conductive burning fronts and the growth rate of hydrodynamic instabilities.