Narrative:

The corp flight was to depart sus at XA30 for bur. A large winter storm had moved through the previous night, dumping up to 7 inches of snow. As it got closer to departure it was still snowing, and the winds were gusting to 30 mph out of the north. The ATIS was reporting: sky partially obscured, visibility 5/16, snow and blowing snow. We observed the snowplows out on the runway, and saw 1 jet taxi out for takeoff. Our aircraft was sitting inside at the front of our hangar, and at XA15 our line crew told us they would have to move us out in order to fuel another of our aircraft. We were concerned about the WX, and would have preferred to have waited, but we decided to go have a look. I was going to fly this leg, and my major concern was the takeoff, with the snowy runway and strong crosswind. They pulled us out and we had them spray glycol on our wings and tail, then we started our taxi to the active. You come out of our ramp and have to turn right or left on taxiway a to reach the runway. We were having trouble seeing through the windshield as it was becoming covered in melted snow and water, and we were taxiing very slowly. The snow was also blowing very hard, further obscuring our forward visibility. We approached where we thought the taxiway was located, when all of a sudden we saw that we were by it and about to go off the side. I attempted to stop, but by then it was too late, and we went off the taxiway into about 6 inches of snow. We shut down and called our company for help. They were able to pull us out after defueling the aircraft, and there was absolutely no damage done to the aircraft, and no injuries, except for some bruised pilot egos. I believe that the incident could have been avoided if we would have delayed our departure. By XB30 conditions had improved considerably, and we would have had no problem seeing the taxiway. We should have had the line crew put us back in the hangar after they fueled the other aircraft, but the push to leave 'on time' and to get the job done was too great. We also should have stopped our taxi once we saw that we couldn't see properly. The fact that the learjet uses bleed air to heat the windshield also played a factor. If we had been in one of our falcons, with electrically heated windshields and wipers, I think we would have been able to see the taxiway easier. Bottom line, when conditions are bad, have the guts to say no, and when you feel in your gut that something is not right, then it probably isn't.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CORP LEAR 35 TAXIES IN LOW VISIBILITY WITH BLOWING SNOW AND ENDS UP IN SNOWBANK.

Narrative: THE CORP FLT WAS TO DEPART SUS AT XA30 FOR BUR. A LARGE WINTER STORM HAD MOVED THROUGH THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, DUMPING UP TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW. AS IT GOT CLOSER TO DEP IT WAS STILL SNOWING, AND THE WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 30 MPH OUT OF THE N. THE ATIS WAS RPTING: SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, VISIBILITY 5/16, SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. WE OBSERVED THE SNOWPLOWS OUT ON THE RWY, AND SAW 1 JET TAXI OUT FOR TKOF. OUR ACFT WAS SITTING INSIDE AT THE FRONT OF OUR HANGAR, AND AT XA15 OUR LINE CREW TOLD US THEY WOULD HAVE TO MOVE US OUT IN ORDER TO FUEL ANOTHER OF OUR ACFT. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WX, AND WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO HAVE WAITED, BUT WE DECIDED TO GO HAVE A LOOK. I WAS GOING TO FLY THIS LEG, AND MY MAJOR CONCERN WAS THE TKOF, WITH THE SNOWY RWY AND STRONG XWIND. THEY PULLED US OUT AND WE HAD THEM SPRAY GLYCOL ON OUR WINGS AND TAIL, THEN WE STARTED OUR TAXI TO THE ACTIVE. YOU COME OUT OF OUR RAMP AND HAVE TO TURN R OR L ON TXWY A TO REACH THE RWY. WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE SEEING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AS IT WAS BECOMING COVERED IN MELTED SNOW AND WATER, AND WE WERE TAXIING VERY SLOWLY. THE SNOW WAS ALSO BLOWING VERY HARD, FURTHER OBSCURING OUR FORWARD VISIBILITY. WE APCHED WHERE WE THOUGHT THE TXWY WAS LOCATED, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WE SAW THAT WE WERE BY IT AND ABOUT TO GO OFF THE SIDE. I ATTEMPTED TO STOP, BUT BY THEN IT WAS TOO LATE, AND WE WENT OFF THE TXWY INTO ABOUT 6 INCHES OF SNOW. WE SHUT DOWN AND CALLED OUR COMPANY FOR HELP. THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL US OUT AFTER DEFUELING THE ACFT, AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO DAMAGE DONE TO THE ACFT, AND NO INJURIES, EXCEPT FOR SOME BRUISED PLT EGOS. I BELIEVE THAT THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF WE WOULD HAVE DELAYED OUR DEP. BY XB30 CONDITIONS HAD IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY, AND WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO PROB SEEING THE TXWY. WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE LINE CREW PUT US BACK IN THE HANGAR AFTER THEY FUELED THE OTHER ACFT, BUT THE PUSH TO LEAVE 'ON TIME' AND TO GET THE JOB DONE WAS TOO GREAT. WE ALSO SHOULD HAVE STOPPED OUR TAXI ONCE WE SAW THAT WE COULDN'T SEE PROPERLY. THE FACT THAT THE LEARJET USES BLEED AIR TO HEAT THE WINDSHIELD ALSO PLAYED A FACTOR. IF WE HAD BEEN IN ONE OF OUR FALCONS, WITH ELECTRICALLY HEATED WINDSHIELDS AND WIPERS, I THINK WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE TXWY EASIER. BOTTOM LINE, WHEN CONDITIONS ARE BAD, HAVE THE GUTS TO SAY NO, AND WHEN YOU FEEL IN YOUR GUT THAT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT, THEN IT PROBABLY ISN'T.

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.