Narrative:

In this event, I felt our aircraft (a B777) needed deicing/anti-icing. The captain did not. Because I was insistent, he summoned my assistant chief pilot, who claims he inspected the aircraft (but later he admitted he did not see the trailing edges of the wings nor other wing-mounted control surfaces) and told me that he agreed with the captain and that we should take the aircraft without deicing. The events in chronological order: I arrived at the aircraft about 1 hour prior to scheduled pushback. After performing the interior inspection and cabin preflight, I did the exterior walkaround. It had begun to snow and the outside air temperature was 31 degrees F. Although the parts of the aircraft visible from the ground and from the cockpit showed no sign of ice or snow, an inspection of the wings from the passenger cabin proved otherwise. On the entire trailing edge of both wings, including on the ailerons, flaperons, and trailing edge flaps, an earlier deicing attempt had apparently resulted in its residue freezing fast to the down side of the wings. The residue was not liquid -- it was very definitely frozen -- into long (and sometimes wide) areas of finger-shaped drips. Not only that, but the snow was gradually adhering to these frozen spots, making them thicker. I pointed this out to the apt and he flatly refused to deice. I tried to look up the regulation and realized I'd left the appropriate volume out of my flight kit, as I'd only the day prior had it out of my bag. I obtained another copy of it prior to flight but the delay in doing so, coupled by the captain's insistence that I load the FMS (about a 15-min process, since it was a short flight) kept me from being able to seek support from other auths. At pushback time the captain and assistant chief pilot were waiting for me in the jetway. Because I was certain the aircraft would fly (it was cold, a large headwind was predicted and we were very light) I agreed to fly this flight, without deicing. Although the rest of the flight was uneventful, I felt we should have deiced like the vast majority of other flts did. I also felt the pressure from management to fly under these conditions was wrong.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B777-200 FO WAS INTIMIDATED TO DEPART BY COMPANY CHIEF PLT AND CAPT AFTER SHE INFORMED THEM THERE WAS ICE ADHERING TO THE ACFT AND WINGS.

Narrative: IN THIS EVENT, I FELT OUR ACFT (A B777) NEEDED DEICING/ANTI-ICING. THE CAPT DID NOT. BECAUSE I WAS INSISTENT, HE SUMMONED MY ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT, WHO CLAIMS HE INSPECTED THE ACFT (BUT LATER HE ADMITTED HE DID NOT SEE THE TRAILING EDGES OF THE WINGS NOR OTHER WING-MOUNTED CTL SURFACES) AND TOLD ME THAT HE AGREED WITH THE CAPT AND THAT WE SHOULD TAKE THE ACFT WITHOUT DEICING. THE EVENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: I ARRIVED AT THE ACFT ABOUT 1 HR PRIOR TO SCHEDULED PUSHBACK. AFTER PERFORMING THE INTERIOR INSPECTION AND CABIN PREFLT, I DID THE EXTERIOR WALKAROUND. IT HAD BEGUN TO SNOW AND THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMP WAS 31 DEGS F. ALTHOUGH THE PARTS OF THE ACFT VISIBLE FROM THE GND AND FROM THE COCKPIT SHOWED NO SIGN OF ICE OR SNOW, AN INSPECTION OF THE WINGS FROM THE PAX CABIN PROVED OTHERWISE. ON THE ENTIRE TRAILING EDGE OF BOTH WINGS, INCLUDING ON THE AILERONS, FLAPERONS, AND TRAILING EDGE FLAPS, AN EARLIER DEICING ATTEMPT HAD APPARENTLY RESULTED IN ITS RESIDUE FREEZING FAST TO THE DOWN SIDE OF THE WINGS. THE RESIDUE WAS NOT LIQUID -- IT WAS VERY DEFINITELY FROZEN -- INTO LONG (AND SOMETIMES WIDE) AREAS OF FINGER-SHAPED DRIPS. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE SNOW WAS GRADUALLY ADHERING TO THESE FROZEN SPOTS, MAKING THEM THICKER. I POINTED THIS OUT TO THE APT AND HE FLATLY REFUSED TO DEICE. I TRIED TO LOOK UP THE REG AND REALIZED I'D LEFT THE APPROPRIATE VOLUME OUT OF MY FLT KIT, AS I'D ONLY THE DAY PRIOR HAD IT OUT OF MY BAG. I OBTAINED ANOTHER COPY OF IT PRIOR TO FLT BUT THE DELAY IN DOING SO, COUPLED BY THE CAPT'S INSISTENCE THAT I LOAD THE FMS (ABOUT A 15-MIN PROCESS, SINCE IT WAS A SHORT FLT) KEPT ME FROM BEING ABLE TO SEEK SUPPORT FROM OTHER AUTHS. AT PUSHBACK TIME THE CAPT AND ASSISTANT CHIEF PLT WERE WAITING FOR ME IN THE JETWAY. BECAUSE I WAS CERTAIN THE ACFT WOULD FLY (IT WAS COLD, A LARGE HEADWIND WAS PREDICTED AND WE WERE VERY LIGHT) I AGREED TO FLY THIS FLT, WITHOUT DEICING. ALTHOUGH THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL, I FELT WE SHOULD HAVE DEICED LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY OF OTHER FLTS DID. I ALSO FELT THE PRESSURE FROM MGMNT TO FLY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS WAS WRONG.

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.