Narrative:

Pushed off the gate at clt. Due to light freezing rain falling at the time, the aircraft had to be deiced. Because of the large volume of traffic leaving the gates at the same time, it took 2 hours and 30 mins to arrive at the deicing pad. Normal deicing procedures appeared to be accomplished as per new FAA mandated deicing procedures. A deicing personnel via external intercom advised aircraft had been deiced and all surfaces were 'clean.' a holdover time was established but because of a short taxi to the active runway, the time would not be a factor. Before we could stop the aircraft close to the end of the runway for the first officer to visually inspect the wing surfaces, a passenger notified the flight attendant the left wing was never sprayed. Total time away from the gate at this point was 2 hours and 50 mins. I requested a deicing truck to be brought out to the aircraft to once again perform the deicing procedures. Before the crew could start the second deicing,. The flight attendant informed me a passenger was going into what appeared to be insulin shock. I waved the deicing crew off and informed ground control of a medical emergency and received clearance to the nearest gate. Emergency medical personnel met the aircraft at the gate and the passenger attended to. At this point, the first officer and myself had time to externally inspect the left wing, and, although the right wing and tail surfaces were clean with deicing fluid, the left wing had not been touched! An internal company investigation is now under way to determine how this oversight could have happened. With the new FAA deicing procedures, the last line of defense against contaminated flight surfaces is the pre-takeoff visual inspection. (Which we never got to that point) I am now a strong believer in the new deicing procedures and can only hope the pre-takeoff inspection would have caught what could have been a disastrous outcome! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter reiterated most of the information in his report. He added that the value of inspecting the wing for ice from inside the cabin, especially at night, is questionable. He said that the type ii deice fluid is the consistency of warm honey and when it covers the cabin windows, very little can be seen through them. He is very concerned and hopes a better method of ensuring clean airfoils can be developed. This was a scheduled 40 min flight. The diabetic passenger expected to be at destination in plenty of time to avoid shock but the almost 3 hour delay thwarted that plan.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG ALMOST TAKES OFF WITH THE ENTIRE ACFT DEICED -- EXCEPT FOR THE L WING.

Narrative: PUSHED OFF THE GATE AT CLT. DUE TO LIGHT FREEZING RAIN FALLING AT THE TIME, THE ACFT HAD TO BE DEICED. BECAUSE OF THE LARGE VOLUME OF TFC LEAVING THE GATES AT THE SAME TIME, IT TOOK 2 HRS AND 30 MINS TO ARRIVE AT THE DEICING PAD. NORMAL DEICING PROCS APPEARED TO BE ACCOMPLISHED AS PER NEW FAA MANDATED DEICING PROCS. A DEICING PERSONNEL VIA EXTERNAL INTERCOM ADVISED ACFT HAD BEEN DEICED AND ALL SURFACES WERE 'CLEAN.' A HOLDOVER TIME WAS ESTABLISHED BUT BECAUSE OF A SHORT TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY, THE TIME WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR. BEFORE WE COULD STOP THE ACFT CLOSE TO THE END OF THE RWY FOR THE FO TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE WING SURFACES, A PAX NOTIFIED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT THE L WING WAS NEVER SPRAYED. TOTAL TIME AWAY FROM THE GATE AT THIS POINT WAS 2 HRS AND 50 MINS. I REQUESTED A DEICING TRUCK TO BE BROUGHT OUT TO THE ACFT TO ONCE AGAIN PERFORM THE DEICING PROCS. BEFORE THE CREW COULD START THE SECOND DEICING,. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT INFORMED ME A PAX WAS GOING INTO WHAT APPEARED TO BE INSULIN SHOCK. I WAVED THE DEICING CREW OFF AND INFORMED GND CTL OF A MEDICAL EMER AND RECEIVED CLRNC TO THE NEAREST GATE. EMER MEDICAL PERSONNEL MET THE ACFT AT THE GATE AND THE PAX ATTENDED TO. AT THIS POINT, THE FO AND MYSELF HAD TIME TO EXTERNALLY INSPECT THE L WING, AND, ALTHOUGH THE R WING AND TAIL SURFACES WERE CLEAN WITH DEICING FLUID, THE L WING HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED! AN INTERNAL COMPANY INVESTIGATION IS NOW UNDER WAY TO DETERMINE HOW THIS OVERSIGHT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. WITH THE NEW FAA DEICING PROCS, THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST CONTAMINATED FLT SURFACES IS THE PRE-TKOF VISUAL INSPECTION. (WHICH WE NEVER GOT TO THAT POINT) I AM NOW A STRONG BELIEVER IN THE NEW DEICING PROCS AND CAN ONLY HOPE THE PRE-TKOF INSPECTION WOULD HAVE CAUGHT WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTROUS OUTCOME! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR REITERATED MOST OF THE INFO IN HIS RPT. HE ADDED THAT THE VALUE OF INSPECTING THE WING FOR ICE FROM INSIDE THE CABIN, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, IS QUESTIONABLE. HE SAID THAT THE TYPE II DEICE FLUID IS THE CONSISTENCY OF WARM HONEY AND WHEN IT COVERS THE CABIN WINDOWS, VERY LITTLE CAN BE SEEN THROUGH THEM. HE IS VERY CONCERNED AND HOPES A BETTER METHOD OF ENSURING CLEAN AIRFOILS CAN BE DEVELOPED. THIS WAS A SCHEDULED 40 MIN FLT. THE DIABETIC PAX EXPECTED TO BE AT DEST IN PLENTY OF TIME TO AVOID SHOCK BUT THE ALMOST 3 HR DELAY THWARTED THAT PLAN.

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.