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An air carrier DC9 flight crew taxiing in blizzard conditions misident a turnoff and taxi onto the grass area.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 424554 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199901 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : dtw |
| State Reference | MI |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | DC-9 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 8500 flight time type : 2000 |
| ASRS Report | 424554 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
After landing in what was later described as blizzard conditions by the local WX media, I started to taxi to the designated gate area. Due to the conditions of blowing and drifting snow combined with darkness, taxiing was very difficult. This all combined with the normal difficulty of ground movement around this airport at night. I taxied the aircraft down the only clearly discernible taxiway to an area adjacent to the gate. I stopped to positively determine my location before turning onto the last taxiway before entering the ramp area. Unfortunately what appeared to be a taxiway was actually a grass median between 2 parallel txwys. The aircraft became bogged down in snow drifts and required snow removal equipment and deplanement of passenger before the aircraft was able to be taxied to its parking area. Contributing factors to the incident: airport construction in the area combined with the effects of snow and blowing snow produced an effect that made what is normally a very familiar area to be treacherous.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN ACR DC9 FLC TAXIING IN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MISIDENT A TURNOFF AND TAXI ONTO THE GRASS AREA.
Narrative: AFTER LNDG IN WHAT WAS LATER DESCRIBED AS BLIZZARD CONDITIONS BY THE LCL WX MEDIA, I STARTED TO TAXI TO THE DESIGNATED GATE AREA. DUE TO THE CONDITIONS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW COMBINED WITH DARKNESS, TAXIING WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THIS ALL COMBINED WITH THE NORMAL DIFFICULTY OF GND MOVEMENT AROUND THIS ARPT AT NIGHT. I TAXIED THE ACFT DOWN THE ONLY CLRLY DISCERNIBLE TXWY TO AN AREA ADJACENT TO THE GATE. I STOPPED TO POSITIVELY DETERMINE MY LOCATION BEFORE TURNING ONTO THE LAST TXWY BEFORE ENTERING THE RAMP AREA. UNFORTUNATELY WHAT APPEARED TO BE A TXWY WAS ACTUALLY A GRASS MEDIAN BTWN 2 PARALLEL TXWYS. THE ACFT BECAME BOGGED DOWN IN SNOW DRIFTS AND REQUIRED SNOW REMOVAL EQUIP AND DEPLANEMENT OF PAX BEFORE THE ACFT WAS ABLE TO BE TAXIED TO ITS PARKING AREA. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE INCIDENT: ARPT CONSTRUCTION IN THE AREA COMBINED WITH THE EFFECTS OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW PRODUCED AN EFFECT THAT MADE WHAT IS NORMALLY A VERY FAMILIAR AREA TO BE TREACHEROUS.
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.